I would have tossed the HW in the road thinking it was carrying around its own eggs. And now these hornworms are being attacked. Ladybugs on my peppers and eggplants with no sign of the few aphids that were out there. This morning, an assasin bug waiting on my basil for leaf hoppers. I bought insecticidal spray but couldn’t bring myself to use it. I love what you said about having a good balance. I battled and picked beetles off of my plants and wet the whiteflies and I had not seen any “cavalry” til today. ![]() Sweet justice though, it is COVERED in braconid wasp pupae. I found it so interesting that I went outside and sure enough…found one of those stinking hornworms chilling on my plant. Relieved to have made it through this horrible heat wave to go outside and find that something has eaten a lot of my sun gold tomatoes and the tops of the plant! Google to the rescue and I stumbled across your article here. I am new to veggie gardening and happened upon an unfortunate sight in my garden this morning. Related Posts: Classic Tomato Pie Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Angelic Zucchini Fritters For it means your garden is ecologically balanced, thanks to your non-use of pesticides.ĭon’t miss anything at A Garden for the House… sign up for Kevin’s weekly newsletter. A birdbath will suffice.Īnd finally, I hope you won’t scream if you notice a host-hornworm on your tomato vines. Adult wasps feed on the nectar of these plants. Want to attract this hornworm-destroying wasp to your garden? Then plant, and preferably near your tomatoes, such things as parsley, dill, yarrow, and mustard. They will also seek out other hornworms to feed upon and kill. The wasps will kill the hornworms when they emerge from their cocoons. Such “host” hornworms should be left in the garden in order to conserve the beneficial parasites. Larvae that hatch from the wasp’s eggs, which are laid on the hornworm, feed on the inside of the hornworm until the wasp is ready to pupate. The white projections are the larvae of the braconid wasp, Cotesia congregatus. However, if the worm has white ovals on its body, you should take no action at all. Worms should be picked from plants, and dealt with as your conscience permits. It can devour an entire plant in a matter of days. This Manduca quinquemaculata feeds on the leaves and stems of tomato plants, as well as other plants in the Nightshade family, like eggplant and potatoes. What this worm is, why it has white projections on its body, and why - if you ever see such a thing in your own garden - you should leave it alone:Ī quick Google search revealed the odd fellow is the Tomato Hornworm. ![]() RECENTLY, while pruning a row of paste tomatoes, I noticed a strange-looking worm ( above click to enlarge) on one of the plants.
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