The Dreaded Tomato Hornworm
Code Green, Code Green! We're Under Attack!
We inspected our garden today and found a bunch of leaves missing from our tomato plants. And these big black dots all over the place.
Quick, grab the bb gun, we have a tomato hornworm invasion! We learned about tomato horn worms from @mericanhomestead and @papa-pepper, we never expected to meet them in person. These worms are huge!
Picking off Horn Worms
We searched and found six worms munching on our tomatoes. They managed to defoliate 1/3 of the leaves off one of our tomato plants, thankfully we caught them before they did any more damage.
I think we got them all...
These guys are so well camouflaged, they are really difficult to see. You think you got them all, then you look again and find one right in front of your nose. They hang on the stems and blend in perfectly with the green plants.
I didn't know they make noise! Listening carefully, my wife and I could hear them "snap, snap, snap". I think it's their teeth! EWWW.
Eliminating the Pests
Once we picked them all off the plants, the question was... now what? How do we eliminate them? Ultimately, we decided scissors... I didn't film the gruesome spectacle. All I can say is they are very "juicy" creatures.
Bless the Most High!
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Oh no!!! 1/3 of the foliage?
Those little pests!
We last checked the garden on Friday and all was well. We didn't look over the weekend - which is a mistake. These guys can do a lot of damage very quickly! It could have been worse, I'm glad we caught it when we did. @ironshield
Amazing how quick they showed up. I never had them (hope I didn't jinx myself by saying that) but can only imagine.
I've been raising tomato plants since I was a kid, so figure 25 years or so...I've never even seen one in person before. My father in law has been raising tomatoes for years and he's never seen one before either. We have no idea what happened that we suddenly have them.
I found two more on another plant after dinner. We are definitely under attack...
But on the upside, the Japanese beetles were nowhere near as bad this year as last.
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Σ1 SMART! Comment@smartbot helpto claim. Currently the price of SmartCash in the market is$0.077 USDperSMART. Current value of the tip is$0.08 USD. To find out more about SmartCash, please visit https://smartcash.cc.Ewww! I haven’t noticed any on our plants yet. But it’s been a couple days since I’ve been out there. I hate bugs!
We just found two more tonight. They're really easy to miss. Look for their poop, then you'll find the worm above it. @ironshield
Better check, they can do a lot of damage fast!
oh smithlabs, you think you have the answer for everything.
Nope, just an empirical lab experiment to determine if the air blast that dismantles a spider will also cause structural failure on a caterpillar.
I suspect that the rigid exoskeleton on a spider with it's low cross sectional area will be more resistant to high velocity air streams; than the relatively soft external membrane wrapping around the horn worm caterpillar.
BUT I need a real world test to verify my hypothesis...
:)yes and it is such an important one.
All Hypothesis are important, because that is the gate of knowledge.
:0Some knowledge is more important than others, LOL!
But it is all good to know, if someone is in a SHTF situation; saving ammunition may be wise, and if not needed, can be used for other things! In my Gamo pellet rifle. one of these BBs can equal a Rabbit to eat....
:)very true. and rabbit is good eatin!
I took one with the Gamo, at 60 yards, with a head shot! That is a Nasty toy.
:)Hate those things
I know you do. And I can see why you used the bb gun technique. Those worms are hard to get off the plants! @ironshield
I was always afraid of them as a kid because someone told me that they can "sting" you. Don't know if it is actually true, but that is what I have always believed. I haven't see one in forever though...
That spike on their back looks really intimidating. Their little claws hold on to the plant very tightly and they squirm around at you when picking them up. Hearing their little mouth clicking... I wouldn't want to test to see if they sting or bite. Our first horn worm experience. Ewww. @ironshield
I wonder if these pests can be dispatched by the BB gun that has zero ammunition? I have destroyed a Black Widow Spider with the air blast from an empty pellet rifle. The air velocity, by itself, will cause structural failure.
Maybe. They seem pretty fragile. Except for their teeth. "click, click, click" @ironshield
Let me know if it works on caterpillars, it does great on spiders.
:)EWWWWW. They are really beautiful if you don't think about all the damage they do. Is the black rounds poop or eggs?
I think I would have poured boiling water over them. I'm not sure I would want to cut them now.
I hope you got them all. I suppose you'll be checking every day now?
Checked again this morning and afternoon... so far so good. No worms. Those black rounds are definitely NOT eggs. I heard soapy water if effective too, I think the scissors technique may be quicker and probably less painful for them. @ironshield
You're probably right about the scissors. I hope you got them all.
I have been blessed that ever since I started growing tomatoes I have never had an issue with the hornworm. Now that I say that LOOK OUT!!! KNOCK ON WOOD!!! PRAY!!!
We do not do it anymore now but once we threw a handfull of them in a wood ant nest.
That would be very satisfying to watch. @ironshield
Not to get too picky with words, but that is not what I was expected. I mean, in the title you said it was a "DREADED" tomato hornworm.... that things doesn NOT have any dreadlocks....
just saying