"Pat Meadows" wrote in message
...
You know, I keep reading and hearing about tomato hornworms.
But I've never actually SEEN one, and I've never seen any
other insect-damage to tomatoes either. (I've grown
tomatoes for about 25 years, in four different states and
one Canadian province.)
Maybe I've just been lucky.
Pat

I used to see lots of hornworms some 25 years ago when there wasn't much
else growing in the neighborhood. Now I sometimes see their frass but
seldom see any worms. I believe having lots of large trees and fruiting
shrubs in the neighborhood is providing a habitat for birds and they
clean up the hornworms and lots of other insect pests. The downside of
having lots of birds is that some crops like lettuce in its early stages
and tomatoes in their later stages need to be protected from the
irds - a bit bothersome but worth it to us. -Olin