Is there an easy way to get rid of hornworms on my tomato plants? I am a new gardener. I found one yesterday and one today, theya are hard to see and there are probably more.
I googled and found Bonide Bt Thuricide but was wondering if there is another 'home' solution.
Thanks!
Chop sticks
410 or 20 Gage.
Hand pick with gloves works too.
Bill
Just pick them off by hand unless you have a lot of them. If there are a lot, use BT on them. It is a bacteria that kills them quite nicely and should be available at your local hardware/garden store.
On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:44:26 -0500, snipped-for-privacy@test.com spuked forth:
I've read that they are a good compliment to fried green tomatoes, but must be very gently cooked in order that they don't rupture. I'm still working up my nerve for that one.
So, my recommendation is hand picking. I've also seen cardinals doing a big number on the small ones.
Charlie
It is easy to handpick them off. If you see any with wasp eggs on their back, let it alone. The wasps' larvae feed on the hornworms. Checking for leaf damage will help locate the worms. One or two worms won't kill your plants. If you can avoid using an insecticide, all the better for the pollinating insects and beneficial spiders. One companion plant for tomato is basil; it just so happens basil and tomatoes taste good together, and the basil repels the tomato hornworm.
Dang...I wish now I would have planted basil with my toms...I love both of them...maybe I'll scatter some seeds in the general area and see what comes up :)
I'm not quite that brave. Tomatoe plants are poisonous, and I'm not sure I want to eat something that eats them. Actually, it doesn't matter what they eat...just the thought of stir fried THWs...ewww...
On Tue, 2 Jun 2009 20:07:00 -0700, "Zootal" spuked forth:
Enjoy! ;-)
"Zootal" wrote in news:nO-dnWycA-_tdbjXnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
i wouldn't eat hornworms that have been feeding on tomato plants. i've seen toads die from eating them & i would guess that it is because of the toxins from the tomato leaves. hownworms that have been eating ash or oak leaves are not toxic to toads. BTW, it was a pretty quick death. less than 5 minutes from ingesting the hornworm. lee
Does cooking destroy the toxin?
Tnx for the link - I forwarded it to my son - he is quite experimental when it comes to eating things that crawl, creep, slither, etc. I expect he will be quite interested in this one too (shudder...)
On Wed, 3 Jun 2009 07:24:39 -0700, "Zootal" spuked forth:
Here's another fun one for him then. :-)
Thuricide is good, BT is harmless to humans and pets. Use it.
Thuricide is good, BT is harmless to humans and pets. Use it.
Place hornworm on piece of board. Place another piece of board on top of hornworm. Press boards together. Works for me.
JonquilJan
Learn something new every day As long as you are learning, you are living When you stop learning, you start dying
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