Val said this is a tomato horn worm. The best thing to do is pick them off and smash them with a shovel -- or step on them -- whichever gives you the greatest pleasure. They are very juicy and Val says she can't stand them. If they have little white things hanging from them, that's good! (This is Val, now) The white things are the eggs of a parasitic wasp and will suck the life out of the worm. Gross, but certainly effective! If you go out to the garden and listen, you can hear the tomato horn worm chewing the leaves off the plants.
So, there you have it. Jim's Dad bought some of those wasps from somewhere, or maybe he bought some kind of underground bees, and they killed the worms. Bizarre.
2 comments:
Val said this is a tomato horn worm. The best thing to do is pick them off and smash them with a shovel -- or step on them -- whichever gives you the greatest pleasure. They are very juicy and Val says she can't stand them. If they have little white things hanging from them, that's good! (This is Val, now) The white things are the eggs of a parasitic wasp and will suck the life out of the worm. Gross, but certainly effective! If you go out to the garden and listen, you can hear the tomato horn worm chewing the leaves off the plants.
So, there you have it. Jim's Dad bought some of those wasps from somewhere, or maybe he bought some kind of underground bees, and they killed the worms. Bizarre.
Anyway, good luck. Great photo, by the way!
thanks for the advice. i just picked him off and chucked him into the woods. but if he returns i'll be sure to squash him.
hope you guys are having fun!
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