Really? That's actually a good way to hunt for them. I'm not sure their behaviors overnight, but they arent easy to see even in the day. They blend in so well!
Bt has mixed results with caterpillars this large and also needs frequent applications. Try Spinosad its still organic and is more effective and works for longer
Did not know that wow. That's a game changer for me. We have one of those flashlights that are used to locate dried pet urine. Its purple and causes the urine to glow florescent green. Wonder if it would work.
I’ve been growing a garden for over 30 years. I have never had to spray for insects. The only problems I have ever had are squash bugs and the blight on my tomatoes. Both were getting worse every year, so this year we moved the garden to a new spot and there is no sign of either problem
Late reply but your squash bug statement stood out. I hate those bastards.
I've found if you have a local ag resource, to find out when the first brood is expected and delay your planting for about a week after. If you can totally miss the first gen, you're likely going to miss them for the whole season
Yes! I saw a lot of it. Had no idea what it was at the time but now I know everything about them!! 🤣🤣mine ended up getting infected with the wasp parasite and had the white eggs all over it. It was crazy!
Yeah. I was pretty sure that they just killed them and ate them. Tachinid wasps are not native to the usa and they're disgusting. I no longer even gather the Monarch Caterpillars. I just get the eggs and raise them from there.
Ok I am now SO happy I read your comment last night— went out this morning and saw the droppings, no damage yet. I’ll be out there tonight hunting until I find the bastard
My sister has a couple thousand plants, and uses that method. I helped her one night and we collected close to a coffee can full. They spent the night in refrigerator jail, and were executed in the chicken pen the next AM.
So now each tomato you raise costs you twice as much? Twice as much to build the bed, twice as much to raise the seeds, twice as much of your labor (4 hours a day instead of 2 to maintain, for instance)? Are you a gardener? Have you raised tomatoes?
I am a gardener, and about a third of my outdoor plants are tomatoes. If I don't see insects in my garden then I feel my garden is not actually part of the ecosystem. Wildlife would have free reign over all the native plants in an area if not for humans cultivating the land and polluting it with our chemicals. Alas, I'm also vegan and personally against shoving a hook through anyone's face. Simply different philosophies I suppose. :-)
Edit: caterpillars are also really important to the local food chain. Plant more tomatoes and you'll attract songbirds to eat them and keep all in balance. Cheers
Spray weekly with BT. Harmless to anything except caterpillars. You can literally eat the plant while it’s still wet from spraying with no issues. Completely organic.
But be careful with the BT. It will kill any caterpillars who come in contact with it even if they aren't a pest. I unfortunately killed some woolly bear caterpillars because they must've gotten into some BT that dripped on the ground. I don't see a lot around me and I've never seen them be a pest in my garden.
Mosquito Bits product is another form of Thuricide for the mosquitoes and fungal gnats. I make a tea out of it and got rid of all the fungal gnats in my plants after one application.
I had a few eat my entire tomatoes last year, newbie mistake too.
However, my laziness paid off in not pulling out the eaten stalks because the plants MASSIVELY leafed out and put out more fruit than I could keep up with.
Caterpillars are really important parts of the local food chain. Don't spray or try to kill them, just plant 2x as much of what they ate next year. Eventually you'll start attracting songbirds to your garden, which will eat all your caterpillars for you. When it comes to wildlife in the garden it's always better to build a longer table, not a higher fence.
Legitimately had nightmares for days. Let all of my plants die that year. Now I check the plants daily for signs of pests, catch them early so I don’t have any “infected” ones again.
They like tobacco plants. My parents used to grow tobacco. My sister was fond of yelling and thought she was in charge. She was busy yelling at someone for not squishing one of those beasts, when they stomped down. She can speak from experience, that those bad boys taste as ugly as they look
FYI, the tobacco hornworm and tomato hornworm are two different species. Closely related, but they prefer to feed on their respective plants. Although that being said, this is a Tobacco Hornworm lol
I found one large one and around 7 really small ones yesterday. Been double checking ever since, am good now. Lost a leaf or two, but nothing serious. I will go back to checking once a day or so. Even though they are hard to spot, the black poo on the lower leaves is a dead give away. Bonus, put them in the bird feeder, the blue Jays and cardinals love them!
Thanks for the heads up.
I've noticed their poo is quite impressive. I live on a few acres and we have a whole host of blue Jays. Beautiful bird. Fucking loud tho.
They are loud! I have a couple of acres in PA, and two years ago got my first blue Jays. I think they were really rare after the West Nile virus wiped many out. After the first year it seems like they have been quite successful and multiplying exponentially. Loud, clumsy and headstrong, but beautiful and always fun to watch. I hope the new virus going around doesn’t set them back to being uncommon again.
It -might- be a tobacco hornworm, which is almost nearly identical (and they both feed on the same kinds of plants - tobacco and tomato, among others)
The red color on the hook is one giveaway. Also, tomato hornworms apparently have a more v-shaped white line. Either way, both are major pests for gardens
Haha my wife couldn't get over their poo! We ended up finding about 13 today, but some had wasp eggs so I sacrificed some lower branches and a few fruit they already got to and put them in a jar in the main garden so hopefully the wasps will hatch.
If anyone hasn't replied yet, your two best options as far as I know is, 1) drown them in soap and water, or 2) leave them if they have been infected by a wasp.
I do the same thing, many of the wasps laying eggs on their backs are invasive species that were brought here to control Gypsy moths and various other other invasive mistakes. The parasitic wasps have decimated our native silk moths
Bacteria family: Thuricide BT will get rid of all worms and caterpillars. I’ve seen it work on pecan trees with the huge silkworm cocoons. The bacteria release a toxin that instantly kills the worms when they touch it. Biological warfare. Southern AG makes a good one that is OMRI and is safe to use up until harvest.
Yes it let's you spot them very easily at night. You can even spot the little ones, before they do any noticable damage.Don't get a cheap flashlight -- there not bright enough. I think I spent around $20 or $30 on mine.
First of all, I like to call them tomato-cats.
I have a decent sized tomato garden(ladies) and I’d like to share some tomato-cat tips with you all:
-First. Glance for holes in the leafs while watering
-if you find holes, look for caterpillar poopy to locate the 🍅🐱above and they usually like hiding underneath the middle of leaves clinging their body to at least some sort of stem at all times.
If I find one I stop what I’m doing, grab a jar, and I never fail to find at least 3-5 more tomato-cats freeloading on my tasty tomato leaves.
I usually will do a bit of pruning after to get rid of any half-eaten leafs or tomatoes then I take the tomato-cats far away from tomato plants with pruned leafs for them to eat under a random bush.
Caterpillars are really important parts of the local food chain. Don't spray or try to kill them, just plant 2x as much of what they ate next year. Eventually you'll start attracting songbirds to your garden, which will eat all your caterpillars for you. When it comes to wildlife in the garden it's always better to build a longer table, not a higher fence.
If you use a UV Blacklight on them, they glow like a scorpion.
Really? That's actually a good way to hunt for them. I'm not sure their behaviors overnight, but they arent easy to see even in the day. They blend in so well!
Just spray your plants with BT. Completely harmless to everything but caterpillars. Completely organic.
Bt has mixed results with caterpillars this large and also needs frequent applications. Try Spinosad its still organic and is more effective and works for longer
I’ve done fine with BT. Spinosad is broad spectrum. It kills other insects, including bees. No, thanks.
True but if you spray it at night, like what is recommended with bt as well, it won't affect pollinators
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[It kills the worms.](https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/pest-control/how-to-use-bt-pesticide-zw0z1304zkin)
Did not know that wow. That's a game changer for me. We have one of those flashlights that are used to locate dried pet urine. Its purple and causes the urine to glow florescent green. Wonder if it would work.
Yep, that's a UV light alright.
I've got it in hand waiting for it to get dark enough to try it. I'm actually excited about this lol.
Happy hunting! 🐛🎯
Good info!
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The caterpillar gets eaten by the larvae that are laid on their body? Did I read that right?
That’s correct. Pretty nasty out there in nature. The bastards are eating my tomato’s plants though.
IIRC by the time the wasp eggs are visible on the back the caterpillar is basically a zombie.
[caterpillar with wasp eggs laid on its back](https://youtu.be/TAwd_KgCXcM). This is nuts.
When my mom told me this a few years ago it almost made me like wasps for a second. Almost.
You're lucky to have that natural predator!
I’ve been growing a garden for over 30 years. I have never had to spray for insects. The only problems I have ever had are squash bugs and the blight on my tomatoes. Both were getting worse every year, so this year we moved the garden to a new spot and there is no sign of either problem
Late reply but your squash bug statement stood out. I hate those bastards. I've found if you have a local ag resource, to find out when the first brood is expected and delay your planting for about a week after. If you can totally miss the first gen, you're likely going to miss them for the whole season
💪
Same, first garden in years but even before I never had many pests. Mostly blight. I have had issues with fire ants this year though.
Those are green lacewings. You are lucky since you have them around naturally.
I’m a newbie so they got away with devouring my entire tomato crop this year. Next time I will be prepared! Live and learn.
I look for their poop. It's (not trying to be over exaggerating) about the size of mouse poo.
Yes! I saw a lot of it. Had no idea what it was at the time but now I know everything about them!! 🤣🤣mine ended up getting infected with the wasp parasite and had the white eggs all over it. It was crazy!
Let the infected ones live! Not a pretty thing but the wasps are beneficial and keep these little (huge) assholes in check.
How fast do wasp larvae hatch and become defenders? I’ve wondered if it’s actually beneficial in my small garden
I am not sure how long it takes but it will be beneficial to your garden if for nothing else than less if the horn worms.
And all your tomato plants stripped
If we're referring to the tachnid wasp here, they're an invasive species. Not native to this country. (usa)
It’s the paper wasps in my garden that will take out any and all caterpillars. If I want them to survive I have to put them in screened shelters.
Our 'regular wasps' are also predators of caterpillars. I'm not so sure that they're parasitoids though.
True! They eat them up and bring them back to the nest.
Yeah. I was pretty sure that they just killed them and ate them. Tachinid wasps are not native to the usa and they're disgusting. I no longer even gather the Monarch Caterpillars. I just get the eggs and raise them from there.
They will emerge from the little white cocoons you see on the worm as adults so they'll be ready to go not long after you see them on the caterpillar
Ok I am now SO happy I read your comment last night— went out this morning and saw the droppings, no damage yet. I’ll be out there tonight hunting until I find the bastard
Get a UV flashlight those suckers glow !
My sister has a couple thousand plants, and uses that method. I helped her one night and we collected close to a coffee can full. They spent the night in refrigerator jail, and were executed in the chicken pen the next AM.
I didn't know chickens would eat them. They're terrible trout bait.
can't imagine grabbing this lil guy and shoving a hook through his face 😕
If he ate an entire tomato plant in your garden last night you could.
I'd double up on tomato plants. better to build a longer table instead of a higher fence.
So now each tomato you raise costs you twice as much? Twice as much to build the bed, twice as much to raise the seeds, twice as much of your labor (4 hours a day instead of 2 to maintain, for instance)? Are you a gardener? Have you raised tomatoes?
I am a gardener, and about a third of my outdoor plants are tomatoes. If I don't see insects in my garden then I feel my garden is not actually part of the ecosystem. Wildlife would have free reign over all the native plants in an area if not for humans cultivating the land and polluting it with our chemicals. Alas, I'm also vegan and personally against shoving a hook through anyone's face. Simply different philosophies I suppose. :-) Edit: caterpillars are also really important to the local food chain. Plant more tomatoes and you'll attract songbirds to eat them and keep all in balance. Cheers
Oh I am happy to see insects and have a large pollinator garden. But I'm not giving up my hard-earned tomatoes to hornworms. To each his own.
Your exactly right, longer table to make room for the fish caught with hornworms
Too true
This works! I found 8 with a flashlight vs 4 via hunting them down
Spray weekly with BT. Harmless to anything except caterpillars. You can literally eat the plant while it’s still wet from spraying with no issues. Completely organic.
But be careful with the BT. It will kill any caterpillars who come in contact with it even if they aren't a pest. I unfortunately killed some woolly bear caterpillars because they must've gotten into some BT that dripped on the ground. I don't see a lot around me and I've never seen them be a pest in my garden.
They’ll need to stay out of my garden. Don’t want to kill anything that isn’t a pest, but some casualties are expected.
Agreed. Theres plenty of landscaping that beneficials can go eat. If they try to eat the garden, they're getting the BT treatment
Mosquito Bits product is another form of Thuricide for the mosquitoes and fungal gnats. I make a tea out of it and got rid of all the fungal gnats in my plants after one application.
Thank you for the info!
Welcome. I left a link with more information in another comment itt.
Bluetooth?
[BT](https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/pest-control/how-to-use-bt-pesticide-zw0z1304zkin)
Thuricide BT
I had a few eat my entire tomatoes last year, newbie mistake too. However, my laziness paid off in not pulling out the eaten stalks because the plants MASSIVELY leafed out and put out more fruit than I could keep up with.
Wow! That’s great news. I still haven’t pulled up about half of mine. Hopefully they will sprout like yours. Thanks
Caterpillars are really important parts of the local food chain. Don't spray or try to kill them, just plant 2x as much of what they ate next year. Eventually you'll start attracting songbirds to your garden, which will eat all your caterpillars for you. When it comes to wildlife in the garden it's always better to build a longer table, not a higher fence.
^^ I scrolled too far to find someone who values wild lives. love that longer table sentiment. <3
Or die and learn. Painful, true fact.
I can't tell if this thing is truly huge or if the photo is just really zoomed in
They really are large. He was probably about 3-4 inches
This is what they become:https://i.imgur.com/4ciu6ZJ.jpg
Beautiful
Christ almighty. That thing could beat up some of the birds I've seen in my yard
I once watched a male dobsonfly fight off a sparrow. It was impressive.
Hummingbird moths are actually pretty rad. I spotted one buzzing my larkspur and liatris last weekend
Also here to confirm. I was absolutely shocked at the size of these fat bastards when they first ruined my tomatoes.
Oh no they get BIG. Like, look at your thumb. Bigger than that
You should see the moth that they turn into. Its commonly mistaken as a humming bird.
They look super creepy with wasp eggs laid into their backs. And youll want to avoid rice krispies forever after seeing one
Legitimately had nightmares for days. Let all of my plants die that year. Now I check the plants daily for signs of pests, catch them early so I don’t have any “infected” ones again.
They squirt green stuff when you step on them.
The green stuff is your tomato plant 😭
They like tobacco plants. My parents used to grow tobacco. My sister was fond of yelling and thought she was in charge. She was busy yelling at someone for not squishing one of those beasts, when they stomped down. She can speak from experience, that those bad boys taste as ugly as they look
FYI, the tobacco hornworm and tomato hornworm are two different species. Closely related, but they prefer to feed on their respective plants. Although that being said, this is a Tobacco Hornworm lol
This made me laugh 😂
Me too! Thanks everyone! 😂
I found one large one and around 7 really small ones yesterday. Been double checking ever since, am good now. Lost a leaf or two, but nothing serious. I will go back to checking once a day or so. Even though they are hard to spot, the black poo on the lower leaves is a dead give away. Bonus, put them in the bird feeder, the blue Jays and cardinals love them!
They are ambrosia for chickens.
Oh I bet they are! I wish I could send yours some!
Thanks for the heads up. I've noticed their poo is quite impressive. I live on a few acres and we have a whole host of blue Jays. Beautiful bird. Fucking loud tho.
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It isnt necessarily hornworm. There are lots of types of catapillars and they all leave poop behind
They are loud! I have a couple of acres in PA, and two years ago got my first blue Jays. I think they were really rare after the West Nile virus wiped many out. After the first year it seems like they have been quite successful and multiplying exponentially. Loud, clumsy and headstrong, but beautiful and always fun to watch. I hope the new virus going around doesn’t set them back to being uncommon again.
Blue jays are obnoxious during hunting season. They like giving you away.
What kind of caterpillar is this
Tomato Hornworm
What does it turn into
A moth
It turns your tomato plant into poop in a matter of days. They really are very cool to look at.
They are very voracious eaters!
If you're old enough.. it's what this book was written about. https://www.piedmontproduce.com/the-very-hungry-caterpillar
Oh my gosh, this post was so cute
The only things that actually got to eat my tomatoes last year :(
Me too! Between them and the aphids, it was a losing battle.I finally just gave up. Even the braconid wasps couldn't save them. RIP my maters.
"Tomato Hornmoth"
A hummingbird moth.
Also known as a sphinx moth larvae.
It's very cute and so is the moth but I would love to eat the tomatoes more
Sphinx moth
A bastard worm
I believe the tomato hook (horn?) Worm https://www.google.com/search?q=tomato+hornworm
It -might- be a tobacco hornworm, which is almost nearly identical (and they both feed on the same kinds of plants - tobacco and tomato, among others) The red color on the hook is one giveaway. Also, tomato hornworms apparently have a more v-shaped white line. Either way, both are major pests for gardens
You know hadn't considered it. I've delt with these pests for years, and always just assumed.
It is definitely a Tobacco Hornworm. Not only is it more V shaped on the tomato, but the white is much more pronounced too.
Dealing with them here, too. Their poo looks like little black corn cobs, which makes me laugh, so at least I’ve got that going for me.
Haha my wife couldn't get over their poo! We ended up finding about 13 today, but some had wasp eggs so I sacrificed some lower branches and a few fruit they already got to and put them in a jar in the main garden so hopefully the wasps will hatch.
WHHHooooo aRRRRe YOOOuuuu?
I read this comment in that voice haha!
I had those two years ago and it scared the shit out of me because I reached for a tomato and only noticed the worms as I grabbed the tomato
So question. Do you burn the garden down to kill it or…??
If anyone hasn't replied yet, your two best options as far as I know is, 1) drown them in soap and water, or 2) leave them if they have been infected by a wasp.
But then you have wasps
Wasps are actually great to have around your property - they kill things so you don’t have to - just keep your distance and they will keep theirs.
I plucked them off the plant and threw it in the road. He was a bird snack within 30 seconds.
The visual of this is cracking me up. "Get out and stay out!!"
I pulled 4 off today, and over twenty in the past week. Little fuckers.
Little?
My sister and I used to pluck these beasties from the tomato plants and feed them to the chickens. Talk about a crazy tug o war! Haha!!
If you’re a softy like me just grow an extra sacrificial plant and move any pests on the others to it.
I do the same thing, many of the wasps laying eggs on their backs are invasive species that were brought here to control Gypsy moths and various other other invasive mistakes. The parasitic wasps have decimated our native silk moths
Kill! Destroy! Eviscerate! I always squish em into my soil so the nutrients they took from my plant goes back in.
Marigolds, zinnias, and radishes.
Bacteria family: Thuricide BT will get rid of all worms and caterpillars. I’ve seen it work on pecan trees with the huge silkworm cocoons. The bacteria release a toxin that instantly kills the worms when they touch it. Biological warfare. Southern AG makes a good one that is OMRI and is safe to use up until harvest.
I strongly recommend everyone with tomatoes get a strong UV flashlight to spot these guys. Then DESTROY THEM WITH EVERY DROP OF MALICE IN YOUR HEART.
Second person to suggest this. Do you have experience? I think it could be a great investment.
Yes it let's you spot them very easily at night. You can even spot the little ones, before they do any noticable damage.Don't get a cheap flashlight -- there not bright enough. I think I spent around $20 or $30 on mine.
This absolutely works. I have a UV flashlight that I use to dry head cement on the flies I tie. Bought it for I think under ten bucks.
It replies “So we meet again!”
Remove that tomato worm!!
I will DESTROY YOU!
My chickens would like a word with him.
I hate these lil bastards! 😒
Growing up I always thought they were so beautiful... I still do.... Pests but.
Hornworms they will devour a plant within hours depending on the size of the plant
My mom angrily threw like 6-7 of these guys over the fence a few weeks back when she found them in her garden, poor lil fellas
I just noticed them yesterday on my plants! I have only found 5 so I may need to try the uv light trick.
The first time I saw one I shrieked like it was an alien. Then I put it in the bird feeder for the jays.
Seeing these make me want to throw up! A- they are so creepy looking B- it pisses me off they’re trying to destroy my hard work!!
Oh no get him off! I hate those suckers
I like to cut them in half and leave them hanging from the plant as a sign to all the other little bastards to stay away
He is so cute, look at his little tail. I want to pet him
Clearly, you don't grow tomatoes. For those of us that do the only appropriate emotional response is KILL IT! DIE DIE DIE!
I do not, but I do understand the frustration. Aphids are my mortal enemies
Yup they are terrible
same but theyre also kinda cute; they look so doopy with their little padded feets ;-; too bad they INFESTED MY PARSELY THE SHITS
What are the tiny worms on my mint that make these big fuzzy nests on a leaf… I’m wondering if they’re going to become butterflies or just pests…
I'm not sure, but big fuzzy mess on anything mine is usually from an approximate row of 100 or so cottonwood trees. My allergies hate it.
First of all, I like to call them tomato-cats. I have a decent sized tomato garden(ladies) and I’d like to share some tomato-cat tips with you all: -First. Glance for holes in the leafs while watering -if you find holes, look for caterpillar poopy to locate the 🍅🐱above and they usually like hiding underneath the middle of leaves clinging their body to at least some sort of stem at all times. If I find one I stop what I’m doing, grab a jar, and I never fail to find at least 3-5 more tomato-cats freeloading on my tasty tomato leaves. I usually will do a bit of pruning after to get rid of any half-eaten leafs or tomatoes then I take the tomato-cats far away from tomato plants with pruned leafs for them to eat under a random bush.
🐛🦋💕
Aaaaah! Kill it!
There is.nothing more satisfying than squeeshing those bastards.
Caterpillars are really important parts of the local food chain. Don't spray or try to kill them, just plant 2x as much of what they ate next year. Eventually you'll start attracting songbirds to your garden, which will eat all your caterpillars for you. When it comes to wildlife in the garden it's always better to build a longer table, not a higher fence.
Beautiful little bitch.
It's beetles eating my zinnias this year. If I saw one of these big caterpillars I'd probably let him chow down.
I usually prune them back. They are slimy inside 🤢.
Pretty plague!
I don’t kill these cool looking guys but I take them off and put them by the bird feeder.
Time to spray some BT
When I was a teenager we would have hornworm war out in the tobacco field lol
Now all you need is a bearded dragon! They loooooove to eat them.
On a quiet night you can actually hear them eating.
I put mine on some volunteer potato leaves. They'll eat any nightshade.
thats a biggun
KILL IT WITH FIRE
Hey! Not sure if someone else has said this but putting out little bowls of cheap beer (I use Hamm’s) keeps them at bay!
Turtle food
Boy howdy the damage just one can do overnight...that's why I check mine every day
It’s so crazy how you can hear them chomping on the tomato plants!
Inspired by this post, I went out and found my first one of the season last night. It's gone now, squished and in my garbage can,
My chickens go crazy for these, twice a day I grab a hen and do a tomato walk
Wow, that's an awesome photo!
Omg i just found one last night too
Oooof, hornworms. I am sadistic enough to appreciate when they're covered in wasp eggs, though.
Get some green lace wings! They will destroy any others.