Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

My attention was first drawn to the plants when I noticed tiny droppings
around the base of the containers (20" pots). Some areas of the plants
looked like the leaves and stems had been nibbled. I finally noticed
several, huge green caterpillars clinging to the stems. They were so well
camouflaged that I have to be about 6" away to notice them.

Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more. What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?

Cheers,
Stephen
Boulder, CO

Tomato Horn Worms, pick 'em off by hand and stomp the suckers flat.

Dave


On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 03:30:26 GMT, "Stephen Younge"
wrote:

Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

My attention was first drawn to the plants when I noticed tiny droppings
around the base of the containers (20" pots). Some areas of the plants
looked like the leaves and stems had been nibbled. I finally noticed
several, huge green caterpillars clinging to the stems. They were so well
camouflaged that I have to be about 6" away to notice them.

Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more. What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?

Cheers,
Stephen
Boulder, CO


Dave Fouchey, WA4EMR
http://photos.yahoo.com/davefouchey
Southeastern Lower Michigan
42° 35' 20'' N,
82° 58' 37'' W
GMT Offset: -5
Time Zone: Eastern

Look like monarch butterfly caterpillars. If they are, yes they are
poisonous. As to how they arrived, did you plant from seed or buy the
plants at a nursery? If bought the eggs were probably on the plants. I
know birds will leave them alone, don't know about any other predators
though.

If you put them in a jar with some branches and feed them you'll have some
of the most beautiful chrysallis's when they get ready to go through
metamorphosis.

Also, I think monarchs are on the endangered list but I'm not absolutely
sure

Shell


"Stephen Younge" wrote in message
news:mHe3b.217301$Oz4.57751@rwcrnsc54...
Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the
biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

My attention was first drawn to the plants when I noticed tiny droppings
around the base of the containers (20" pots). Some areas of the plants
looked like the leaves and stems had been nibbled. I finally noticed
several, huge green caterpillars clinging to the stems. They were so well
camouflaged that I have to be about 6" away to notice them.

Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more.
What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?

Cheers,
Stephen
Boulder, CO

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?
Tomato Horn worms, they will become a very large moth...the name
escapes me. The worms grow up to 4" long
2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more. What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

Pretty common predator. If you see one with white eggs standing all
over its back, like so...
http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...saurusworm.jpg
Don't kill those. The eggs are typically wasp eggs that feed on the
horn worms. When the eggs hatch they eat the worm, then they spread
out over your garden and do the same thing to all the others. I had
only one in my garden...it had eggs. I left it, it vanished and I
never saw another. Killing small brachnid wasps may allow the worms to
multiply (eliminating natural predator).

Doesn't effect the tomatoes, but because of size and appetite will
strip plants quickly.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener

in article , DigitalVinyl at
wrote on 8/27/03 9:15 PM:

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?
Tomato Horn worms, they will become a very large moth...the name
escapes me. The worms grow up to 4" long
2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more. What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

Pretty common predator. If you see one with white eggs standing all
over its back, like so...
http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...saurusworm.jpg
Don't kill those. The eggs are typically wasp eggs that feed on the
horn worms. When the eggs hatch they eat the worm, then they spread
out over your garden and do the same thing to all the others. I had
only one in my garden...it had eggs. I left it, it vanished and I
never saw another. Killing small brachnid wasps may allow the worms to
multiply (eliminating natural predator).

Doesn't effect the tomatoes, but because of size and appetite will
strip plants quickly.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener

That is a good photo!

Fortunately, I have not run across a hornworm this year. Unfortunately, I
never saw one that looked like the picture.

Bill

On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 03:30:26 GMT, "Stephen Younge"
wrote:

Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!
------
Tomato Horn Worms!
Yep, that's a huge bug here in NJ too!

Do you watch the TV show.. Fear Factor?
Ocasionally they make the contestants eat tomato horn worms
in the competition to win the $50,000. Imagine eating them?
I hardly can stand picking them up and squishing them.


Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg
------
Nice pics!
I liked how you showed the scale with the bugger
posing with the pen. Very good!

---pete---

I'm surprised this is your first experience with the Tomato Hornworm. They
are as common as butterflies. They definitely get very large and fat when
they start devouring your tomato plants (stems, leaves and tomatoes). They
have a voracious appetite and will target green or red tomatoes too. They
are very lime green with little white marks on their backs and a red horn on
one end. They tend to cling to the ends of the branches underneath. First
thing in the morning is the best time to find them.

Anyway, they are not poisonous or dangerous; just a nuisance. If you see
some with little white pieces of rice all over their backs, leave them.
These white things are actually the eggs of a parasitic wasp and they are
feeding off from the hornworm and will eventually kill the little devil.
The parasitic wasp is a super beneficial guy to have around in the garden.
I usually pick the egg laiden hornworm off the plant and relocate it
somewhere else. Otherwise, pick off all the hornworms that you can find and
kill them. You can also apply Bt Powder to the plants to kill any younger
hornworms. It is an organic biological insecticide that targets just
caterpillars and chewing larvae. I just had to apply some yesterday because
my tomatoes and peppers were being chewed to death and I couldn't find them
on the plant.

When my kids were in elementary school they would take a jar of hornworms
with tomatoes and stems to school and the kids would get a big kick out of
seeing how much they would eat overnight.

Good luck.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"Stephen Younge" wrote in message
news:mHe3b.217301$Oz4.57751@rwcrnsc54...
Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the
biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

My attention was first drawn to the plants when I noticed tiny droppings
around the base of the containers (20" pots). Some areas of the plants
looked like the leaves and stems had been nibbled. I finally noticed
several, huge green caterpillars clinging to the stems. They were so well
camouflaged that I have to be about 6" away to notice them.

Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more.
What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?

Cheers,
Stephen
Boulder, CO

Hi!
What you have is hornworms; They eat both leaves and tomatoes. They work
very quickly too! Hand-picking them is the best way to get rid of them. They
usually appear at harvest time. I would also suggest a non-toxic spray
Bacillus thuringenis ( available as Dipel or Thuricide) is effective.
Good-Luck!
Peppergirl
http://hotcuisine.esmartweb.com/
"Stephen Younge" wrote in message
news:mHe3b.217301$Oz4.57751@rwcrnsc54...
Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the
biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

My attention was first drawn to the plants when I noticed tiny droppings
around the base of the containers (20" pots). Some areas of the plants
looked like the leaves and stems had been nibbled. I finally noticed
several, huge green caterpillars clinging to the stems. They were so well
camouflaged that I have to be about 6" away to notice them.

Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more.
What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?

Cheers,
Stephen
Boulder, CO

Ewww! I've stepped on one of those by accident and it sounded, looked and felt gross! Just a warning. LOL

--
Lisa
"Dave Fouchey" wrote in message ...
Tomato Horn Worms, pick 'em off by hand and stomp the suckers flat.

Dave


On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 03:30:26 GMT, "Stephen Younge"
wrote:

Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

My attention was first drawn to the plants when I noticed tiny droppings
around the base of the containers (20" pots). Some areas of the plants
looked like the leaves and stems had been nibbled. I finally noticed
several, huge green caterpillars clinging to the stems. They were so well
camouflaged that I have to be about 6" away to notice them.

Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more. What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?

Cheers,
Stephen
Boulder, CO


Dave Fouchey, WA4EMR
http://photos.yahoo.com/davefouchey
Southeastern Lower Michigan
42° 35' 20'' N,
82° 58' 37'' W
GMT Offset: -5
Time Zone: Eastern

What a waste of tasty horn worms. They make great dog treats!

Dave Fouchey wrote in message . ..
Tomato Horn Worms, pick 'em off by hand and stomp the suckers flat.

Dave

"Stephen Younge" wrote in message news:mHe3b.217301$Oz4.57751@rwcrnsc54...
Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

....

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more. What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?


Facinating. I saw one of these on my tomato plant yesterday for the
first time as well. Admittedly, this is only the second year I have
planted tomatoes (or anything for that matter).

I was so freaked out by the worm that I stuck it on a pile of
fireants. I know that sounds horribly cruel, and I actually felt bad
afterward. Unfortunately, the only bug I can squish without tossing
my tuna is the cucumber beetle (which I do with pleasure, I might
add). What's weird is that an hour later, there were no traces of the
worm. Did it escape alive? Surely not.

I would have tried feeding him to the geckos, but he was larger than
any gecko I have seen.

Thanks for all the feedback.

It sounds like the eggs for these hornworms probably came with the plants
when I bought them from a local nursery in mid-May? Or would they have come
in the potting soil, or by air?

I'll continue to pick them off (using chopsticks and squash them, unless
they have wasp eggs (looks like grains of rice) stuck to their back, since
the wasp eggs will hatch and eat the worm and all other worms in the area.

If I continue to have problems and hand picking them isn't enough, I'll try
some insecticides like the following.

I would also suggest a non-toxic spray
Bacillus thuringenis ( available as Dipel or Thuricide) is effective.

You can also apply Bt Powder to the plants to kill any younger
hornworms. It is an organic biological insecticide that targets just
caterpillars and chewing larvae.

Thanks again for all the feedback, everybody.

Cheers,
Stephen

"Stephen Younge" wrote in message
news:mHe3b.217301$Oz4.57751@rwcrnsc54...
Yesterday I saw something that I have never seen before in my life. Huge,
green caterpillars on my tomato plants! I never thought I'd spot the
biggest
bugs of my life in Colorado!

My attention was first drawn to the plants when I noticed tiny droppings
around the base of the containers (20" pots). Some areas of the plants
looked like the leaves and stems had been nibbled. I finally noticed
several, huge green caterpillars clinging to the stems. They were so well
camouflaged that I have to be about 6" away to notice them.

Here are some close-ups of the buggers:
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/1.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/2.jpg
http://home.attbi.com/~stephen.and.kim/3.jpg

Anyway, my questions a

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?

2. I pried 7 of the buggers off my plants, but couldn't find any more.
What
can I do to to prevent them from coming back?

3. Are they poisonous, given that they are eating poisonous tomato plants?
Will birds or other predators go after them?

Cheers,
Stephen
Boulder, CO

Stephen, don't blame the nursery for the horn worms. I'm sure the plants
were clean when you got them. The tobacco hornworm moth finds you plants
and lays eggs on them when they are growing in your garden.
....and yes, I said tobacco horn worm, because that is what you have.
Tobacco hornworms are more common in the south and tomato hornworms are
more common in the north. There is a large area where you may find
either, or. They both like to eat tomato leaves.
Yours have the white diagonal stripes and a curved reddish horn. True
tomato hornworms have V shaped markings on the sides and the horn is
more black in color.

Steve in the Adirondacks



Stephen Younge wrote:
Thanks for all the feedback.
..................
.......................
.......................
It sounds like the eggs for these hornworms probably came with the plants
when I bought them from a local nursery in mid-May? Or would they have come
in the potting soil, or by air?

Cheers,
Stephen