Sunday, October 4, 2009

Tomato Pests




I've been so busy with my new veggies and flowers that I've been neglecting the tomatoes. This weekend I gave them a little attention and found that both leaf-footed bugs and tomato horn worms. Argh!

I found both the adults and nymphs of the leaf-footed bugs. I killed about 20, but at least that many escaped. I'm worried it's only a matter of time before I have to rip out the plants. There are some really nice looking cherries that should be ripening soon, so I'm hoping to fight them off long enough to get a few.

I found two tomato horned worms. I looked them up in the Texas Bug Book and found that the adults only lay a few eggs, since a single larvae can do so much damage. Last year there were four of five on the plants, so I'm hoping there aren't too many more. Also last year I only found these guys in the fall. Has anyone found them in their spring/summer crop?

These guys can be hard to spot, but I've discovered another way to detect them. Their droppings seem to be pretty distinct, especially with the relatively large size.

Green droppings, after he's been eating leaves

Orange droppings, after he's been eating my precious tomatoes


I did find a few friends in the garden today, which was nice after fighting off the others all morning. Here is an Anole I found in the Basil. I didn't get a picture, but I did find some Soldier Bugs too.

No comments: