[RenoHuskerDu]

Howdy,

I searched this subforum but got no hits on these hungry little critters. We have them on our potato plants, and a few on the tomatoes too.

We're fighting them with an "organic" Spinosad product from TLC, with limited success. Has anybody else successfully fought tomato horn worms, and if so how did you win?

Thanks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca_quinquemaculata

 

[geo in mi]

Pluck and stomp. Hardest thing to do is to find them, they blend in so well.

Oh, and be sure to wipe off your shoe before going into the house.

geo

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Scissors. Go to the garden early in the morning and cut each one you see in half. About three days of this will solve the problem.

 

[ticndig]

B.T is the best worm killer that's organic .
hand picking works good as well, just look for the leaf damage and piles of poop to locate the worm.
If they have what looks like rice on their back don't kill them, these are the larvae of parasitic wasp that will eat the worm and produce more wasp to help next year.
the worm is no longer feeding once the larvae are present .

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

My scissors are organic.

 

[Mish]

Do what I do:

Pull it off really carefully so that the smallest amount of your finger skin actually touches their disgusting bodies as humanly possible. Run really fast across the yard while making gagging noises and high pitched whines. Drop it on a rock, pick up another rock, and continue gagging while smashing the second rock assertively against the first rock. Repeat. Unless there's another person within earshot, then just point and scream while trying not to gag until they do it for you.

 

[snowlady]

I’m a big sissy. I just snip the entire stem off and throw it in my compost. I’m sure the little guy just wiggles back over but I feel better

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Get chickens and build a chicken coop close the garden. Toss the horn worms into the chicken pen.

 

[Danaus29]

Get chickens and build a chicken coop close the garden. Toss the horn worms into the chicken pen.

Provides some good entertainment too watching them fighting over those worms!

ticndig, those are actually cocoons of parasitic wasps that have eaten the insides of the caterpillar. If the wasp larvae don't get out before the caterpillar dries up they will die with it. It's a very interesting life cycle.

The best way to get rid of the hornworms is like everyone else has said, hand pick and destroy. You chose the method of destruction.

 

[Poultryguy]

BT will do fine. Hand picking can be very time consuming.

 

[Danaus29]

They supposedly glow green against the purple of the plants when using a blacklight. That would be a fun hunt, IMO. Bet then, I'm a bit weird.

 

[alleyyooper]

This is what the worm turns into if it goes full term. The humming bird moth.

Al

 

[GTX63]

Diamataceous earth is what my wife has been using, and it seems to be pretty darn effective.
That an handpicking and feeding the chickens.

 

[dmm1976]

I'll agree with pps and say handpicking. I crouch low and look up into the plant since they like to hide on the underside of leaves.

 

[Danaus29]

Tomato hornworms;
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/FIELD/hornworm.HTM
Hummingbird moth caterpillars do not eat tomatoes;
http://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2015/7/13/summer-hummer-hummingbird-moth-ihemaris-thysbei

 

[Evons hubby]

Howdy,

I searched this subforum but got no hits on these hungry little critters. We have them on our potato plants, and a few on the tomatoes too.

We're fighting them with an "organic" Spinosad product from TLC, with limited success. Has anybody else successfully fought tomato horn worms, and if so how did you win?

Thanks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca_quinquemaculata

Those buggers used to invade my tobacco crop. I found an organic spray for them bacillus something. It's a bug that gives them a bellyache when they ingest it and they starve. It was extremely effective!

 

[ticndig]

bacillus thuringiensis Bt for short. good for targeting worms and caterpillars .
sometime my green beans will get these tiny Caterpillars that eat a hole in the bean.
this stuff kills them fast and is organic.

while hand picking hornworms is doable ,you not effectively picken these bean worms by hand.