Organic Control of Hornworms

So what to do when you walk out in your garden and it resembles something from an old Japanese horror flick? Maybe your tomato plants look like they've been pruned by an overzealous garden gnome who has gone over to the dark side? When there are congregations on the leaves of your potatoes, squash and beans that look like aliens on a foliage binge? Or how about little bug orgies happening on your plants? Just yesterday I caught two squash beetles hooked together at the back end in blissful reproductive fervor. They just scampered off, still attached when I got near them. Ewww!

If you want to maintain your organic claims or at least keep your own peace of mind, there is the tried and true hand picking method. This method is the best because you know it works because you see, feel and in some cases hear the squish. Dead is dead. You should scrape off any clusters of eggs you see on the target plants as well as larvae. Below I will have photos of various pests in their different forms.

The second method is to introduce predatory or beneficial insects. Your state extension office is a good source for the bugs that are worst in your area. Beneficial insects are great because you can smile inside knowing that you are helping the circle of life. But you may not be helping your garden with this method before the damage is done. You can lead a horse to water, but you... well you know the rest of that one. For i

nstance, the hornworms (usually the tobacco hornworm on tomatoes over the tomato hornworm, contrary to popular belief as they look very similar) have natural predators such as the parasitic Braconid wasp. This wasp lays it's eggs on the back of a hornworm and they slowly suck the life out of the hos

t. Slowly is the key word here, folks. Very slowly and your plants will likely be nubs if you wait for nature to take it's course. I've let them go before and it takes a month or so before they die. Meanwhile.....

So I choose to pluck these guys off and feed em to the birds. If they're really big, like 3", your birds will probably turn up their beaks, and it would be great to be able to feed them to skunks a they love soft bodied larvae, so you might have to just.....ew.....squish them. Gross, but again, effective and final. Now, the bummer about whacking these guys is that they turn into a rea

lly cool giant moth with a pronounced proboscis they use for feeding on the same types of plants hummingbirds do, lending the nickname "hummingbird moth". They are also sometimes called a sphinx or hawk moth.

If you find one with eggs on it's back, put it in a jar to allow the eggs to hatch and then you'll have more parasitic wasps to kill future legions of hornworms. These worms are really hard to see, their white lines create an optical illusion and you can be looking right at one and not see it. The best thing to do is look for jutting stems stripped of leaves and then look down for their poo. Gross, I know, but their piles of cylindrical poo are quite impressive and noticeable. Their cover will be blown by their excrement! It's dark brown if they are just eating leaves and can tend to be greener if they are munching on your green tomatoes. You'll know when you see it. Once you locate and remove the worm, take off that stem, so it will be easier to spot damage from any others.

I'm working with Spinosad right now which is an organic controller. It is best to only use this in the dusk hours, right before dark and when there is no breeze. This can be detrimental to bees, so you don't want to use it when they are feeding or on blooms. I am currently using Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew and will let you know how it works. So far it is working on Colorado Potato Beetle larvae.

Happy Digging and Happy Eating!