# tomato pest



## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

In an earlier thread on tomato problems, this pest was found as the culprit. I found one that had been commented on, and suggested to leave it alone. The photo shows a tomato pest playing host to egg sacs.

http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x236/BjornBee/?action=view&current=beepictures022.jpg

So the question is, do I do nothing? Will this thing keep eating or is it doomed for a short existance?

Thanks


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

Wow, what a nasty looking bug. Looking forward to reading comments from others...


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## paintingpreacher (Jul 29, 2006)

They will eat all the leaves and then start on the tomatoes. I always like to use them for fish bait.


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

we always called them cut worms because they will cut the top out of tomato plants, kill all you see, they will find a tomato plant anywhere, anytime you see leaves or even limbs gone look for this worm, I would solk that one in gas so it killes all the eggs also.....


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## nsmith1957 (Sep 7, 2006)

Where there is one there are probably hundreds more. A few years ago I had a hydroponic greenhouse growing tomatos. A storm came up and the wind blew off the greenhouse's plastic covering and it took a few days to get it put back on. A week or so later, I noticed something was eating the leaves up on the tomato plants. When I finally saw what it was doing the eating, and are they hard to see if you don't know what you are looking far, I found hundreds of the critters, over several days, before I finally got them all out of the greenhouse.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

BjornBee said:


> In an earlier thread on tomato problems, this pest was found as the culprit. I found one that had been commented on, and suggested to leave it alone. The photo shows a tomato pest playing host to egg sacs.
> 
> http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x236/BjornBee/?action=view&current=beepictures022.jpg
> 
> ...


Ah, yes, Tomato hornworms, Sphynx moth larvae. If yours has the cocoons on it, I would leave it alone, they will hatch into parasitic wasps that will kill even more of the hornworm larvae.


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## mike haney (Feb 9, 2007)

*eggs*



BjornBee said:


> In an earlier thread on tomato problems, this pest was found as the culprit. I found one that had been commented on, and suggested to leave it alone. The photo shows a tomato pest playing host to egg sacs.
> 
> http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x236/BjornBee/?action=view&current=beepictures022.jpg
> 
> ...


those eggs are from a parasitic wasp. i recomend you leave this one alone and the parasites will suck it dry and hatch new wasps. ifyou find a catapillar without these eggs. then by all means hand pick and stomp.


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## Troutsqueezer (May 17, 2005)

Baby raccoons, bird-killing insects, gross-looking hornworms. You must spend a lot of time prowling around the yard with your camera to get those shots. I thought I did that a lot and have 3,000 yard pictures to show for it (thank you digital) but you must really be out there a lot looking for those unusual photo opportunities, huh?


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

Doomed

I used to find cecropia moth caterpillars with those on them, and it made me sooo mad and dissapointed because I would rather have a cool cecropia moth than some stupid parasites. I'd try to pull them off and it was like pulling out the caterpillars liver or something.

Stepped on a big hornworm once, and the entire insides squirted onto my girlfreind's(now wife) brand new white canvas shoes. It didn't wash out....

Leave the ones with passengers.....

Rick


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