[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7549556638/][img]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7549556638_2b2e065dd9.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7549556638/]Untitled[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/people/75814345@N05/]ScottMBolt[/url], on Flickr
Not cool. I found a second one right near him on the same plant too! Is that tomato wasted? Should I cut it? How do you control these things!?
- DownriverGardener
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- TheWaterbug
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- Francis Barnswallow
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I had to look up Oompa-Loompas in the urban dictionary. I only go to that resource as a last resort .
Bacillus thuringiensis spray, also known as Thuricide Bt, has worked well for me. This is a bacteria that kills insects in their larval stage. Spinosad may work also.
I haven't had to spray for them in a half-dozen years. I blame 2 things: growing sunflowers in the veggie garden and the chickadees who visit the sunflowers often, long before there is any seed .
Steve
Bacillus thuringiensis spray, also known as Thuricide Bt, has worked well for me. This is a bacteria that kills insects in their larval stage. Spinosad may work also.
I haven't had to spray for them in a half-dozen years. I blame 2 things: growing sunflowers in the veggie garden and the chickadees who visit the sunflowers often, long before there is any seed .
Steve
- DownriverGardener
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I found three other ones lurking around as well. I really hope they don't infest and ruin my crops - I have a LOT of tomatoes.
I have Take-down Garden Spray by Monterrey Garden Supply. It has Pytherins (sp?) in it, hopefully that will do the trick. I sprayed last week, but a rain washed it all away I believe.
https://www.biconet.com/botanicals/takedowngarden.html
I have Take-down Garden Spray by Monterrey Garden Supply. It has Pytherins (sp?) in it, hopefully that will do the trick. I sprayed last week, but a rain washed it all away I believe.
https://www.biconet.com/botanicals/takedowngarden.html
I've never had them completely ruin a crop. just go out there and check daily. Look for the poop that drops and usually above that you'll find the thing. you'll get them in all various sizes, the small ones are hard to find, but by the time they get big like that they've eaten a bunch of plant. you'll find them, just keep checking!
- gixxerific
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I have been searching haven't found any yet. Going out to pick and check again in a few.
Sorry to hear hope you find them or better they become parasitized. They are easier to find than.
here is site I found that will make everyone feel better to coincide with Apple's '09 pics. It show the life cycle as well as the best stage of their life, dead.
https://www.gardengrapevine.com/TomatoWorm.html
Sorry to hear hope you find them or better they become parasitized. They are easier to find than.
here is site I found that will make everyone feel better to coincide with Apple's '09 pics. It show the life cycle as well as the best stage of their life, dead.
https://www.gardengrapevine.com/TomatoWorm.html
- rainbowgardener
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I just went out there and saw some eggs on a few plants. Thankfully my plants are pathetically small for this time of year, so they were easy to spot LOL! So I looked on the other plants and found a few tiny little baby ones. not much longer than 1/3 inch long. I'll look again tomorrow for others. I always enjoy the hunt, it is fun! It is like, where's waldo?
- DownriverGardener
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Thanks for all the responses folks! I sprayed some organic insecticide earlier, and I will be hunting for them now on a daily basis. It's crazy how I've had my tomatoes out since early May, and I've finally got my first round of worms.
I also put a bird feeder in the garden area in hopes that they'll not only go for the seeds, but for the worms as well.
I also put a bird feeder in the garden area in hopes that they'll not only go for the seeds, but for the worms as well.
- gixxerific
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- PunkRotten
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Don't give up. I got these last year and every day I checked diligently and the problem ended. Some days I pulled over a dozen. After awhile you begin to get really good at finding them. Look for their droppings as well as stems that look defoliated. You will usually find them near by. They eat leaves more than fruits. I would usually pull them off drop them to the ground and take a shovel and chop them in half and leave them for the birds and other critters.
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Last year I only noticed one hornworm in my garden, but by the time I found it, it was already covered in wasp eggs. I left it there. It didn't move one bit in the week or so it was on the plant - eventualy it "disappeared."
I haven't really been looking for them this year, and I haven't seen any damage, but this thread has got me thinking about it. I'll probably check starting today.
I haven't really been looking for them this year, and I haven't seen any damage, but this thread has got me thinking about it. I'll probably check starting today.
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The moths lay a single white egg on the top of the tomato leaf, usually near the top of the plant. The caterpillars hatch out and eat night and day so they grow really fast and do a lot of damage. I use the BT dust, usually try to put out a little across the top of the vines every 2 weeks or so as soon as they start to set tomatoes. SO FAR this year I haven't seen a hornworm. Check your other Solanum plants, they love peppers, eggplants, petunias too.
- rainbowgardener
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- DownriverGardener
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UGH! Checked on my garden this afternoon, and there were two of the largest worms just munching away. They destroyed multiple parts of many branches.
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562758886/][img]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8141/7562758886_246215a824.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562758886/]Horn worm! Ugh![/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/people/75814345@N05/]ScottMBolt[/url], on Flickr
... and then, right after the first picture, the little bastard posed for the camera!
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562760958/][img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/7562760958_2df6f176e9.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562760958/]Untitled[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/people/75814345@N05/]ScottMBolt[/url], on Flickr
:-/
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562758886/][img]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8141/7562758886_246215a824.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562758886/]Horn worm! Ugh![/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/people/75814345@N05/]ScottMBolt[/url], on Flickr
... and then, right after the first picture, the little bastard posed for the camera!
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562760958/][img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/7562760958_2df6f176e9.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/75814345@N05/7562760958/]Untitled[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/people/75814345@N05/]ScottMBolt[/url], on Flickr
:-/