Bug problem in Houston

gtnate · May 27, 2019

My brother is a novice grower in Houston and is having his crop eaten by some kind of pest. He asked me for help, but I live in Maryland and am not familiar with the common pests where he lives.

Can anyone provide some advice on what is doing this and what treatment to use? Attached are some pictures.

bower · May 27, 2019

The first pic looks like bird peckings to me. Second is too far gone to tell what started it.

AlittleSalt · May 27, 2019

I agree with Bower. The second picture could have started as BER, but it's too far gone to tell.

SpookyShoe · May 27, 2019

Squirrels have gotten a lot of mine. After birds and squirrels bite a fruit, the bite area can rot..

Worth1 · May 27, 2019

The second one is probably from a fruit boring worm.
The infection/rot may be secondary to the wound.
My guess on the first one is a Bluejay

May 28, 2019

It’s been so hot that I’m finding tomatoes with holes drilled into them from birds looking for moisture. As soon as my Carmello get the slightest bit of color, Bam!
I’m having to pick everything at absolute first break and ripen indoors.

SpookyShoe · May 28, 2019

Me too, Plain Jane. I have to pick at the sign of first blush or a squirrel or bird will get after them. Even cherry tomatoes. But they've been getting some green ones also. I had a Paul Robeson bush that was full of medium-sized green tomatoes and they (the squirrels) denuded the whole thing.

I had my husband do something this morning that we should have done a long time ago. I had him dig up the pole with the bird feeder on top. Most of the seeds were being eaten by the squirrels and pigeons anyway. We had very few song birds coming to the feeder because it was always mobbed by the lesser-quality birds. Almost immediately I saw the squirrel population of our backyard decrease drastically. The squirrels couldn't climb up the pole and get the seeds in the feeder but they got everything that fell to the ground. I had a squirrel overpopulation in my backyard.

P.S. Okay, I could have dug up the bird feeder pole myself, but I played the gender card. It works. I'm a terrible person...

May 28, 2019

Lol, stuff evens out over time.
We have 3 cats so that deters the squirrels but the birds persist in going through the tomatoes despite the danger.
I’ve lost some greenies to worms I didn’t catch which really gets my goat.

May 27, 2019	#4
SpookyShoe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: El Lago, Texas Posts: 1,100	Squirrels have gotten a lot of mine. After birds and squirrels bite a fruit, the bite area can rot.. __________________ Donna, Zone 9, Texas Gulf Coast

May 28, 2019	#7
SpookyShoe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: El Lago, Texas Posts: 1,100	Me too, Plain Jane. I have to pick at the sign of first blush or a squirrel or bird will get after them. Even cherry tomatoes. But they've been getting some green ones also. I had a Paul Robeson bush that was full of medium-sized green tomatoes and they (the squirrels) denuded the whole thing. I had my husband do something this morning that we should have done a long time ago. I had him dig up the pole with the bird feeder on top. Most of the seeds were being eaten by the squirrels and pigeons anyway. We had very few song birds coming to the feeder because it was always mobbed by the lesser-quality birds. Almost immediately I saw the squirrel population of our backyard decrease drastically. The squirrels couldn't climb up the pole and get the seeds in the feeder but they got everything that fell to the ground. I had a squirrel overpopulation in my backyard. P.S. Okay, I could have dug up the bird feeder pole myself, but I played the gender card. It works. I'm a terrible person... __________________ Donna, Zone 9, Texas Gulf Coast Last edited by SpookyShoe; May 28, 2019 at 05:17 PM.

May 27, 2019	#2
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	The first pic looks like bird peckings to me. Second is too far gone to tell what started it.

May 27, 2019	#3
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I agree with Bower. The second picture could have started as BER, but it's too far gone to tell.

May 27, 2019	#5
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	The second one is probably from a fruit boring worm. The infection/rot may be secondary to the wound. My guess on the first one is a Bluejay

May 28, 2019	#6
PlainJane Guest Posts: n/a	It’s been so hot that I’m finding tomatoes with holes drilled into them from birds looking for moisture. As soon as my Carmello get the slightest bit of color, Bam! I’m having to pick everything at absolute first break and ripen indoors.