The tobacco hornworm is one of the largest insects that damage tobacco. The larvae are greenish in color with white bars on their sides and with a slender reddish horn projecting from near the rear end. They may reach 3 to 4 inches (7.5-10cm) in length and are such ravenous feeders that they may completely defoliate plants if not controlled.
The weekend before last...I discovered 9 of these lovely bugs on my tomato plant. I went on a search to discover them all and ended up cutting a lot of foliage from my tomato plant.
Now I've discovered that there are some other caterpillar types eating my pansies. I found 2 caterpillars...but I am still finding little black dots of caterpillar poop...which means they are not all gone yet.
Farming even on a small scale can be a booger.
That is too bizarre that they'd attack a tomato plant on your little suburban deck! Maybe we have enough tobacco plants nearby to keep them away from our gardens!
Posted by: Lori | Saturday, October 04, 2008 at 08:47 AM