Evil fat nasty tomato catapillers

[werecat]

They have found my mums Tomatoes. She was telling me that something was eating them, but couldnt figure out how the bunnies were getting up on the table that all the pots were on. Out I go today to water them for her and lo and behold what do I find, but three of thost fat nasty bloated tomato catapillers with the spike thing out their hind end that turn around and try to bite you when you yank them off. So I call my mother out to show her so she can keep and eye on them knowing (or so I thought) that she wont have the heart to kill them. Wrong! she says ok what do we do now. I told her to just yank them carefully and toss them away but since I know she wouldn't want to kill them she would have to be extra careful to keep the plants free of them. My sweet dear gentle English mum came back with "Screw that! Those little beasts are eating my tomatoes! How do I make them dead!" Bunnies would have been acceptable, but the catapillers get the ax LOL Bucket 1/4 full of water and in they go to drown since I don't have chickens or a hedgehog to feed them too. When we plant on a larger scale she wanted to spray to kill them but I said now to chemicals. She implored me to come to you all and see if any had a non toxic / non poison way to get rid of the little beasties. I guess you just shouldnt mess with an english woman's tomatoes LOL

[zebraman]

Hey werecat;Next season pinch the lower leaf stems on the Tomato seedling when they are about 6-8 inches tall.Pinch the stems (on leaf)not main growing stem,hard enough to bruise it but not hard enough to kill it.This causes the Tomato plant to produce an enzyme that is leathal to hornworms.They make it to about an inch long before they Die.I have used this technique for almost 20 years and it is 100% effective for Me.Elliot Coleman and his wife Barbara Damroshe had a TV show on PBS in the early 90's and that is where I got this.-

[mrtomatoexpres]

zeb you are right i seen the same show the show was called garden naturally i have some on vhs tape :)

[werecat]

Hey werecat;Next season pinch the lower leaf stems on the Tomato seedling when they are about 6-8 inches tall.Pinch the stems (on leaf)not main growing stem,hard enough to bruise it but not hard enough to kill it.This causes the Tomato plant to produce an enzyme that is leathal to hornworms.They make it to about an inch long before they Die.I have used this technique for almost 20 years and it is 100% effective for Me.Elliot Coleman and his wife Barbara Damroshe had a TV show on PBS in the early 90's and that is where I got this.- Once more luv you have saved my "bacon" Thanks again. I really appreciate it. Oh and I am actually growing some heirloom plants to save seed from. :^) wont be much, but looks like I will actually have lemon cucs to trade seed with. :)

[Cliff Timmons]

I know no one wants to hear this, but it must be said.

The only answer is a 12 guage shotgun.

[mobi]

I know no one wants to hear this, but it must be said.

The only answer is a 12 guage shotgun.
:D Cliff wouldn't that make "chunky salsa"? mobi

[Lavandula Girl]

Cliff - isn't a 12 gauge a little large for this? Maybe scatterpillar shot?

[Cliff Timmons]

Scatterpiller? <grin>

[werecat]

LOL. ROFLMAO yeah and wipe out my mum's tomatoes to boot. LOL You think she was pissed over the horn worms, Imagine what she would do to someone that made chunky salsa with a 12 gage. That woman survived the Blitz down town london as a child. Trust me, the only thing that scares her is spiders

[Cliff Timmons]

LOL. ROFLMAO yeah and wipe out my mum's tomatoes to boot. LOL You think she was pissed over the horn worms, Imagine what she would do to someone that made chunky salsa with a 12 gage. That woman survived the Blitz down town london as a child. Trust me, the only thing that scares her is spiders
I'd love to sit and talk to her about the 40's someday. How interesting.

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

If you do not want to try Zebramans advice or since it is to late for that this year try spraying BT on the plants. This will kill them without having to pickem off.

Or import some beneficial wasps into your garden.

Oh...they do not bite or sting...they just put on a good show. If they were half as mean as they pretended to be gardeners would never grow tomatoes.

Personally I pinch their heads and let em hang there.

But try what you will.

Later,
Chad

[Cliff Timmons]

Personally I pinch their heads and let em hang there.

But try what you will.

Later,
Chad

Oh as a warning to other little catapillers?
Cool.

[slug slayer]

LOL- tonight I discovered about 9 of them some 2-3 inches long- I threw them in a bowl and sliced each one in half- a green mess but the ants are appreciative.

What out for the mothers with the white eggs on them.

I read somewhere maybe Mother Earth News that a women went out to pick these horn worms and found that her dogs were really into eating. next time she was in the garden were sniffing them out. My fido wanted no part of 'em.

Does anyone know where they come from? I've never had them in past years until this year when I started growing on Heirloom Tomatoes.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Idon't think the ones with white eggs on them are mothers. I think they are hornworms with predatory wasp eggs on them.

The first one I found like this, I thought it was a mother, too. I freaked out and threw it in the trash asap, but then I read a little here on the forum and someone said it was eggs of a wasp and the baby wasps feed on the worm and you end up with a dessicated hornworm and an increased population of beneficials. I have found this to be true...I have 18 tomato plants and have found 4 hornworms, all of which were in this state. I revisited recently, and indeed: dessicated worm, no more eggs. Also no active hornworms. The wasps find them all before I do!

[slug slayer]

yep- I just did a little reading on here about the white thingys. So, if they are the beneficials (the white rice like things) do you keep the worm around or just kill it? The wasps are great to have around but if I let the worm live it can do alot of damage.
Does anyone know the life cycle of the white rice (wasp eggs)? Like how quickly they will go to work on the hornworm?

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

I dunno about that. I just leave them b/c I am considering this, my first year, a year to get as many beneficials onto my property as I can. Therefore, I just leave them. I have had almost no hornworm damage. I poke at them when I find them, and they don't even move.

[slug slayer]

I thought I was in the clear until I found a few little ones then I found the motherlode literally tonight. I have about 50 plants so grab and slice is my motto. Otherwise they make quick work of my gorgeous heirlooms- guess I'll be on the lookout day and night.

[redbrick]

By the time you see the "rice", the wasps' work is done. Those aren't eggs, they're really the coccoons. That caterpillar is already dead, it just doesn't know it yet.

When I was a kid I had an insect collection, and I decided I wanted one of those wasps in it. So I took one of those coccoons and put it in an empty jar to let it hatch out. Let me tell you, the wasp is about the size of this "i"! Needless to say, I had a heck of a time pinning it!

[Soapymomma]

heehee, i put them in a blender, with a little cayanne, then put em in my sprayer and spray the tomatoes,
but honestly , i like the idea of pinching the plants ... if i didnt have so many to go over , and so many other things to do .....
my youngest came in the house and told me she found one, i asked her if she killed it she proudly said yep , i gave her a hug , and then she told me " i brought it over to Troy and he squashed it , i didnt have shoes on" Troy is our neighbor....:S

[newbiedigger]

Okay, this morning I found two of those nasty little caterpillars and one was HUGE!! I cut the branch that they were stripping and threw it in the field. My tomato plants are about 15 inches tall. I am not sure what to do to make those things stay away. So far in my garden I have been lucky and not had many pests, but I only have 4 tomato plants and wish to have some kind of harvest this year. I don't know what BT is, referring to Chad's post (This is my first year with a garden).

[redbrick]

Bt is a fungal spore that's usually found in the soil. When caterpillars eat the spore, it cuts their digestive system up and they starve to death and/or "bleed" to death internally. Bt is marketed as Dipel dusting powder.

[Pickled_Melon]

I know no one wants to hear this, but it must be said.

The only answer is a 12 guage shotgun.

No Way! save em and keep 'em alive. I knew a guy who used'em to get into the grammy's one year. he used'em like a ticket and got himself and a bunch of his buddies in for next to nothing- except the loss of his tomatoes! :cool: :D

[johno]

Hey guys, I posted a picture of one of these evil, fat, nasty tomato caterpillars the other day on the Garden Pictures thread if anybody wants to see it...

[chubbyduckie]

Those nasty hornworms will also eat pepper plants, flowering tobacco and I found one on my brugmansia (msp?) this year. The BT took care of all of them; they just die and hang on the plant all black. I know, yuck.

I watch for some with the wasps, but haven't seen any as yet.

[newbiedigger]

I went out and sprayed all of my tomato plants with a water/peppermint oil mixture and haven't seen another one yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but I doubt it could be that easy!

[Tim]

I plant a basil plant between each tomato plant in the row and it really does seem to make them grow larger plants(both basil and tomato) and I dont have any bugs on them either. Seems like they have less diesease, and give more tomatoes. The only tomato plant that died last year was one that was away from all the basil. Other than that I was out in december when the frost finaly got here to pick the last tomatoes(gota love Florida). still had squash bugs though im going to find a way to kill them one day! Anyway I have to shut this pc down its raining bad and its a gaming pc.. so see ya guys later. :cool:

[werecat]

I went out and sprayed all of my tomato plants with a water/peppermint oil mixture and haven't seen another one yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but I doubt it could be that easy!
You know I was wondering about doing that myself. Maybe a blend of pepermint oil, Patchouli, lavender and maybe a little lemon grass or citronella? all natural bug repellents. Let me now how it all goes for you...

[SunflowerMeg]

We had several hornworms this season. 4 of them were big as cigars...I swear. I almost passed out when I saw the first one. I had on gardening gloves (God, I would never touch one of those with my bare hands), and grabbed it off (passed out at this point, almost), and threw it into a jar of water. Then found another one and repeated the process. HOWEVER, several days later, I found 2 younger hornworms with the wasp eggs/or coccoons, so I let them be. Book said the wasps stings the worms and paralyzes them, so at that point, they will do no more damage. I figure there has to be some good/bad balance. If you kill ALL the hornworms, then you miss out on the beneficial wasps. If you kill ALL the aphids, will you attract ladybugs? The huge hornworms though, had no eggs on them. The young ones did, so maybe that's a clue...I don't know.

[chubbyduckie]

Good thinking, Meg. No matter how disgusting they are, (shudder!) they must serve 'some' purpose.
Funny thing, though...my daughter was taking them off some plants recently (WITH gloves, I might add!) and her three yr. old daughter said, "Mom, I can't get this one off"!! She had grabbed the worm and he was hanging on for dear life, and she thought it was so funny!! UGH!!!!

[kkinAL]

Tim-- what kind of basil did you plant? Any specific variety that works better? Have you ever tried marigolds to deter pests?

[johno]

You know I was wondering about doing that myself. Maybe a blend of pepermint oil, Patchouli, lavender and maybe a little lemon grass or citronella? all natural bug repellents. Let me now how it all goes for you...

What I am wondering is how can I make my own mint oil? I have tons of mint that I could press or distill or whatever to make oil for a repellant spray, just don't know how. :confused:

[Helen Wong-Joe]

Just lately, they have been coming around our tomato and tomatillo plants. They are eating almost every leaves, new stems and in some plants - young tomatoes like there is no tomorrow. Are they fatten themselves for the winter or what????

[onmyknees]

this summer i purchased a plant form a mennonite produce/plant stand nearby. It supposedly reples animals and bugs it is a form of coleus stinks like a very strong marigold I have one of the two very large plants potted up to bring in for the winter. I have been able to keep coleus in the greenhouse/basement every year so I suppose this will make it as well. No blooms yet but I understqand cuttings are easy which is true since I broke a branch off and stuck it in ght sil and it kept on going. I will be happy to send cuttings to anyone who would like to give it a try. The plants near the one remaining in the garden are pest free and the beneficials do not seem to mind. no tomatoe worms on the two plants on either side of it so it must work like basil to deter the hornworms.

[johno]

I was surprised to find a fresh hatch of tomato hornworms in the radishes and Black Hungarian peppers this weekend. I wonder why they were over there. Maybe that was the only safe place for them to hide from me earlier this year? Haven't seen any since about the time the dill was four feet high. I cut up a diseased one and carefully applied it to every single one of those fat ______s I could find. Biological warfare at it's finest! I guess one of them laid eggs first, though...

[Sandbar]

Bt is a fungal spore that's usually found in the soil. When caterpillars eat the spore, it cuts their digestive system up and they starve to death and/or "bleed" to death internally. Bt is marketed as Dipel dusting powder.
Is that an organic product? Not familiar with this ...

[lovetogarden]

BT stands for bacillus thuringiensis-a microbial insecticide that is very effective on catapillers. Yes, it is organic.

It paralyzes the insects digestive tract and they die from starvation. The good side, it does not harm bees, earthworms, and other benificials.

It is only effective for about a week as sunlight breaks down BT. So it needs to be reaplied at least once a week as long as the hornworms are around and after rain. Rain washes the BT away.l