Gigantic green worm thing eating my tomatoes

[sparkles2307]

Ew, all I know is when I was about 4 years old living in MT I found one of those in our yard and squicshed it, I still remember those great big gobs of green guts today 20 years later!!!!

We dont have those in MN much, we have TONS of those beetles that LOOK like ladybugs but arent.....they are a pain in the behind.

 

[bid]

Hornworms are the larval stage of hummingbird moths, although they have different names in different places. Their natural predator is the broconid wasp. I tend to agree with seedcorn that they can wipe out your tomato plants before the wasp gets to them. Once the wasp lays eggs in the hornworm it is still alve but paralyzed and stops feeding.

Bt is an effective treatment although I just hand pick them. Tough little critters to spot. They blend in almost perfectly with the color of the tomato. Early morning inspection works best for me. Look for the droppings and the look up a bit from there to the leaf ends usually. The larger the droppings the larger the worm. Kind of gives me an idea of what size worm to look for. One thing is for sure, if you have one, you probably have more than one. It frustrates me no end when I see my tomatos getting chewed up. Especially when I can't spot that hornworm I know is there somewhere.

 

[patandchickens]

My experience is closer to seedcorn's -- they don't really get weakened til they get big, by which time they have already done a lot of defoliation. I still don't feed the infected ones to chickens -- I figure the more of the parasitoids around the better.

IME tomatoes can tolerate considerable damage without the harvest dropping to where I don't have excess tomatoes, though (Not the case, I'm sure, if you're doing it commercially, but really, a few of them defoliating some stems of the tomato plant are not necessarily going to make much if any difference)

Hand-picking is the best plan, IMO.

Pat

 

[vfem]

Here is my issue.... I LOVE hummingbird moths. We sit on my deck and watch them come to my petunias hanging pots on the deck. Now I have the flowering tobacco growing and I get TONS of them by the deck.

I HATE them in my garden, and last year I had tons of them... all of which ended up going to the chickens. Anyways... I have checked my tomatoes day after day and have yet to find any causing damage. I think my marigolds and basil and calendula do their job.

I do have lots of the wasps they talk about on this website:
Life cycle of a Tomato Hornworm

Its filled with good info... I will feed them to my chickens if I find them... but I won't chase off the moths... they're AWESOME to watch!!!

 

[patandchickens]

Here is my issue.... I LOVE hummingbird moths. We sit on my deck and watch them come to my petunias hanging pots on the deck. Now I have the flowering tobacco growing and I get TONS of them by the deck.

Do you mean what are most commonly called hummingbird moths -- they are most commonly seen in the daytime, the body is sort of olive green just like a real hummingbird's, and the wings are mostly clear -- or do you mean any of several times of what are most commonly called sphynx moths, which are basically nocturnal (sometimes seen at dusk) and usually larger and not-olive-green and the wings are solid/opaque?

The tomato hornworm turns into one kind of the latter.

If you are watching the little greenish clearwinged hummingbird-mimics, rest assured that you can feed as many hornworms as you want to the chickens and not affect your moth friends' population (Even with the big ones, there are lots of species of 'em, only ONE of which is the tomato hornworm...)

Pat

 

[vfem]

Well personally I like actual hummingbirds better.... but I watch them come and go up to dusk, then around dusk the hummingbird moth that is common here:

....comes out. Its the Sphinx / hawk moth from the hornworms.... but like I said, if I see them on my plants they are not welcome. Otherwise, I ignore them.

Also, like I said... I noticed an abundance of those wasps... so I may not have much to worry about anymore. I'm more concerned about the cucumber beetles on my petunias. Yet, they are not on my cucumbers?! Oh well.... One pest at a time!

 

[aee96]

That is an awesome pic!

aee96

 

[sparkles2307]

Ugh *shudders* the #1 thing I am afraid of is moths! When I was a kid I unsuspectingly squashed on in my hand (gross), then at camp a few years later I got an Emperor Moth tangled in the hair at the nape of my neck and almost passed out! It was beating its wings against my cheek and neck to get free, I was thrashing around, and my friends were trying not to laugh as they held me down to get it out.

So, 3 years ago I am watering my porch plants, when a freakin Hummingbird Moth divebombs my head, goes into my house, and proceeds to do tactical manuvers in the general direction of ME for about 10 minutes before I can get my ex brother in law to come to my rescue.

I will never let those Hornworms get to winged stages on my watch!

 

[Grow 4 Food]

First and foremost BEWARE OF THAT HORN! hurts like $**%!

Second Those things are the reason that I don't eat guacomole. Take one and smash it up and see what it looks like - you won't eat it either!

 

[obsessed]

I used a fork to get it off the plant I was no way going to touch it.