Tomatoes are amazing fruits and they can give you finger-licking gravies, soups, sauces, and much more eatables. Many people like to grow tomatoes at home but there are chances of them getting attacked where you might have to deal with caterpillar pests. These pets are also known as tomato hornworms or tobacco hornworms and they can ruin your tomato crop in a very short period of time.
During the late spring season, adult moths lay their eggs on the underside of the Foliage, and these eggs hatch within a week. The caterpillar larvae will hatch in just the time period of 4 to 6 weeks and will create a cocoon. They eventually develop into moths during the spring season and then lay eggs once again and this cycle continues when the weather is warm enough.
Ways to identify tomato hornworms
Hornworms can grow up to a size of 5 inches. They might shock you at first sight. These worms do the most damage in the caterpillar and larval stage. They are sometimes pale green and white and black in color with hornlike protrusions on their backside.
These caterpillars are not able to sting or bite and usually have V-shaped stripes on the green body.
Hornworms tend to start feeding on the top of the plant where the leaves are missing. If you find dark green or black droppings left on the leaves of the tomato. Chances are that there are hornworms beneath the leaf. Sometimes you may even encounter a white cocoon that hangs down from the leaves of the tomato plant. So, examine well!
Best Ways to get rid of Hornworms
Handpicking
Handpicking is considered to be one of the best ways to control and prevent the destruction of tomato plants from Hornworms. Since these caterpillars are not dangerous and can neither bite nor sting. You can use these insects to feed your chickens or flock if you have them. Remember to wash these caterpillars from soapy water instead of crushing them as they might contain some insecticides.
Using Insecticides
If the hornworms population in your garden is very large you can use insecticides as an effective way to destroy them. You can use organic pesticides that act as a stomach poison for these worms and other larval insects. But the insecticides must be ingested properly so that it can effectively kill caterpillars and prevent the plant foilage after rain.
Insecticidal soaps
You can also use insecticidal soaps to kill hornworms but make sure that these pests come in direct contact with the poisonous substance. Otherwise, there are chances that they might get prone to that environment and still thrive without dying.
Other Ways to prevent tomato hornworms
Keep some beneficial insects around your cutting
Insects like a wasp can feed on these worms and act as biological control. It is recommended to keep the wasp carry out their normal life cycle without interfering with how they destroy or eat these worms. They might or might not attack the white succumbs of larvae initially, but later they may attack the hornworms for their meal.
You can also add other beneficial insects like ladybugs which may feed on the young hornworm or hornworm eggs.
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