Intruder alert!

I'll try to be gentle in my tale... Those who are squeamish may not want to read on!

I went to check my babies this morning... And there was a little bit of pillaging going on. What did I find? My tomato vines were being stripped. It was a horrible sight to see.

Not one, but two different sites!

Caution, the closeup may be closer than the camera can actually focus on resulting in a blurry image, not your eye sight.

So I hunted for what seemed like an eternity or at least 45+ seconds and I found the intruders. Not one, but two culprits. They must have been working together to rob me of my garden! They were huge... Gigantic you might even say. And they fought me back as I removed them from the premises. It was tough, but I survived without harm.

Did I mention I brought a friend with me to the garden?

Now my friend doesn't have patience for intruders trying to rob the fruits of my labor. In an instant he smote them down. The end.

Let me guess. Your "friend" is also AKA "the Exterminator". :)

Yup. Thought so.....

Yuck!

Are you going to spray everything with BT as a preventatve measure? -- it would be pretty easy to miss some of those things.

The hands-on approach is always oddly satisfying, though, I will admit!

Yes, I squish them between my fingers. Very hands on and very satisfying.
Lisa

Qinx - good for you! I haven't run across any T-hornworms yet this season, but they'll be dealt with just as swiflty as yours when/if I do!

Yeah Qinx! You're my kinda guy/gal - lol. I find real satisfaction in squishing those buggers (or cutting them in half with the garden shears - whatever is most convenient at the moment). Good for you - and your tomatoes.

I am the Wimp. I move them to American Nightshade....

Followup story---

It appears the family moved in!

Here's the lot of them!

They were evicted.

Wow, you fed them well while they were there!

Yes. Too well! I made 5 or more trips around the tomato patch and still found one hanging out right in front of my face. They blend in way to well!

Yes they do! I find it easiest to spot them in the evening. I go out with my geek light (lol - headlight) and check the 'mater patch. They like peppers and eggplant almost as well...

Kelly- can you please post a picture of yourself in your hunting gear?

LOL - I'll have to see if I can find someone brave enough to snap the photo!

Other than pulling them off and using a Terminator, is there any other way to get rid of them?? Something is eating my eggplant, and although I dont see anything, something is stripping the leaves gone.

You can spray with Bt ( bacillius thuringiensis (sp)). It isn;t an instant kill, but it will stop them.
If you see a HW with little white eggs on it's back, just move it. The eggs are from a predatory wasp, and we need them to grow up :)

The Hornworms' mommy was a busy thing, wasn't she? Seems as though she deposited all her eggs in one (basket) spot.