Hornworms.

[The Mama Chicken]

We have tons of silver nightshade on our property. Last fall I found what looked just like the hornworms I usually find on tomatoes eating the leaves (I'm guessing they are the same bug.) Do y'all think they'll leave the nightshades to come munch on my tomatoes or are they more likely to stay where they are? I guess I'm wondering if nightshade will act as a trap crop.

 

[digitS']

Nightshade sure attracts the Colorado potato beetle, Mama Chicken! They won't stay on the nightshade! When the pickin's get slim, you can see them packing their bags and heading off towards the Solanaceous vegetables! But, I always see them on the nightshade first. It is certainly a cue to get the nightshade out of the gardens but . . . I can't do that in the cornfield across the road :/.

Tomatoes, Potatoes, Eggplant -- Ho! (Tobacco is in the same family and attracts a hornworm moth that also lays eggs on tomato plants, as I understand it.)

Maybe, if you actually trap them on the weeds and don't just grow an army, preparing to invade! I don't know if you want to spray the nightshade to kill the pests feeding on it. . . Sounds like hornworms could be quite a problem where you are, MC.

Steve :tools

 

[ducks4you]

For the newbies, here is what both the caterpiller and the moth look like:
http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/fieldguide/arthropoda/manduca_quinqu.html
Boy, I never thought that tobacco leaves would attract them--I grew some tobacco last year, and plan to grow more in 2012. I took the one caterpiller that I spotted and smashed it for my chickens. They liked the treat.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The tobacco hornworm and tomato hornworm are two different things. You can tell the difference by the markings on them and the color of the horn, but I can't remember the details of exactly how to do that.

We grew Burley tobacco on the farm where I grew up in East Tennessee. One of my memories is walking through 3/4 acre of tobacco under that late August sun, getting covered in tar and hand-picking off the hornworms and budworms. Ah! The joys of country living!!!

 

[hoodat]

It's true they are two different species but both will accept the secondary plant if there are none of the preferred host plant in the area, so it's possible to have tobacco hornworms on tomatos and vice versa.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Tomato hornworms are voracious, munching entire leaves, small stems, and even parts of immature fruit. While they are most commonly associated with tomatoes, hornworms are also common pests of eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. Most likely, you'll notice the damage before you notice the hornworms, because their color helps them blend in so well with the plant foliage. You can also look for their black frass (droppings) on the foliage and around the base of the plant.

Because the hornworm is so large, the easiest and most effective way to get rid of it is to pick it off of plants as soon as you detect it and either squish it or toss it into a bowl of soapy water. A bad infestation can be treated by applying BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). This is most effective when the larvae are small. If it is a problem year after year, try rototilling the soil either in late fall or in spring before you plant--this will either bury the pupae or destroy them. However, if you see a hornworm covered with white egg sacs, leave it be. The egg sacs are those of a parasitic wasp called the Braconid wasp. Let the eggs hatch, and you'll have an army of wasps ready to defend your garden against all types of pests.

Yes, I know all of this. I was wondering if they would move from the nightshade to my tomatoes.

 

[momofdrew]

if they run out of nightshade they more then likely will move on to your toms

 

[The Mama Chicken]

if they run out of nightshade they more then likely will move on to your toms

Last summer we had about 2 acres of nightshade in the area that we don't mow. I can't imagine they could eat it all. And my garden is away from that section of land. Maybe I'll get lucky.

 

[catjac1975]

if they run out of nightshade they more then likely will move on to your toms

Last summer we had about 2 acres of nightshade in the area that we don't mow. I can't imagine they could eat it all. And my garden is away from that section of land. Maybe I'll get lucky.

I would not do anything that might increase the population of the gross thing.