The monster that ate Big Beef!!!

liannenc · July 3, 2011

I was out watering everything this evening, when I noticed what appeared to be small rabbit droppings on the rail of the deck. I have my Big Beef set on the ground by the deck, and the top of it was right by those droppings.... I thought at first it might be bird poop, but then a light bulb went off over my head-- it was frass!

Sure enough, a number of the top shoots on Big Beef had definitely been gnawed down. I realized that the 'pillar that could leave droppings that size must be huge, and started looking...

It took almost 5 minutes, but I finally found the sucker... and I was right, he was a monster! The hand in the second pic belongs to my 17 year old daughter. You can see the frass in the pics, too-- those little dark pellets. I know some folks try to "relocate" these things to a place where they will do less damage, but not me-- especially not after seeing the damage he did to my plant... it was essentially "topped" by this sucker. Because of that, he is now an ex-hornworm.

DiggingDogFarm · July 3, 2011

WOW!!!!

Looks like it ate James and the Giant Peach!!!! LOL

~Dig

jeremyhilton · July 4, 2011

Hmmm very interesting, at least you caught him and now I know what a horn worm looks like ;-)

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

cleo88 · July 4, 2011

Isn't it amazing how they are such a similar color to the tomato leaf/stalk?
Adaptation!

shlacm · July 4, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleo88

Isn't it amazing how they are such a similar color to the tomato leaf/stalk?
Adaptation!

I've heard the taste like tomatoes too... hope I NEVER find out if that's true!!!!!!!!!!

liannenc · July 4, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleo88

Isn't it amazing how they are such a similar color to the tomato leaf/stalk?
Adaptation!

Definitely! Before I pulled the branch where I found it off of the plant, I called my husband over to look at it. He said "Wow-- talk about natural camouflage! It looks like a rolled leaf up there!"

I found another, much smaller, one last night. I also found two Carolina Gold tomatoes that had been invaded by fruitworms. I was furious about that because this is the first year I've grown them, and one had just started breaking from being totally green. I ended up having to toss both of them.

I went back out this morning to see if I could hunt down any more of them. I found one small caterpillar that I think may have been a tomato fruitworm, but that was it. I saw a fair amount of frass and chewed leaves on several plants, but no luck finding the culprits. I couldn't spray last night because it was too breezy, so I'm hoping I'll be able to spray tonight. I know they're still there, just hiding, but not for long.....

lurley · July 8, 2011

this one ate my casino plant, hopefully it will recover. didnt see anything on the defoliated plant so thought maybe deer at first but the plant was completely stripped and no others were touched so thought to check neighboring plants where worm might have gone for next meal and ...bingo.

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk

liannenc · July 8, 2011

Yikes, lurley! I hope your plant recovers! I still haven't been able to spray, so my daughter has joined me in hunting for them. When we find them, we snip them in half with scissors... kinda gross, but also very satisfying.

kath · July 9, 2011

Found the first two hornworms today, but both were only about an inch long. As soon as things dry out, I'll spray Bt and hope it takes care of both them and armyworms.

July 9, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurley

this one ate my casino plant, hopefully it will recover. didnt see anything on the defoliated plant so thought maybe deer at first but the plant was completely stripped and no others were touched so thought to check neighboring plants where worm might have gone for next meal and ...bingo.

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk

Whoa! A Tim Burton garden...

Bubbagun · July 9, 2011

I caught this guy a few days ago, before I took him off the tomato plant I watch for a few mins, within 2 mins he ate half of a leave, I look the plants over pretty good every day never saw him until I seen a limb half way gone, I finely found some Bacillus thuringiensis here in town and I sprayed it on 9 plants yesterday hopefully that will stop them, I have only found 3 this year and I have some other smaller ones but I don't think there hornworms.

liannenc · July 9, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubbagun

I caught this guy a few days ago, before I took him off the tomato plant I watch for a few mins, within 2 mins he ate half of a leave, I look the plants over pretty good every day never saw him until I seen a limb half way gone, I finely found some Bacillus thuringiensis here in town and I sprayed it on 9 plants yesterday hopefully that will stop them, I have only found 3 this year and I have some other smaller ones but I don't think there hornworms.

Great pictures of the little monster!

They do have really interesting markings... it's a shame they're so darn destructive.

July 3, 2011	#2
DiggingDogFarm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York State Posts: 286	WOW!!!! Looks like it ate James and the Giant Peach!!!! LOL ~Dig

July 4, 2011	#3
jeremyhilton Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Ferndale, Washington Posts: 107	Hmmm very interesting, at least you caught him and now I know what a horn worm looks like ;-) Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

July 4, 2011	#4
cleo88 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Sharon, MA Zone 6 Posts: 225	Isn't it amazing how they are such a similar color to the tomato leaf/stalk? Adaptation!

July 8, 2011	#8
liannenc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Zone 7b in Concord, North Carolina Posts: 76	Yikes, lurley! I hope your plant recovers! I still haven't been able to spray, so my daughter has joined me in hunting for them. When we find them, we snip them in half with scissors... kinda gross, but also very satisfying.

July 9, 2011	#9
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Found the first two hornworms today, but both were only about an inch long. As soon as things dry out, I'll spray Bt and hope it takes care of both them and armyworms.