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Don't destroy tomato hornworms, unless they are a real problem. read below why! (Original Post) bluestarone Feb 2018 OP
I don't touch 'em because I get the braconid wasp eggs (cocoons) on them pdq Botany Feb 2018 #1
yuck never seen that!! bluestarone Feb 2018 #2
Lucky you! tosh Feb 2018 #3
plant native plants and let a hornworm stick around for a little bit. Botany Feb 2018 #4
I am not so new to gardening, but quite new tosh Mar 2018 #7
Get Doug Tallamy's bringing nature home and the Xerces Society Attracking Native Pollinators Botany Mar 2018 #8
Thanks! tosh Mar 2018 #9
Possum Haw viburnum ...... plant 2 .... you'll get more fruit Botany Mar 2018 #10
I break off the branch of the tomato plant and toss the entire thing into the hedgerow. femmocrat Feb 2018 #5
I do the same Bayard Mar 2018 #11
watch one on youtube here bluestarone Feb 2018 #6
I have seen these in the flowers Bayard Mar 2018 #12

bluestarone

(18,091 posts)
2. yuck never seen that!!
Fri Feb 23, 2018, 03:00 PM
Feb 2018

We enjoy watching the humming bird moth fly from flower to flower! Early evening, early morning!!

tosh

(4,444 posts)
3. Lucky you!
Fri Feb 23, 2018, 03:04 PM
Feb 2018

I have to go into my garden at night with my magic flashlight and bucket of soapy water.

How do you attract and host the wasps?

Botany

(72,351 posts)
4. plant native plants and let a hornworm stick around for a little bit.
Fri Feb 23, 2018, 03:10 PM
Feb 2018

BTW the sphinx mouth is cool too.

tosh

(4,444 posts)
7. I am not so new to gardening, but quite new
Thu Mar 1, 2018, 04:25 PM
Mar 2018

to gardening in the wild so I have a lot to learn!

First year out here, was away for a few days and returned to find my tomato plants completely defoliated! So last year I used the magic light every other night and must have "disposed of" 120-150 hornworms from my 8 plants over the growing season.

I just discovered, via today's Gardenista email, that hornworms are also attracted to Dill. I'm going to try planting some dill on the perimeter of my veg. garden and see what happens.

I'm thinking that the braconid wasps will kill other caterpillars, too?? So maybe I don't really want to attract them...

And yes, I have seen the sphinx moth and she is really beautiful!

Botany

(72,351 posts)
8. Get Doug Tallamy's bringing nature home and the Xerces Society Attracking Native Pollinators
Thu Mar 1, 2018, 04:44 PM
Mar 2018

The Braconid wasp is kind of specific about where she lays her eggs ..... And yes planting some
dill and hand carrying the horn worms to the plant might be a good idea.

any other questions let me know .... I'm kind of an expert on this stuff.

tosh

(4,444 posts)
9. Thanks!
Thu Mar 1, 2018, 05:17 PM
Mar 2018

I have Tallamy's The Living Landscape and a couple of others that I've been reading this winter, but I'll try to get these too.

We have a landscape plan for "the yard" around the house that is totally native. But we are letting a pro do this while we work on turning the smaller of our two fields into a meadow/"wild" orchard so I've been studying native grasses and wildflowers for the Coastal Plain.

It'll be great to have an advisor with some real experise!

Botany

(72,351 posts)
10. Possum Haw viburnum ...... plant 2 .... you'll get more fruit
Fri Mar 2, 2018, 07:49 AM
Mar 2018

smooth sumac, new england aster, & red milkweed for damper areas.

femmocrat

(28,394 posts)
5. I break off the branch of the tomato plant and toss the entire thing into the hedgerow.
Sat Feb 24, 2018, 04:37 PM
Feb 2018

After that, they are on their own. LOL

Bayard

(24,145 posts)
12. I have seen these in the flowers
Tue Mar 20, 2018, 12:09 PM
Mar 2018

Had no idea they had morphed from those pesky marshmallow caterpillars on my tomato's.

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