I found four tomato hornworms eating my tomatoes ... that can't happen -- I had read they like the carrot family so I put one on some queen anne's lace but it wasn't interested ... I don't particularly want to kill them because I'm afraid they turn into a hummingbird moth that I particularly enjoy watching but I'm not sure ... anyway, does anyone know what else I could put them on for food? Or which hornworm turns into the hummingbird sphynx moth? It's very confusing ....
hornworms
they all turn into Sphinx moths. They love brugmansia too
Yes but there are different kinds of sphynx moths ... I don't have brugmansia ... anything else?
Tobacco and Tomatoe Hornworms both eat Ground Cherry, Horse Nettle, nightshade, Tomatoe, tobacco, other members of the nightshade family, sweet potatoe, and morning glory. without a good pic I can't tell you which one you have
Thanks ... is flowering tobacco (nicotiana) something they would eat? Have plenty of that ... and don't care if it's eaten!
Bug Files might help you figure out which hornworm you have. This is for the Carolina Sphinx.
http://davesgarden.com/bf/go/35/
If you type in Sphinx Moth you will find others.
This message was edited Aug 9, 2006 5:40 PM
i didn't know that. - are you saying the tomato hornworm is the larvae for the hummingbird moth? - aka sphinx? I've been disposing of all hornworms off my tomatoes - they will defoliate a tomato plant and eat the ends off the tomatoes pretty quickly. I did leave the ones that are infected with parasitic wasps. well if thats true I'll leave a couple there. Drat - can't win!
i didn't know that. - are you saying the tomato hornworm is the larvae for the hummingbird moth? - aka sphinx, aka hawk moth? I've been disposing of all hornworms off my tomatoes - they will defoliate a tomato plant and eat the ends off the tomatoes pretty quickly. I did leave the ones that are infected with parasitic wasps. well if thats true I'll leave a couple there. Drat - can't win!
edited to add http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_hornworm
They love my moonflower as well. Chomp chomp!! My 4 year old and I sit on the porch and watch them. He is amazed at the size of their POOP! Kids!! LOL!!
Nicole
ROFL!!!!!!!!!
Y'all will be proud of me. I found more tomato hornwoms yesterday and I let them live.
ALSO I found 2 monarch cats Haha! So much more exciting.
Well, I don't think the hornworms I found on my tomatoes were the hemaris thysbe or gracilus that I'm fond of (the hummingbird moth) ... so out they go! I'll try to find other hosts for them but I'm not going to agonize ... it pays to be pretty! The tomato hornworm turns into another kind of sphynx moth ...
I know this isn't the bug ID thread, but this morning I dug up a huge brown larvae in amended clay soil. It was deep brown, about the length of my pinky finger and fatter, something like a little cigar. I put it on top of the soil in the sun and it moved what I assumed was its lower portion, which was articulated like segments or scales. I assumed it was a tomato hornworm which I had seen hugely and happily munching away on a big tomato bush a week ago. I put it back underneath some garden soil. Now that I've seen the link above where the hornworm larvae is shown as being green, I wonder what is was. Any ideas? There was a day when the sight of this huge larvae would have sent me screaming from the garden, but that was a long time ago...
Nicole...I, too, am amazed at the size of their poop!
Pam...thanks for the visual of running and screaming from the garden. Glad we all got over that and now nuture those buggers!
Speaking of which...am raising a Pink Spotted Hawkmoth (Agrius cingulata) caterpillar. I found it a week ago on my back porch...must have been munching on the morning glory vines there. Anyway, it's in a cat cage and being fed plenty more. It's a little over 3.5 inches now :o) Cute bugger...look like a colorful cigar!
~ Cat
