Tomato hornworm damage... but no worm

I've been waiting for this... yesterday I found a defoliated tomato plant branch and the tell-tale hand-grenade-looking bug poop. But... no worm! I know they're hard to see and I checked the ENTIRE plant.

Later I found another branch munched on, but again... no worm present.

I wonder, could my lovely barn swallows or Eastern bluebirds be picking them off for me?

-Wendy

They're there somewhere. I have better luck finding them at night with a flashlight (they seem to be nocturnal feeders).

It is possible a bird got it, but that is really unusual for me. I suggest keep looking, especially in the area where the poop if greener.

I did look last night with a flashlight and then first thing this morning. Nothing further was eaten last night, so... I'll keep watching.

--
Wendy

I had the tomato worm damage one year. The worms weren't easy to find so I resolved to spray the plants with Bt thuringiensis on my next visit. Of course, I forgot the spray but, I also couldn't find any new damage. A week later, the plants had healed.

I had a few volunteer sunflowers that were left to grow near the tomatoes that year. They were visited constantly by the birds, especially chickadees. House finches and chipping sparrows also show up. Well before the flowers actually have seeds, the birds are regular visitors. It is almost as tho' they are staking out feeding territories!

This was about 10 years ago. My tomatoes have never had tomato worms since! I do, however, always grow sunflowers in the vegetable garden.

Only a very few birds feed seeds or fruit to nestlings. For most of the rest of them, it is an insect diet. Our nesting song birds must be murder on bugs!

Steve

edited: yes, i know what tomato worms can do in the tomato patch. years ago, they would sometimes tear up a plant so badly that my first thought was deer! but no, i'd also find the poop and after awhile, a few tomato worms.

And look "above" the poop too, since well... you know... gravity and all. lol

Those little devils are masters at hiding.

And my chickens (who eat everything) have to debate with themselves for a moment before deciding that the hornworms are edible. I can't really see a tiny wild bird doing that work for you. But wouldn't it be wonderful if they did!?!?

AmyRey said:

And look "above" the poop too, since well... you know... gravity and all. lol

Click to expand...

That's how I find them too. They're hard to see (until they get ginormous!) because they cling to the stems and are the same color as the plant.

I'm lucky, the few times I get these worms they are pretty easy to see and short lived because we have a fair number of wasps around which make them look like they are growing cotton on their backs. Doubly fortunate is that since we have barely any wild bees around here anymore, wasps are pollinating the plants quite a bit, though it is a bit annoying when I get stung.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcBgBKv8818

I had tomato worms last year, I am scouting now, because I heard they lay eggs as moths and likely will be here next year. I set my kids looking for them, sad to say i offered money for each one found. they are 4 and 5 and I don't think anything escapes their young eyes!

I have been faithfully monitoring my tomato plants for signs of hornworm damage. None so far, but this morning when giving my potato plants the once-over, I thought "Hmm, that seems like a lot of bare stem, just for dead blossom droppage...." Lo and behold, I found three good-size hornworms on the potatoes! And they are only a yard or so from the tomatoes. Well, I tossed those buggers in with the chickens, and they swarmed the worms but haven't eaten them yet. I hope the girls catch on to what their JOB is soon! Of course, at 10 weeks, they won't even eat earthworms yet. "EEEK! A worm!" There is hopefully enough DE on the ground that the hornworms won't make it out of the run alive, regardless of their mode of death.