@#$%&! Horn Worms

[baronsamedi]

I know some of you cats grow tobacco. I don't but we have a similar enemy, the tobacco horn worm. One of these little green pukes will annihilate a tomato, pepper or tobacco plant OVERNIGHT. They are immune to many poisons except direct contact-type poisons. Anyone know a good way to control these things?
pic for hobie

 

[seanz]

ugly little critter we dont get them down here yet! i have heard

The first thing to learn is that when you see a worm, grab it and SQUISH IT! Don't hesitate! Place your thumb and index finger on the middle of the worm and SQUISH IT UNTIL THE JUICE SQUIRTS OUT!
The next thing to learn is that worms do not want to be SQUISHED! They will do everything in their power to avoid being squished! They will hide under the leaves. They will be camoulflaged in color and with stripes. They will line themselves up on the veins of the leaf so you overlook them. They will even take on the appearance of your Mother-in-Law! (well, not really, besides that would be counterproductive I think)
Wear Glasses! If your eyesight is even slightly less than optimum, wear your glasses! Since the baby worms may be only 1/16 to 1/8 inch long, you need every advantage! Look sharp!

 

[seanz]

Bacillus thuringiensis, It is an organic worm killer. It is a virus that only worms can contract. If they eat something with BT on it their stomachs become paralyzed and they die within a few hours. It is fantastic stuff. Another similar product is Spinosad.

just found this hope it helps

 

[eaglerico]

I do bonsai and do not want to use anything too harmful as bonsai plants in general can be pretty delicate.
1) Make a soapy solution from tap water and dish detergent. Put in a spray bottle and apply when you see the bugs. The soap clogs any holes in the exoskeleton of bugs and they suffocate. The bigger the bug the soapier the solution needs to be.
2) If the soap thing doesn't work, make a solution as stated above and use spray bottle as well, only this time use rubbing alcohol instead of soap. Use this sparingly, as the alcohol can harm the plant if too much is applied. This method just burns the crap out of the bugs but can do the same to the plant.

 

[thesmokindragon]

and I thought my mother-in-law was a beast...close 2nd ;-)

 

[juozapas]

Sledge Hammer all of them !!

 

[fshu2]

some gas and a match should do the trick..... i have heard great things about the soap method as stated above.

 

[portascat]

Soapy water is pretty amazing against insects.
Out at the unit, we get lots of wasp nests. They get in the razor wire, inside camera housings, behind building markers, etc. Get a bucket of hot sudsy soapy water and toss it on the nest, and the wasps are dead pretty quickly.

 

[papipeguy]

"I hates horn worms." Yosemite Sam-1948

 

[misterrogers]

Pick it up and put it on your driveway. You then need to add a bit of gas. Proceed to pack a pipe, and light it with a match. Flick the match at the gas covered bug. As it begins to burn, put on your sunglasses and say "It looks like this little baccy loving bastard... Is smoking!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9rD4Paq0zE

 

[ejames]

Use 'em for fish bait! Panfish and even bass love 'em!!

 

[buster]

Tomato horn worm is what I call them. You can also get D/E or diatamatious earth like used in pool filters. It is a crushed lava like rock that insects will ingest and cuts them up from the inside. It only works when it is dry so you may have to keep applying it after you water. You can just toss handfuls or use a cheap flour sifter like used for baking.
Another tip is this. This fall when you are done with that plot turn the garden and look for BIG grubs. Those grubs will be the horn worms in your garden next year. just chop them up with the shovel. Before you plant next year turn the soil and look again. At that time the grubs will be bigger and white. I got control of them in my yard this way. I had them bad two years ago last year was less and I have seen none at all this year.

 

[hobie1dog]

Use 'em for fish bait! Panfish and even bass love 'em!!

Darn, let's go fishin' :wink:

 

[jankomatic]

I use BT and Spinosad both, which is what seanz linked to above. I grow a lot of tomatoes and peppers and since I have been using BT on them my worm and other insect problems have gone away. The soapy water and neem oil never worked for me. A word of warning though, the BT shouldn't harm most other insects it really is for worm/caterpillars, but the Spinosad is bad for bees. If you are just growing tomatoes or peppers no big deal since you don't need pollinators, but if you are growing lots of other stuff you need to be careful with overspray.

 

[portascat]

anything bad for bees is bad, plain and simple. I wouldn't use it at all, especially on some recreational gardening.

 

[arinbjorn]

This is my first year growing tobacco. I thank you for arming me with some knowlege!
By the way - growing baccy is bloody difficult. I had probably 50 pretty good seedlings that I had grown indoors, from seed. The attrition rate is very high. Maybe half of those made it to being fist sized plants. Maybe half of those made it to the point where I could plant them in a well prepared garden (sterilized by the sun, plastic sheet over the ground - like an ant under a microscope as a kid for bugs and weeds... then manured, fertilized, and tilled.)
As of now, I only have ONE tobacco plant. It's about as high as my knee. Seems like it might survive for a bit... but I don't know if it was worth the effort. Next year, I'll probably buy tobacco plants that are already at the stage that my sole survivor is at currently.

 

[baronsamedi]

Sorry for the big ass pic. I didn't realize it was going to do thatt. Thanks for the info. To Battle!!

 

[pstlpkr]

Baron, when I lived in NC my friends would pull them off of the baccy plants and throw them under the wheels of their tractors... Those suckers would get as big as your index finger, and make a nice pop.

 

[loneredtree]

The BT is the standard method for large crops. I throw mine out in the street and check to see if the traffic got them. :D
Look for newly damaged stems and droppings to find their location. Look hard they have very good camo.

 

[jankomatic]

anything bad for bees is bad, plain and simple. I wouldn't use it at all, especially on some recreational gardening.

Guess we will have to disagree. If you are careful with the Spinosad you should have little impact. I plant lots of pollenator attractors and have plenty of bees every year. In general since tomatoes and peppers make very little pollen bees will go to my cucumbers and zukes and salvia etc.