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#17
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I really hate bugs
Frank wrote:
On 7/28/2011 9:48 PM, The Cook wrote: On Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:24:34 +0000 (UTC), Nad R wrote: wrote: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05517.html Googling, this one says moth is like a humming bird. I probably have seen them flitting about. Yep, that's them, I seen one two days ago. They can easily be mistaken for a hummingbird while in flight. We have both hummingbirds and hummingbird moths that visit our Monarda. My husband named the moths "humbugs." There are several varieties of Hummingbird moth and the one that appears here is not the adult hornworm. That's what I've seen. Plants are on deck near kitchen table and I often see things that look like hummingbirds but not quite. Always nice to learn something new. Part of the fun of gardening. Update , after following one of the links posted here , I have found out the ones in my garden are actually tobacco hornworms . The giveaway is the diagonal stripes rather than V shaped on their sides . I'll be checkin' on thses morning and evening for a while ... since that same article said they prefer to feed at dawn/dusk . -- Snag Learning keeps you young ! |
#18
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I really hate bugs
"Snag" wrote:
Frank wrote: On 7/28/2011 9:48 PM, The Cook wrote: On Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:24:34 +0000 (UTC), Nad R wrote: wrote: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05517.html Googling, this one says moth is like a humming bird. I probably have seen them flitting about. Yep, that's them, I seen one two days ago. They can easily be mistaken for a hummingbird while in flight. We have both hummingbirds and hummingbird moths that visit our Monarda. My husband named the moths "humbugs." There are several varieties of Hummingbird moth and the one that appears here is not the adult hornworm. That's what I've seen. Plants are on deck near kitchen table and I often see things that look like hummingbirds but not quite. Always nice to learn something new. Part of the fun of gardening. Update , after following one of the links posted here , I have found out the ones in my garden are actually tobacco hornworms . The giveaway is the diagonal stripes rather than V shaped on their sides . I'll be checkin' on thses morning and evening for a while ... since that same article said they prefer to feed at dawn/dusk . Mine are also tobacco hornworms. But for names sake there does not seem to be that much different. Even thou I called them Tomato Horn worms. So let the flame wars begin -- Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan) |
#19
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I really hate bugs
On Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:24:34 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote: Frank wrote: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05517.html Googling, this one says moth is like a humming bird. I probably have seen them flitting about. Yep, that's them, I seen one two days ago. They can easily be mistaken for a hummingbird while in flight. We have both hummingbirds and hummingbird moths that visit our Monarda. My husband named the moths "humbugs." There are several varieties of Hummingbird moth and the one that appears here is not the adult hornworm. -- USA North Carolina Foothills USDA Zone 7a To find your extension office http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html |
#20
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I really hate bugs
Snag wrote:
.... I plucked two more this morning . This time from a couple of tomato plants . I have cantalopes running under the tomatoes , the poo piles on the leaves led me right to the little horned buggers . I'm puzzled , why have I never had a problem with these before ? This is only the second year for 'maters in this location , and I didn't have any last year . And I've never seen a moth that fits the description given in the several articles I've read . they can fly some distance to lay eggs, so it really doesn't matter if you had them before or not. we are a fair distance from any neighbors who garden so there is no reason to expect them here, but they do arrive... last year we had a few, the year before we had over twenty, this year we've seen none so far (checked again this morning). if you turn the soil under an established tomato patch and have missed some of the worms you will see large brown/red/purplish pupa in the soil. very impressive critters. crop rotation will help some, but is not likely to ever keep them away completely. hand picking them off is an easy non- chemical means of control, and if you don't like cutting them in half or squishing them they will probably drown in slightly soapy water. then you can compost them or bury them or throw them away. songbird |
#21
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I really hate bugs
Nad R wrote:
songbird wrote: last year was not bad for tomato hornworms, the year before we had about 25, this season we have not had any so far, but will start looking. usually we haven't seen them until the first few weeks of August, but with you two writing about them i'll have to go out and take a closer look tomorrow morning to be sure. i looked them over pretty good (for poo sign) yesterday and didn't see any chewed leaves or poo nuggets on the ground (another easy way to find them also if you have bare earth under the plants instead of mulch) but a second look is worth it. Those small Horn Worms can produce rather large Poo Nuggets, but look at how much one bug can eat and how quickly they can go from not being seen to suddenly showing up. we checked the other day and didn't see any. then the next day there were three (one big one and two smaller ones) and today there were none that we could find. songbird |
#22
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I really hate bugs
songbird wrote:
Nad R wrote: songbird wrote: last year was not bad for tomato hornworms, the year before we had about 25, this season we have not had any so far, but will start looking. usually we haven't seen them until the first few weeks of August, but with you two writing about them i'll have to go out and take a closer look tomorrow morning to be sure. i looked them over pretty good (for poo sign) yesterday and didn't see any chewed leaves or poo nuggets on the ground (another easy way to find them also if you have bare earth under the plants instead of mulch) but a second look is worth it. Those small Horn Worms can produce rather large Poo Nuggets, but look at how much one bug can eat and how quickly they can go from not being seen to suddenly showing up. we checked the other day and didn't see any. then the next day there were three (one big one and two smaller ones) and today there were none that we could find. songbird So far 14 hornworms and 1 hornworm moth smashed. Very little damage catching them early. -- Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan) |
#23
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I really hate bugs
On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 07:50:30 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote: songbird wrote: Nad R wrote: songbird wrote: last year was not bad for tomato hornworms, the year before we had about 25, this season we have not had any so far, but will start looking. usually we haven't seen them until the first few weeks of August, but with you two writing about them i'll have to go out and take a closer look tomorrow morning to be sure. i looked them over pretty good (for poo sign) yesterday and didn't see any chewed leaves or poo nuggets on the ground (another easy way to find them also if you have bare earth under the plants instead of mulch) but a second look is worth it. Those small Horn Worms can produce rather large Poo Nuggets, but look at how much one bug can eat and how quickly they can go from not being seen to suddenly showing up. we checked the other day and didn't see any. then the next day there were three (one big one and two smaller ones) and today there were none that we could find. songbird So far 14 hornworms and 1 hornworm moth smashed. Very little damage catching them early. We caught a hornworm yesterday. The only reason it was spotted at all was due to the wasp eggs. The thing looked like a hedgehog. Boron |
#24
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I really hate bugs
Boron Elgar wrote:
-snip- We caught a hornworm yesterday. The only reason it was spotted at all was due to the wasp eggs. The thing looked like a hedgehog. I hope by 'caught' you mean-- saw on a plant, celebrated & left him to raise his predators. Jim |
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