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To: greeneyes

nothing is growing but tomatoes, Swiss chard, basil, bell peppers, and a few green beans.

And I just noticed the most disgusting and huge worms on my tomatoes plants! yuck! not quite sure what to do about them.

I feel really lucky though- these worms didn’t show up until now and the blight doesn’t seem to be ruining tomato production much.


10 posted on 09/25/2015 7:57:43 PM PDT by CottonBall
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To: CottonBall
CottonBall:" And I just noticed the most disgusting and huge worms on my tomatoes plants!
yuck! not quite sure what to do about them."

Sounds like you have green tomato hornworm .
Best treatment is to hand pick them off plants as the larva feed on tomatoes , peppers , and potatoes.
They will feed primarily on folliage and fruit. They have a voracious feeder as their life-cycle is so short.
The moth lays its eggs on the underside of plants early in the spring . The pupae will overwinter in the soil .
Pick them off selectively, and see if they have white protuberancs on the body as there is a parasitic wasp which needs the hornworm to complete its life-cycle.
The hornworm are a larval stage of a moth that completes it life cycle in only 4-6 weeks.
(P.S.: If you are a fisherman , even cut in 2 inch sections , they wonderfull freshwater panfish bait)

22 posted on 09/26/2015 10:12:12 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt (The GOPe and Karl Rove got Obama elected twice. .. How'd that work out for ya ?)
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To: CottonBall

Do your large, green yucky worms have little white things all over them? If they do, they have been parasitized by wasps (Braconidae) & you should leave them so the wasps will hatch out. I had one earlier this year - very creepy looking, but I was happy the worm was not damaging my plants any more and a host for the wasps that would take out other hornworms. Here’s a link with decent pics & info:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-04_braconid_wasp_on_hornworm.htm


29 posted on 09/28/2015 6:18:20 AM PDT by Qiviut (Stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross; lift high his royal banner, it must not loss)
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