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Mike Ruskai · 05-08-2008, 03:29 PM posted to sci.bio.botany

On or about 4 Aug 2008 12:53:15 GMT did dribble
thusly:

In article ,
Mike Ruskai wrote:
I just found two of these munching on my porch jalapeno plants (one on each
plant). I've never seen these monsters before, and would like to know what
the best options are for preventing them from nawing on my plants in the
future - especially out in the garden, where I really don't want to patrol
fifty pepper plants for giant caterpillars.

If you've just *gotta* buy something and spray it, Bt is the best idea.

But these huge caterpillars (better to spot them when they are smaller)
aren't that hard to handpick, altho a bit icky -- it's that muscular way
they squirm... ;-) The moths have the "sense" not to lay too many eggs
too close together, so there's seldom more than one per plant and
usually less.

Unless you're in a tobacco growing area, they are most likely the
closely related tomato hornworm, so check your tomato plants, and
while you're at it, might as well check the potato plants too. These
guys are amazingly well camouflaged on tomato plants. You can be
looking right at a 9cm worm and not see it. Look for defoliation
and droppings. Sometimes shaking the plant will help zero in on
them since they are quite heavy and whatever they are clinging to won't
move the same way as unencumbered sems and leaves.

It's definitely the tobacco variety, though I'm in NW NJ. They had the
diagonal stripes and dots, not the chevrons. Also, red horns, not black.

Both species will apparently dine happily on anything in the tomatoe family,
which includes my poor jalapenos.

There were none in the main garden, so I don't feel any compulsion to spray
anything.

These caterpillars turn into hawkmoths, brown moths about the size of
hummingbirds. They hum like them as well, but they are nocturnal,
unlike the birds. Very interesting and impressive critters, when
they aren't defoliating your crop!

Anything with a larva that big has to be impressive looking, but I've never
seen the moths.

Seeing as one of the pepper plants was completely defoliated, and significant
portions of half a dozen peppers were missing, I'll sacrifice the opportunity
if will keep these voracious critters away.