tomato hornworm

[calli]

any information on eliminating these pests, this season and in the future?
rotating my crops is unlikely as i have only one bed to use for veggies.
thanks!!

[Steph]

Hi Calli,
I had a big problem with hornworms this year. They pretty much ate all our tomato plants up. I had never seen them before this year. I think I just did not take them seriously enough at the start. I thought they were very neat looking and could not kill them. I did read that some people just keep a good eye out for them and fill a container with soapy water, pick them off and drop them in. You would probably have to do this pretty often, though. Hope this helps.
Steph

[lovetogarden]

Use Bt ( sold under the name Dipel). this bacteria is hamless to us and kills the worms.

[Silent]

Parasitic wasps are a great control as well.

[strmywthr3]

the herb borage is supposed to repel hornworms. just make sure you have room for it. it gets about 3 ft tall with a spread of 2-3 feet. very pretty blue flowers and the young leaves are supposed to be edible. older leaves are very prickly.

[BlackbearryGardens]

I've heard of a neat way of finding the pesky critters to eliminate them. I get so aggravated when they attack and then I can never find them! I haven't got to try it yet....but a black light flash light is supposed to light them right up if you out at night and shine the light on your tomatoes. :)

[Pharmerphil]

If your garden is anything smaller than mine, why use any controls other than a hand picking, hornworms are easy to spot, and if you have been organic for any lenth of time, you should find your jornworms are already being attacked, look for tiny white egg sacks attached, and let nature take it's course!

[zebraman]

I pinch the the stems on the first or second true leaves,just hard enough to bruise the stem but not hard enough to kill it.This causes the plants to produce an enzyme that is lethal to Hornworms.I get them up to an inch or so but then their gone.I got this from Barbara Damrocsh.It is 100% effective for me.Heavy insect infestation generally means you you need to hone up on your soil building techniques.

[deb65802]

planting a variety of things around your tomatoes will help keep the bugs off.

basil, borage, carrots are all companion crops/ basil and borage are supposed to repel aphids, cutworms and hornworms. Encouraging birds in the garden is another good step. Let them do the picking for you. Add several bird feeders around and throw your egg shells in between the rows and you will have birds aplenty.

[GObug]

I planted tomatillos around the tomatoes and had zero horn worms. The horn worm comes from a nocturnal moth. She is quite large, about half the size of a dollar bill and shaped like a triangle. The female lays the egg on the tomato leaves at night, and continues to lay them each night. I am not sure how she locates the tomatoes, but I believe some plants make it difficult for her to find them.

Dipel is a great product but you need a duster. There is a water soluable version (Dipel ES) but I don't think it is OMRI approved like the dust version. I like it better than the dust because it is easier and more accurate to apply.

[wilderness1989]

A 10 1/2 shoe does a great job dispatching them. You really have to concentrate and look close to find them my wife does a better job finding them and I do the rest.

[chubbyduckie]

Hello all!! I have just joined; I was so happy to find a local gardening forum. :)
I never heard about pinching the first true leaves to get rid of hornworms, will have to try it. One thing that works for me is a garlic pepper spray.
I spray in the evening when it's cooler, and the worms come to the top leaves; then by the next day they are usually lying on the ground.

They are the larva of the sphinx moth, which is often mistaken for a hummingbird.

[OkieDok]

Basil, interplanted does a great job for me.

[redbrick]

[QUOTE=wilderness1989]A 10 1/2 shoe does a great job dispatching them. QUOTE]

Personally, I'm partial to any handy board. :D Just make sure that any of your chillens are out of splatter range! :eek: Ask me how I know. :o