what is eating my tomato plant?

[mener6896]

I found the strangest dropping at the bottom of my tomato plant, and I can't figure out what it could be. They are a little small than what a rabbit would lay, but are "flower shaped" I know this sounds weird, but I can't figure out another way to describe it. I have never seen a rabbit anywhere near my garden, and I do have chickens that I thought were stripping my plants, but these obviously NOT chicken droppings. My garden is fenced, although I realize this doesn't mean much. Fortunately this is only on one variety of my tomatoes.

 

[mener6896]

I guess I found out those are hornworm droppings...makes sense, because we have been picking off the hornworms and feeding to our chickens.

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, them's hornworm droppings, and they are actually *useful* b/c they help you track down where the hornworm itself is likely hiding

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[mener6896]

what's the best way to prevent them? other than picking each one off? which I do anyway....

I heard to install a bug zapper because it kills the moth?

 

[journey11]

Yep, hornworm... Not much left of that poor tomato plant!

Do you have very many tomato plants? I just pick them off. They seem to arrive all at once and when they're gone, they're gone (not like the stinkin' stink bugs which hang around all summer. )

Also, if you see one with lots of little white eggs stuck all up and down it's back, leave that one alone--it's the host for the offspring of a predatory wasp that will do an amazingly effective job of keeping your hornworm problem in check.

 

[sparkles2307]

They look like little grenades!

 

[catjac1975]

You have tomato horn worms. They are HUGH but blend in. Look above the droppings. Hand pick and put in soapy water. I had a defoliated plant and still had a hard time seeing them.

 

[ShowMe31]

I just found 3 of those nasty things on my tomates this morning. Hard to find, easy to remove and hilarious to watch the chickens when tossed in the run.

 

[wsmoak]

AAAAHHHH! I guess with the long growing season we are lucky enough to get TWO hatches of these things.

I just went out to find a totally denuded tomato plant (not that it was doing much anyway). I never got a single tomato off the heirloom tomato I bought, they got it TWICE.

I picked half a dozen of the things off this morning -- the chickens were only interested in the first two, either they were full or these don't taste all that good.