Hornworm alert!!

[buffalogal]

Just when I'm feasting on luscious tomaotes at last, I find that there are ugly green crawlies discovering my treasure. I'll credit the new glasses I'm sporting for seeing that fellow under one of the top leaves of a plant that has yet to provide me with a ripe tomato. Anyone got any idea how to discourage these ugly green monsters besides plucking them? The only revenge I get for the damage is feeding them to the chickens. But I bet I lose the production of more than one tomato for each worm that goes undetected......
Carol

[comrade simba]

Nancy has some Spinosad based leaf eater killer down at the garden shop. It won't kill bees and works everytime.

[buffalogal]

Thanks Comrade
I visited Nancy's Garden Center and came home with Dipel Dust, a btk product for leaf chewer worms. And WOW it only set me back $4. It might could have saved my brussel sprouts if I had it earlier. Nice that it is safe and organic. And if it saves just a few tomatoes, it will have paid for itself.

Speaking of brussel sprouts, there was nothing left but the skeleton of the leaves by the time the cabbage worms had their way. But I had not pulled them, and now with the rains, the plants are growing again, putting little sprouts along the stems and a head at the top. Cool. It will give me a chance to see if this Dipel Dust is effective.

There are ugly little worms that look like cabbage worms that are attacking the tomatoes this year. With the cherry tomatoes, they crawl right in the fruit and make themselves at home. On the big ones, they are ruining the green tomatoes before they get a chance to ripen. Luckily there are not too many of them and hopefully this Dipel Dust will give them a tummy ache also.
Carol

[buffalogal]

I was watering the tomatoes yesterday when I noticed a dark brown horn worm hanging under a stem. I pulled it off, and it was deader than a doornail.... The Dipel Dust definately did its job. But I also picked a very much alive smaller worm off a tomato. It looks like the dust will need to be powered often, especially on new growth. But I used a puffer bottle and it worked great and did not take much dust to cover the 22 tomato plants and misc other plants. Thanks, Nancy and Comrade!!
Carol

[buffalogal]

Nov 15, I was picking any remaining green tomatos still clinging to the dead vines and cleaning the plants from my garden. One tomato plant had fallen over and was covered with leaves. When I pulled up the plant, there were two half grown hornworms munching on a little green tomato that had been protected by the leaves.

It was a good reminder of reasons why it is important to remove debris from the garden. And it does make you wonder how insects survive the winter to attack our gardens next spring. At least these two little worms will not be laying eggs in my garden this fall to come after my tomato plants in the spring.