Hornworms

[me&thegals]

Wow--who would have imagined such violence in the peaceful garden?

 

[Reinbeau]

If ya'll any find a hornworm that looks like this one......................


LEAVE IT ALONE, those are the eggs of a braconid wasp on it's body. When those eggs hatch they will burrow into the worm and eat it from the inside out. Allowing this process to take place will add to the population of the wasp which will help to decrease the number of hornworms. You may and probably will lose a little bit of foilage this year but it's a small price to pay to have the wasps in yer garden in the future.
The common wasp will also eat the hornworm itself and also feeds on cabbage loopers and other garden catarpillars.
Organic gardening at it's very best. :dance

Excellent photo, that was exactly what I was talking about. I let them be years ago, and rarely have any hornworms anymore.