First hornworm egg sighting

[Crandrew]

I was advised to use this or a BT equivalent

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Light-27...6589260&sr=8-6

[babice]

Oh thank you Crandrew! I was just searching for a BT to use...

[coastal bend]

Spinosad will do the job. I had them about 3 weeks ago. Found 2 big ones so I sprayed with Spinosad and the next day had a bunch dead small ones. there was a lot more on the plants than I thought.

[Mollie's Nana]

Sometimes, I think I should stick to planting ornamental trees... but then again, the family can't have dinner off those. Maybe I should just stick with dogs, those I have no trouble growing...

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Mollie's Nana

Bahahahahaha!!!! If nothing else, you gave us a huge laugh!! I used to not want to kill them because I hate killing anything, but after they were the only ones to profit from my work, I have no troubles squashing their little guts out!!


Forgive my ignorance, but I seriously don't know.... what's the soapy water for? Does it kill them?? Should I spray my tomato plants with soapy water to prevent the little monsters from being the only ones that profit from all my hard work and sweat?? I was planning on stocking up on Sevin Dust, but you can no longer get the bags of it, you get the Pringles size cans of it, for about as much as I paid for a large bag of it several years ago! Just wondering if the soapy water will kill them, and if so, will it kill other garden pests that love to reap the benefits of my work??

You could grow a datura plant and move the worms over to it.
I prefer using BT. Safe for everything but the hornworms, I hate sevin, too broad spectrum.

[babice]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

...I hate sevin, too broad spectrum.

Yes, yes...this is a good way to put this. Kills the good guys AND the bad guys...

[Mollie's Nana]

Yikes!! After reading how toxic that plant is, I think I'll stick with the Bt, or the Spinosad or something. I'd hate the (although very minute) chance that one of my dogs might accidentally get to this plant! I could handle losing my entire garden to the hornworm monsters than chance losing even the most obnoxious pain in the butt dog!

[Mollie's Nana]

Originally Posted by babice

Yes, yes...this is a good way to put this. Kills the good guys AND the bad guys...

So just using the BT or the Spinosad would be safer, right?

[kurt]

The ones I have seen are usually one or two underneath leaves and light green or light amber.If they are in clusters and yellow they might he ladybug eggs.If you see any Lbugs they might be laying eggs out next to the worm eggs because thats what they do.If you see some little alligator looking creatures those are baby ladybugs.Ladybugs love any softbody egg or small emerging insects.

[Mollie's Nana]

Man, this pest controlling issue just gets more complicated and more complicated!! Little did I know that the Praying Mantis I took pictures of last year, I should have placed in my garden to feast! If only my dog Mollie hated tomato worms as much as she hates birds, I'd have it made! She keeps all the birds out of "her" air space in the back yard, no matter how high they are flying... too bad she doesn't have a clue what to do with a worm besides poke it to see if it squeaks!

[babice]

Originally Posted by Mollie's Nana

... too bad she doesn't have a clue what to do with a worm besides poke it to see if it squeaks!

PAH!!! HILL-arious! Well, just wrap that little stinker up in some bacon or something and throw it up in the air for her to catch!
Hey kurt - are you saying ladybugs will eat tomato hornworms? That would be very good because we got tons of those every year!
Mollie's Nana - Yes, praying mantis good; tomato hornworm bad (come on...one is praying and the other, well, has a horn! ). I am planning to use the BT to (hopefully) control any tomato hornworms. I'd be THRILLED though if it's possible the lady bugs might help control those!

[Mollie's Nana]

Babice... you and I would have a ball together, I can tell because your post sounds exactly like something I would say if I were over on my dog forum!

Hey, da cow would be more than happy to catch those worms if they would only sprout wings and fly over her back yard!! Otherwise, she'd rather be sleeping (lazy cow!).

I read somewhere earlier that centipedes were good for gardens, and this past weekend, after I had killed my back with the tiller, I threw out about 5 centipedes, but at least I didn't smash them like I did the grub worms. I used to not kill them either, but then a co worker told me they were bad news, so I lost my conscious over feeling bad about them. At the start of last summer, I would actually tell the worms on my trees and grape vines "sorry" before I smashed them, but by the end of summer, I was just squashing them without remorse!! I know, I'm a terrible human being!!

We always seem to get a lot of ladybugs in the house every year, and I always let them go, from now on, I'll catch them and try to get them out to the garden without smashing them accidentally. I always take the baby frogs to the garden before the dogs find them.... well, most times.

**speaking of reading, I'm dizzy from all the reading...

[babice]

Originally Posted by Mollie's Nana

...I would actually tell the worms on my trees and grape vines "sorry" before I smashed them...

Hee hee! Me too!!! I found a grub when I was tilling just this past weekend and couldn't bring myself to kill him myself. However, I did put out milky spore disease. I don't feel "quite" as bad knowing that I infected my flower bed and front lawn to get those nasty grubbies but when I think about what it does to them... And it's funny - I used to be heartless about killin' the LBs that got into my house every year. DH used to think I was mean for that. This year I caught (most of) them and put them outside. I even caught this big nasty spider and put him outside! Of course my kitty cats are no better than your "cow". My littlest one who plays all the time will stand there and meow when she sees a bug (because...she wants us to...lift her....up......and...we....do... ). But, if they get within her reach, she just plays kickball with them or pats them on the head to see what they do when she pulls her paw back up.

[babice]

Hooray - looks like LBs do like tom hworms, although they're best known for eating aphids. According to the website below they also like mites, whitefly and many other buggies. So glad kurt posted about the alligator looking thing because I'll know that's a baby LB if I see one. http://www.gardenstew.com/about513.html Following article suggests they can only eat tom hworm eggs: http://www.ehow.com/facts_7662462_la...-hornworm.html

BTW Mollie's Nana, the kind of LBs that swarm are called Asian Lady Beetles and they do sometimes nibble as you may have noticed. I've actually never had one bite me and I've had many a swarm around me. I do know how to get rid of them if anyone wants to know, but that's not really our goal now is it?

[babice]

Well, I'll be darned. I had this opal basil growing with my toms last year and it's said to repel tom hworm. Maybe that was one of the reasons I didnt' see one of these critters last year? This basil is quite lovely. I didn't like the taste of it as much as the green basil. But, then again, I let it flower and that always makes basil more bitter.

Borage is said to deter tom hworm as well (who said that already? I was going to that that tvillan but can't find it).