First hornworm egg sighting

[livinonfaith]

Found three hornworm eggs yesterday. Ugh!

One I threw as far into the lawn as I could, one I dropped into a cup of beer (put there for the slugs) and one slipped out of my fingers and fell into the straw bale where I couldn't find it. So that one may still be a problem. Darn my fumbly fingers!

I don't remember finding them this early last year and am kind of hoping there was just one moth and those three eggs were all she left, but not counting on it.

I'm going out shortly to start putting up my tomato cages. I was trying to figure out what to use on these straw bales since I've heard that cages will eventually become unstable as the bale composts. Someone suggested that I ziptie them all together and provide them with a few extra supports to keep them stable, so that's what I'm going to do. It beats buying a whole new support system.

Anyway, once I get the cages up, it's time to start pruning the plants to single stems and I should be out there most days keeping up with that. Hopefully, I'll notice if there are any other hornworm visitors at that time. Last year I caught all but about six or seven before they hatched. Only two got big enough to do any real damage.

They are really beautiful creatures, but they have no place in my garden!

[b54red]

I seem to never see the eggs before one or two of them have done some significant damage. It always comes as a total surprise when all of a sudden a plant is missing half its foliage and there sits a 3 or 4 inch hornworm on a bare stem. I check my plants most days very carefully for diseases and recognize most of them at the very early stages along with army worms,whiteflies and mites; but for some reason the hornworms usually sneak up on me. Luckily I haven't had a bad infestation of them in a few years.

[brengolio]

I found 10 or more Newly hatched hornworms yesterday............. here's one I just found............. while on this subject............... will lizards eat them?

[VC Scott]

Originally Posted by brengolio

I found 10 or more Newly hatched hornworms yesterday............. here's one I just found............. while on this subject............... will lizards eat them?

Don't know about lizards, but chickens love them.

[luke]

Caught a hornworm moth flying around my plants a few nights ago. Luckily it was dark and nobody witnessed my futile attempt to catch it. Re-mesh cages and cattle panels are not user friendly in the dark after a couple of cold beers.

[geeboss]

a handful of bb's and my trusty wham o sling shot and no more moth.....of course I sometime need to dispose of a plant or 2......

[livinonfaith]

You guys are so funny!

This weekend I found at least fifty eggs and 1 teeny tiny hornworm. I've never seen anything like it in my life! They are everywhere! There must be whole army's of moths swarming my garden at night, dive bombing my poor tomatoes.

I even found my first cluster of them under a leaf. The only other ones I've ever seen have been laid singly. I'm just going to have to keep a can of soapy water with me as I walk the garden.

But there is no way to get them all. There is going to eventually be some damage.

If this is the sign of things to come this year, I am very nervous.

[tokizy]

You guys are awesome. How did you find them so small. Now I am worried, I have to run home and check my plants. LOL

[babice]

Originally Posted by luke

Re-mesh cages and cattle panels are not user friendly in the dark after a couple of cold beers.

PAH! TOO funny! Livinon and others - what do you plan to do? I REALLY don't want to have this problemo either! Haven't planted my babies outside yet. You gonna just keep pickin them off and plopping them in soapy water? Or are you maybe going to use BT or something?

[Mollie's Nana]

Originally Posted by luke

Caught a hornworm moth flying around my plants a few nights ago. Luckily it was dark and nobody witnessed my futile attempt to catch it. Re-mesh cages and cattle panels are not user friendly in the dark after a couple of cold beers.

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!!

Originally Posted by livinonfaith

I'm just going to have to keep a can of soapy water with me as I walk the garden.

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??

[babice]

Originally Posted by Mollie's Nana

I was planning on stocking up on Sevin Dust,

Doh! Ohhhhh...feeling woozy...

Originally Posted by Mollie's Nana

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??

They drown in the soapy water. You knock 'em off into it as opposed to spraying with it. Same thing works with JB's.

[Mollie's Nana]

Originally Posted by babice

Doh! Ohhhhh...feeling woozy...



They drown in the soapy water. You knock 'em off into it as opposed to spraying with it. Same thing works with JB's.

Again, please remember I'm new with this and still learning...

Sevin Dust is bad?? And what's JB's? Sorry, I hate to ask questions that I'm sure should come as common knowledge but I seriously don't know.

[babice]

Originally Posted by Mollie's Nana

Sevin Dust is bad?? And what's JB's? Sorry, I hate to ask questions that I'm sure should come as common knowledge but I seriously don't know.

Ha ha! No worries! I've been asking questions non-stop since I joined this forum! JB's are Japanese Beetles. And, well, I suppose it's debatable as to whether S-Dust is "bad". It's a chemical but if you look at their website they say it's suitable for use on anything including veggies and fruits and that it doesn't penetrate plant tissue. Maybe it's not "bad" really and maybe I just have some old memories of there beings warnings about it? I think it got a bad rep at one time for its affect on bird and honeybee populations. I guess it's somewhat controversial. If you read various things, some folks are adamant against it, yet others swear by it. Maybe what you're finding is that they only sell the 5% now which is I guess not so much pesticidal?

p.s. I also just read the dust is apparently the really "bad" stuff cuz you could inhale it so they probably took that off the market and you're only able to get granules and such now? I haven't bought it so I don't know.
p.s.s. And apparently it's been bad for honeybees

[luke]

Been using the Sevin Dust, but the rain keeps knocking it off. About time to switch to a spray.

[Mollie's Nana]

Thanks for the reply... I'll try to remember what JB's are.... although I'm sure if it's something that can eat/kill/LOVE anything I plant, I've probably seen/cussed/maybe tried to kill, them.

Last year, I ended up having Sevin Dust blow back in my eyes as I was trying to sprinkle/toss/throw it on my trees that the worms were devouring.... ended up having to take a day off work and a nice little bit of $$$ visit to my eye doctor the next day, so I know to some degree, Sevin Dust isn't good... or maybe it was just the user that was the problem.