#%&!*#!!! HORMWORMS!! 16 OF THEM!!!

[gssgarden]

I check every couple of days but I went away last week and hadn't checked since. Dang these things eat!! TOMATOES, PEPERS AND EGGPLANT!!!! Since when do they eat eggplant?!?! I have a neighbor who has an 'eagle eye' for these things so I called her up and we spent an hour staring at my plants just getting one after another.
What are the growth rate of these things?
Starting to get a few toms so spraying is out. Had a zip-lock bag full of them that went into the trash. GOOD

[gssgarden]

RIDANCE TO 'EM.

GREG

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[nctomatoman]

What's really weird is that last year I was eaten alive by them...this year I've found a grand total of one! (I've found a few tomato fruit worms, but only one of the big green fellas). I suspect that they are laying in wait for me!

On the other hand the Japanese Beetles are destroying many of my ornamentals - plum tree, fallopia, crape myrtle, rose of sharon - even my basil.

[carolyn137]

Pick off the hornworms and put a rock on the ground, the worm on the rock and smash with another rock.

Then go buy some Dipel, which is an organic BT product and it comes either as a powder or to spray.

When the hornworms ingest the Dipel it inserts crystals in the stomach lining of the worm making a hole and the worm stomach blows up. Finis.

If you see any hornworms with white eggs on their back let them be b'c it's a parasitic wasp and when the eggs hatch they will kill the hornworm.

[Tomaddict]

BT (Bacillus thurengensis) is supposed to be good against hornworms, and is harmless to us, thank goodness. It typically comes as a dust ("Dipel" and other trade names, probably), available at many garden centers, that you can shake onto plants and is very effective against munching caterpillars.

They're voracious eaters and feed at night. As you've probably seen, you can find them by finding their dark green feces on the ground and then looking up above that. And anything that eats as much as they do, ounce for ounce, grows very quickly.

Had them absolutely devastate some of my hot pepper plants a few years ago. I guess they'll eat anything Solanaceae.

It's not so bad when you only have one or two, but a big infestation can be very depressing - as bad as having a 4-legged critter in the garden munching away.

My favorite way to kill em is to smush them with my shoe. Be careful with the aim, because they squirt quite a long ways. Totally ICK!!

[gssgarden]

Dipel huh? Consider it done!! I have zero tolerance for critters who munch on my Anna Russian!!
I can't imagine what they have eaten over the last week.

Carolyn, I'm aware about the wasp eggs. Thanks. Funny thing that off all the ones we caught, NONE had the eggs.

Tomaddict, you mention they feed at night. In my experience with them, they seem to come out as the days heat up. Stating first thing in the morning, the garden is going to be checked EVERY time I go out there. I'm sure there is more out there and they're laughing at me.

This is my first time seeing them on my peppers and eggplant. Didn't touch the Bells or real hot ones though, just the Hungarian Hot Wax. 2 plants with a good amount of damage. Hmmm.

Carolyn, I know you used to grow quite a large number of plants back in the day. How did you combat them? Did you spray or dust before you saw them as a preventative or wait until you saw damage and/or the worm?
I guess that question can be directed at anyone with large numbers of plants.
So I got the camouflage ready and will use Dipel ( I want to see the stomach blow up), rock, shoe, neighbor and any other means to get rid of them A.S.A.P.

One more thing, I have had a few in the past but not like this, How long will these things be around? Can I expect them all summer?

Thanks guys, now be very very quiet, I'm hunting Hornworms...


Greg

[Vince]

In my new location I havn't found a single horn worm yet. Also, off topic the fungal disease hasn't appeared yet either. However I have pulled off a fare amount of some other kind of small green worms(maybe these are fruit worms) on peppers eggplants and maters. This may sound kind of crazy, but I wish I would start to see the horn worms. One of my favorite past times is hunting for these suckers with my now 3+ year old son. He is pretty confused about the size of the worms we are catching. The little one just says "Daddy Daddy where are the big giant ones", and I just tell him patience they will show up later. i hope they do.

[Lee]

One more thing, I have had a few in the past but not like this, How long will these things be around? Can I expect them all summer?

Good news and Bad news....

Good news is these things don't typically stick around for the whole growing season.
So, once you've eradicated them for a month or so, you're good the rest of the
season.

Bad news is the fruit worms follow close behind, and those are worse in my opinion. They don't eat the foliage, but can ruin a fruit in no time!

Lee (who also has been picking the stinkers off)

P.S. I ususally resort to picking and not dusting. My idea is to encourage the
parasitic wasps to come around. If I miss one, the wasps may eventually find it
and keep coming back for more.
This worked at the other house, and I had very few problems once the wasps
began keeping them in check!

[ctx00978]

Question about the Dipel. What is the best way to shake it on a plant without dumping too much? And, how light or heavy should the application be? The bag doesn't say. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Stacie

[raydawg]

Sorry to move this off the topic a little, but to any of the dwarf growers. Do you notice an indifference to the rugose leaf type from the hornworms. I have been picking off two or three a day from the regular and PL, but none from the nine dwarves. I wanted to know if I can relax with them or if they will be eaten as well.

[Lee]

I found one chomping on Tasmanian Chocolate today, so
I don't think they discriminate against the dwarves.


Lee

[Sherry_AK]

Stacie -- I've only purchased Dipel dust in a shaker can, which works really great. It looks about like the green Parmesan cheese (fake cheese, that is!) shaker can. One of the old-fashioned flour shakers would work too, I should think.

Sherry

[ctx00978]

Thanks Sherry. I buy seasonings at Sam's, so they're pretty large bottles. I know I have some pepper that's almost out, so that's what I'll use. How much coverage am I aiming for?

Stacie

[HakaiRah]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

If you see any hornworms with white eggs on their back let them be b'c it's a parasitic wasp and when the eggs hatch they will kill the hornworm.

The other thing to keep an eye out for is the eggs themselves. I know I popped several last year, and the ones that escaped me were turned into mobile wasp egg transporters. It can be really hard to take out all of the eggs, but just finding a couple is a hint to start controls if you need them.

[gssgarden]

HakaiRah, nice site . Just what I was looking for because I did see eggs on a bunch of leaves. Now I know I have Stink Bug eggs, I have seen the adults, and Leaf Footed Bugs and eggs.


Greg