My first hornworm!!!

HudsonValley · August 3, 2016

It's my second year growing tomatoes, but I still hadn't encountered an actual hornworm until today. I often find multiple "hummingbird"/"sphinx" moths fluttering around my bee balm and butterfly bushes, and used to wonder why I hadn't seen any hornworms. Maybe the bird population took care of them until now...

I removed the enormous green bugger from his perch near the top of my Red Pear tomato plant. Judging by the number of missing leaves, branches, and half-eaten unripe tomatoes, it was clear that this hedonistic hornworm had thoroughly enjoyed himself. I decided to make him a nice bubble bath. At first, he seemed to enjoy his spa treatment -- wriggling and luxuriating in the soapy, dish-detergent-scented water. Then, satisfied by a day of gluttony and pampering, my first hornworm died.

I now feel like a bonafide tomato-grower.

clkingtx · August 4, 2016

I found an enormous one the other day(about 4 inches long, and as big around as my pinkie) and brought it in to show my hubby and 8 year old. Now my 8 year old has a new pet....

dmforcier · August 4, 2016

They do turn into magnificent moths - but only if you feed them.

gorbelly · August 4, 2016

They're neat creatures. I still kill hornwoms because they're so destructive and I don't want to play a part in nurturing a growing local population. But I try to do it by feeding them back into the Great Web of Nature by leaving them out on the driveway for the birds. I might think differently if the moths were essential to native plant species around here, but fortunately, I don't have that ethical dilemma. And there are probably plenty of solanaceous weeds in the area that can sustain a small population without my tomatoes and peppers needing to be sacrificed.

clkingtx · August 4, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmforcier

They do turn into magnificent moths - but only if you feed them.

LOL, thankfully this one decided that it was time to pupate(either that, or it crawled under the dirt in the container to die)either way, I won't have to sacrifice tomato plant parts to feed him. I have told my daughter that this creature will never be allowed to mate, and never be released. It will live out its life in captivity, and will not be allowed to contribute to the hornworm population.

Now I know not to show any creature to my kid unless I want it to live in my house!

HudsonValley · August 5, 2016

When I was young, I kept a caterpillar of some sort in a container until it turned into a moth (small, whitish-gray).

I now suspect my second hornworm has taken up residence in an Amish Paste. I could not find him, despite the wispy foliage. So frustrating!

Cole_Robbie · August 5, 2016

If you stomp one, beware of green slimy guts splattering onto your other foot. I wish I did not know that from experience.

I haven't seen one yet with parasitic wasp eggs on it, but I have read that they are best left alone, to foster the predator wasp population. The eggs are white and attached to the horn worm's skin.

HudsonValley · August 5, 2016

Thanks for the tips, Cole! I'll stick to the watery-grave method if the wasps don't do their jobs.

gorbelly · August 5, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

If you stomp one, beware of green slimy guts splattering onto your other foot. I wish I did not know that from experience.

I haven't seen one yet with parasitic wasp eggs on it, but I have read that they are best left alone, to foster the predator wasp population. The eggs are white and attached to the horn worm's skin.

Just a quibble--those white things on the caterpillar's back are not eggs. They're the wasps' cocoons. The eggs are laid under the caterpillar's skin and the larvae develop inside the caterpillar. Then the tunnel out and spin cocoons on the caterpillar's back.

Cole_Robbie · August 5, 2016

ahhh. Neat. Thanks.

August 3, 2016	#1
HudsonValley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hudson Valley, NY, Zone 6a Posts: 626	My first hornworm!!! It's my second year growing tomatoes, but I still hadn't encountered an actual hornworm until today. I often find multiple "hummingbird"/"sphinx" moths fluttering around my bee balm and butterfly bushes, and used to wonder why I hadn't seen any hornworms. Maybe the bird population took care of them until now... I removed the enormous green bugger from his perch near the top of my Red Pear tomato plant. Judging by the number of missing leaves, branches, and half-eaten unripe tomatoes, it was clear that this hedonistic hornworm had thoroughly enjoyed himself. I decided to make him a nice bubble bath. At first, he seemed to enjoy his spa treatment -- wriggling and luxuriating in the soapy, dish-detergent-scented water. Then, satisfied by a day of gluttony and pampering, my first hornworm died. I now feel like a bonafide tomato-grower.

August 4, 2016	#2
clkingtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 446	I found an enormous one the other day(about 4 inches long, and as big around as my pinkie) and brought it in to show my hubby and 8 year old. Now my 8 year old has a new pet.... __________________ Carrie

August 4, 2016	#3
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	They do turn into magnificent moths - but only if you feed them. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

August 4, 2016	#4
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	They're neat creatures. I still kill hornwoms because they're so destructive and I don't want to play a part in nurturing a growing local population. But I try to do it by feeding them back into the Great Web of Nature by leaving them out on the driveway for the birds. I might think differently if the moths were essential to native plant species around here, but fortunately, I don't have that ethical dilemma. And there are probably plenty of solanaceous weeds in the area that can sustain a small population without my tomatoes and peppers needing to be sacrificed.

August 5, 2016	#6
HudsonValley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hudson Valley, NY, Zone 6a Posts: 626	When I was young, I kept a caterpillar of some sort in a container until it turned into a moth (small, whitish-gray). I now suspect my second hornworm has taken up residence in an Amish Paste. I could not find him, despite the wispy foliage. So frustrating!

August 5, 2016	#7
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	If you stomp one, beware of green slimy guts splattering onto your other foot. I wish I did not know that from experience. I haven't seen one yet with parasitic wasp eggs on it, but I have read that they are best left alone, to foster the predator wasp population. The eggs are white and attached to the horn worm's skin.