What eats a hole in tomatoes

Pepper 6/5/2013, 3:48 pm

I added a layer of pine straw today to mulch my 'maters . I found these with holes ate into the tomatoes but the hole was not jucy like something went inside the 'fruit'. It is almost like a bumble bee needed a home.

This is inside of the biggest hole, no sign of the bettles like I had last year.

Could it be they have not yet hatched.

**donnainzone5** 6/5/2013, 4:14 pm

Might be tomato hornhorm. Look closely at the stems; these critters are difficult to see, since they're exactly the same color as tomato stems and leaves.

You can pick them and toss them in the trash. These hornworms are nearly indestructible, in my experience.

You might want to consider planting borage nearby--but not in your SFG beds! That stuff is quite invasive, but it attracts bees and helps repel those nasty tomato hornworms.

brainchasm 6/5/2013, 5:47 pm

I've got borage in a square in one of my plots. So far, it's....manageable.

Lovage is the one I was really scared of! HUUUGE plant!

TexasTracy 6/5/2013, 6:42 pm

I found a hornworm this morning on one of my tomato plants...it had decimated much of the plant. It seems like I get about one month of everything flourishing before the pests or other issues hit.

quiltbea 6/5/2013, 7:08 pm

A Tomato Hornworm was on one of these tomatoes just before I took this photo Aug 2011....

so this is what their damage looks like. As for the plant itself, it'll have branches missing and just bare stems left. Inside a week your tomato can be a skeleton.

Run your fingers up and down the stems of all your plants. When you feel something soft, jump back and yech!. I use a paper towel to pick the hornworm off the plant and squish it. Its very juicy and can be from 2-5 inches long. If you have chickens, toss them to the chickens. They love them.

TexasTracy 6/5/2013, 7:17 pm

They sure were munching on your tomatoes! Those hornworms totally creep me out.

Pepper 6/6/2013, 10:59 am

well it was not a horn worm it is a tomato fruit worm; or a corn ear worm! The Ortho All About Vegetables book says to use sevin to kill it; wouldn't BT be just as effective

Another view pulled out of a tomato

Here is a link to many more images that are WAY better than the pics I have. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tomato+fruitworm&qpvt=tomato+fruitworm&FORM=IQFRML

p.s. I am thanking the misses for quickly finding this for me

I found a different article with full life cycle and control methods; BT is used to control them.
http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-fruitworms.html

**sanderson** 6/6/2013, 11:13 am

Good job.

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