horn worms

[fonseca]

I found some trails of droppings leading to several this weekend. I'm already out of Spinosad dealing with whiteflies. I think I'll go back to BT concentrate as it is less than half the cost. This is one pest that I don't delay in eliminating.

[tash11]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

.... I guess there ain't nothing that likes a hornworm.

Actually I just found out the other day that people actually BUY HORNWORMS for pet reptiles!

Seriously, you could probably post on a local reptile group that you have free hornworms-u pick, and have the work done for you for free

Save

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by tash11

Actually I just found out the other day that people actually BUY HORNWORMS for pet reptiles!

Some of you may find this satisfying:



I can't help but wonder whether that pause in the middle is the poor lizard wondering whether its eyes were bigger than its stomach.

[peppero]

Howdy Steve.

Jon

[ContainerTed]

Two more of the little denizens of pure evil this morning. I sprayed again with Garden Safe and then again with Malathion. This time, I got out my .177 pellet rifle and held a proper execution - military style. I even offered to go get a cigarette for the danged tobacco worm looking critters, but I didn't hear any takers, so I shot them in quick succession.

If you break off a small piece of tomato leaf stem, they will sit real tight on it. If you hit them from the front with a good lead pellet, they spread their green juice insides all over a fence post. Yes, after losing three really nice sized JD's Special C-Tex fruits to these two, I have to say that I did not enjoy finding them and the damage they do, but I did enjoy dispatching them.

[ginger2778]

http://bugasalt.com this is for real. The video is hilarious.

[MissS]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Two more of the little denizens of pure evil this morning. I sprayed again with Garden Safe and then again with Malathion. This time, I got out my .177 pellet rifle and held a proper execution - military style. I even offered to go get a cigarette for the danged tobacco worm looking critters, but I didn't hear any takers, so I shot them in quick succession.

If you break off a small piece of tomato leaf stem, they will sit real tight on it. If you hit them from the front with a good lead pellet, they spread their green juice insides all over a fence post. Yes, after losing three really nice sized JD's Special C-Tex fruits to these two, I have to say that I did not enjoy finding them and the damage they do, but I did enjoy dispatching them.

Little did you realize that every drop of worm goo that you splattered produces a new one.

[ContainerTed]

Not when you burn the carcasses with a large magnifying glass. Heh, Heh, Heh, Heh!!! When I'm done, there is nothing left that can possibly live. This is my stress relief. It makes me better. Total destruction of the evil thingies!!!.

I have an eight inch in diameter magnifying glass that can melt aluminum when the sun is high. Nothing can survive it. It is the final cleaner of evil things. I tried to measure the temp with a food thermometer that went all the way to 600 degrees F. It maxed out the thermometer.

Menu for this evening includes heavily burned hornworm carcasses with Stink Bugs and Colorado Potato Beetles sautéed in Malathion.

[MissS]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Not when you burn the carcasses with a large magnifying glass. Heh, Heh, Heh, Heh!!! When I'm done, there is nothing left that can possibly live. This is my stress relief. It makes me better. Total destruction of the evil thingies!!!.

I have an eight inch in diameter magnifying glass that can melt aluminum when the sun is high. Nothing can survive it. It is the final cleaner of evil things. I tried to measure the temp with a food thermometer that went all the way to 600 degrees F. It maxed out the thermometer.

Menu for this evening includes heavily burned hornworm carcasses with Stink Bugs and Colorado Potato Beetles sautéed in Malathion.

Hmmmm............. I never knew that you had this side to you.

I'm sure glad that I was not invited to dinner tonight!

[imp]

Note to self:

Pick up fried chicken BEFORE going to Ted's house for supper!

[fonseca]

Do hornworms accumulate toxins from feeding on members of the nightshade family? I don't know that I would feed one to a chameleon.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by fonseca

Do hornworms accumulate toxins from feeding on members of the nightshade family? I don't know that I would feed one to a chameleon.

Some critters can eat this stuff and some cant.
It is the law of the land.
That feller knows what to and what not to eat.

As for the magnifying glass I keep one handy to light smokes in the day time if I cant find a lighter.

A real must for any ((bug out)) bag.

Worth

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by fonseca

Do hornworms accumulate toxins from feeding on members of the nightshade family? I don't know that I would feed one to a chameleon.

The ones that feed on tobacco use the nicotine to protect themselves against predators. Nicotine is pretty toxic to many animals when ingested, so I wouldn't use those as animal food.

But I suspect the ones that feed on tomatoes are harmless to most larger (larger than bugs) animals when fed occasionally. Tomato leaves' reputation for toxicity seems to come from "conventional wisdom" without much basis in actual testing or experience.

I think you're supposed to purge the guts of any live feeder animals for a few days first anyway before feeding them to reptile pets.

[Worth1]

I have hundreds of pet lizards there is no way I can control what they eat.

worth

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by Salsacharley

I replaced some soil this year and in the process I dug up 5 pupae before I even planted! Then while pruning I found a stinking big moth sitting on a stem. I had a pair of channel locks in my hand (not to prune with) and did the moth in but it took a couple of blows. I sprayed with BT right after that.

So that's where these nightmare pests are coming from, the ground? I was sitting out yesterday morning looking at the cukes and trying to fiigure out if I should move them or not when I noticed the biggest hornworm yet I have ever seen down on the ground trying to crawl up the milk crate to the plants.

My plants up on milk crates and pallets, under some cheese cloth and I still am over run with this pest this year.

What gets me is some of these plants are 8 foot tall and yet they make it all the way to the top and have a feast of the new tender growth.

I about gage everytime I have to squish one, but I have left a couple of them be as the wasps have been laying their eggs in the backs of the hornworms and the wasps have done a fantastic job of pest removal this year and they need to eat to and reproduce if I want to keep them around as natural predators. it is a crazy site seeing the hornworm trying to get around with massive amounts of white eggs attached to its back.