Yes, we have way more than our share of pests. I've prepared a pretty good buffet for them. The blister beetles have been especially relentless lately.
Fairly new gardener here, and I'm having the same problem in zone 8b Alabama. I decided to just pull all of my tomato plant due to bugs/ worms and the heat right now. Going to try replant after I get back from vacay. Just an experiment... Thanks for the video.
Hate to hear about the bugs and heat. We're having plenty of both here too. We will get a short break for the heat soon, so that might help some. I love to try different things in our garden just to experiment, so I like the way you think. I hope it works out for you! Good luck.
Thanks for that! I figured that some of the folks around these parts might be seeing the same thing, so I thought I'd throw it out there. Might help someone a little......maybe.
It can be frustrating. We worked so hard to grow our vegetables, just to discover one morning that some bugs decided to help themselves even before they repined. Can't remember where I heard or read this... a farmer plants three of each seedlings one for the cutworm and two for the farmer:-) You are right about how the bugs are this year. I lost several plants and many fruits.
Yep, they are getting more of a share of them than I would like, but I guess that it means that the bugs think they are pretty good too. Those ripe ones are tasting so good to us. That first BLT was awesome!
I have some that are eating my unripe tomatoes. I have never grown Bob's Atomic Grape tomatoes until this year, and they seem to have trouble with some kind of black worms. UGH...Now I know what I'm fighting. Thank you for the video!
I found an army worm today... I have never had them on tomatoes before. Then I discovered some other kind of caterpillar ... very dark brown and a velvet appearance. Any idea what that might be? I have seen many tiny caterpillars just now... some are striped like the one in your video. But some others are almost blue grey in color, and some are very brown w tiny white stripes on their sides. This has been a bad year for pestilance, I have many types of grasshoppers and scale as well.
Sorry to hear about the worms, Kate. They can be a really pain sometimes. I'm not sure about the one you described. Sounds like you might want to treat them with some BT.
Thanks! I kind of play it by ear. This year I didn't spray all. Some years if I have a big worm problem, I spray more often....mostly with bt or pyrethrin. I used to use an antifungal, but got to be too much work.
Had the same with my peppers and tomatoes this summer. I had a hornworm climb up a potted pepper plant and eat every leaf, then try to roll away in the grass. Put her in my compost bin, but definately had a bad season this year.
Can I eat the tomatoes that were not attacked or do I need to discharge all of them? I plan not to eat the damaged ones, but I want to know if the undamaged ones are okay to eat.
Yes sir them worms can be a nightmare if one does not get on top of them fast! BT and Bayer Advanced keeps them under control for me. Glad you found them early... Keep up the great work!!
Today will make 4 days in a row over 100. Was 103 yesterday, and will be over 100 tomorrow. Then a break for a few days, then more heat. The garden is looking a little tired.
I done went back to the drawing board for next year. I plan to take all the boxes apart at the 8' mark and turn them sideways then line them all up with better spacing in the isles then frame the whole top in so I can put shade cloth over them for the summer. Summers here in NC seem to get hotter and hotter each year. Keep cool as you can over there!
My container garden is a lot easier to manage when it comes to the worm situations. I did have an idea of sorts that I never tried, but plan to if I ever get back into the ground. What if you spread a bunch of wild bird seed throughout the garden? Perhaps they would congregate there and eat the worms as well. Also, we sometimes get a slug problem on our tomatoes. We now protect them with egg shells. Whenever we have eggs we take the shells, wash them, dry them and crush them really well and spread them around the base of the plant. Probably not as feasible in a garden your size. Diatamatious(?) earth is suppose to have the same effect, but haven't tried that route. Got lucky today and found a giant Preying Mantis hanging out in my cabbage and have had absolutely no bugs or signs so maybe introducing a predatory insect is an option. That is a rough one. I feel for you and wish you the best of luck. Oh yeah, I have also had quite a bit of success with companion planting. Many herbs and some flower types deter bugs. Garlic, Marigolds, Rosemary, etc. Just some ideas. Hate to see even one harmful insect in any garden. The struggle with my Fungus Gnats continues!
Thanks for all the ideas! Yep, there are a lot of things to try. I'm probably going to go with hand picking and BT for now, unless they get much worse. The blister beetles are eating the tomato plants a little now....but at least they don't seem to bother the fruit.
You can hand pick them. If you have a black light, you can shine it on the plant after dark. The worms will glow under black light, so they should be easier to find.
@@MidwestGardener They are the fruit worms. I picked off and destroyed 12 nice size tomatoes today. I did go get BT today and sprayed right away. I also got some fertilizer because my blossoms are falling off without making a fruit. The guy at the garden center (owner of the center) told me what works great. Calcium, magnesium and phosporus and nitrogen. Can't remember the name of the stuff. Thanks for responding.
Hey Jim, dang the bugs are really giving it to you this year... Ok, I've seen those armyworms on some of my tomato leaves but no damage to my tomatoes. I didn't know what they were, just knew I didn't want them on my plants. I always cut off any foliage near my tomatoes, thinking this would keep my tomatoes safe from holes. I still haven't got around to spraying any of my plants this year. I do check for bugs and usually just pick the leaf their on and drop them to the ground and step on them... lol T
Yep, those bugs are tearing me up this year. Now we have spider mites on the pepino melon. Lol, it's always something. Sounds like they aren't hitting you too bad.
My mums tomato is getting also attacked by these worms. Last year was good this year different house location big tomato and many others getting eaten. What can you do to stop them?
BT is a good thing to use for caterpillars. It usually works pretty well. I also treat my tomatoes occasionally with Neem Oil. Good luck with them. I know they can be pretty frustrating.
Great video Jim. I was wondering how I got the damage on my tomatoes. Another good control for caterpillars is Spinosad. Like BT it's derived from a bacteria they found under rum barrels. Smells better than BT too. I also use BT and neem oil.
Thanks Brian! Thanks for the tip on Spinosad. Well, I guess a better smell is good as long as it works. It's too bad that the bugs like the same stuff we do, lol.
No problem. BT is just short for Bacillus thuringiensis. It's a bacteria that kills caterpillars but doesn't harm humans. It's used pretty much around the world.
@@MidwestGardener what kind of worm is it? I have the same problem. Today I went outside after all the rain we've been having in MD and I saw one of my young tomatoes with the same problem. I've kept the horn-worm at bay this year but I need to get a handle on this new sucker here. What type of worm is it again?
Do you deal with this every year? Great info, I'm just beginning to feel quite bad for you. 100f temps, vine borers, worms and other critters. Hope your spray works, I'd hate to see a poor harvest.
I think we will do ok. Thanks for your concern, but we deal with a lot of critter issues just about every year. They will get their share, and we will get ours :)
@@judyhowell7075 - I have the same question - What is BT? Did you find out? I just came in from looking at my tomatoes and one leaf didn't look right. A teeny, tiny green worm was on it. Now I'm using yt to research tomato worm death and this is the 2nd video saying use BT. ?? I saw a post earlier saying they use neem oil. I have some, so I'm about to go the shed and get that rolling, but still have BT question.
You're welcome! Sorry to hear it Carrie. I know how frustrating that can be. I hope you are able to take care of them before they do too much damage. Thanks for watching!
The other day I was looking at my cherry tomatoes and see these big holes in them and I'm like, I just put so much time into growing that and a bug just destroys it. So I wanted to find Out what's doing it and and here we go worms😡
Thank you for sharing, I'm soaking all this up for if/when I can have a garden here in Kansas. I'm sorry your food is under siege by the monsters in the garden.
For worms, or caterpillars, I use BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). It's a bacteria that will kill caterpillars, but is not toxic to humans. This year, I've also been using Neem Oil. It has to be applied about every 10 days.
@@MidwestGardener thank you so much! Its tough doing organic gardening lol. I have been using neem oil, baking soda and dawn dish detergent. But apparently it's not enough for those armyworms.
@@CarolinaOats Yes, it is tough. Neem Oil works to a certain extent, but I've found that when summer hits, sometimes the bugs start getting the upper hand. That is when I start using BT for caterpillars, and if I see beetles like blister beetles, I use pyrethrin. I just found a very small tomato hornworm this morning.
Yep, I'm with you Tina. It can be pretty frustrating. Just have to roll with the punches and deal with what comes I guess. As long as they leave us enough for some BLTs.
Good day Jim !! If it not one thing it another, your having so much trouble with pests in your Garden !! Thanks for the information anyway !! Poor you !! Thanks for sharing
So heartbreaking when you have a wonderful healthy plant and it starts setting beautiful fruit and then you run into this crap. I just started getting these worms eating my fruit and its pissing me off. I usually get the hornworms which eat the leaves and are pretty easy to control because they're so big....but this year i'm getting the ones like you've shown here. So many things have to go right to get a good crop without using pesticide...i had the tiny black flies in the beginning, controlled them with a soapy water solution....but these fruit worm bastards just seem to show up out of nowhere....aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! thanks for the vid kind sir and happy gardening!
Yes, usually, you won't even notice the fruit worms until they've already done some damage. It seems like it's always something. I guess nobody said it would be easy for we gardeners :) Thanks for watching!
Yep, it's one of those years. The heat is wreaking havoc right now. 4th day in a row over 100 today, and tomorrow is supposed to be triple digits too. Then we will get a break for a few days, then the heat will be back.
Oh my Jim !!! and it gets worse :((( Darn , I just wanted you to stop filming and squish those nasty worms....awww, they made holes in those beautiful tomatoes,just breaks my heart this sight :(( I had them devouring my Amish paste tomatoes last season and they seemed to be quiet active during the mornings chomping away on the fruits !! I would squish the ones i spotted manually and i sprayed the tomatoes with some diluted Eucalyptus oil as it has a strong scent, it helped me, i hope your bt spray helps you get rid of them Jim, all the best for tackling another gardening hurdle !!
Sorry to hear that you had to deal with them too. You understand exactly then. I agree about morning being a good time to hand pick them. They can be pretty hard to spot. And thanks for the tip about Eucalyptus oil.....interesting.
I feel bad for you. My tomatoes leafs have bites taken out and when I was staking the tomatoes A caterpillar fell on my hand and I realised that is what is causing my insect damage. Luckily the little guy isn't eating my tomatoes!
Sucks how they just invade.. saw one right behind the tomato you picked to see what was inside.. at 3:42..
Thanks! I'm going to take a look. That doesn't surprise me though.....they are hard to spot.
Wow, good eye! I never even saw that one, but sure enough.....there it was.
What a helpful youtuber. That is awesome. If you ever see anything like that on my channel please chime in!
@@MidwestGardenerwhy
Why
You certainly have to put up with lots of different things that love your vegetables Jim. Take care my friend.
🌺Happy Gardening, Terry.
Yes, we have way more than our share of pests. I've prepared a pretty good buffet for them. The blister beetles have been especially relentless lately.
Fairly new gardener here, and I'm having the same problem in zone 8b Alabama. I decided to just pull all of my tomato plant due to bugs/ worms and the heat right now. Going to try replant after I get back from vacay. Just an experiment... Thanks for the video.
Hate to hear about the bugs and heat. We're having plenty of both here too. We will get a short break for the heat soon, so that might help some. I love to try different things in our garden just to experiment, so I like the way you think. I hope it works out for you! Good luck.
you deserve an award at the end of this growing season! I appreciate you sharing this👍
Thanks for that! I figured that some of the folks around these parts might be seeing the same thing, so I thought I'd throw it out there. Might help someone a little......maybe.
Midwest Gardener It's helped me a lot. the only way I can identify Mother Nature's meanies are through your videos lol.
Glad if I could help if even a little. Lol, and Mother Nature is a meanie herself!
It can be frustrating. We worked so hard to grow our vegetables, just to discover one morning that some bugs decided to help themselves even before they repined. Can't remember where I heard or read this... a farmer plants three of each seedlings one for the cutworm and two for the farmer:-) You are right about how the bugs are this year. I lost several plants and many fruits.
Yep, I think that farmer had it about right, lol.
True
Me too
How to fix this problem?
That just breaks my heart... I can't believe how many tomatoes they managed to destroy.
Yep, they are getting more of a share of them than I would like, but I guess that it means that the bugs think they are pretty good too. Those ripe ones are tasting so good to us. That first BLT was awesome!
Midwest Gardener 😂 Oh, yes... I forgot, I'm so happy the worms like them too... 😂
I have some that are eating my unripe tomatoes. I have never grown Bob's Atomic Grape tomatoes until this year, and they seem to have trouble with some kind of black worms. UGH...Now I know what I'm fighting. Thank you for the video!
You're welcome! I hope you get them under control. I was going to inspect our plants this morning for them. Good luck!
I found an army worm today... I have never had them on tomatoes before. Then I discovered some other kind of caterpillar ... very dark brown and a velvet appearance. Any idea what that might be? I have seen many tiny caterpillars just now... some are striped like the one in your video. But some others are almost blue grey in color, and some are very brown w tiny white stripes on their sides. This has been a bad year for pestilance, I have many types of grasshoppers and scale as well.
Sorry to hear about the worms, Kate. They can be a really pain sometimes. I'm not sure about the one you described. Sounds like you might want to treat them with some BT.
Hi Jim
What is your spraying and pest/disease control on tomatoes? What products do you use?
We appreciate your videos.
Thanks
Thanks! I kind of play it by ear. This year I didn't spray all. Some years if I have a big worm problem, I spray more often....mostly with bt or pyrethrin. I used to use an antifungal, but got to be too much work.
Had the same with my peppers and tomatoes this summer. I had a hornworm climb up a potted pepper plant and eat every leaf, then try to roll away in the grass. Put her in my compost bin, but definately had a bad season this year.
Sorry to hear that. I hope next year is much better!
Can I eat the tomatoes that were not attacked or do I need to discharge all of them? I plan not to eat the damaged ones, but I want to know if the undamaged ones are okay to eat.
Sure, the undamaged ones should be fine to eat.
Those naughty worms 🐛! Those tomatoes are beautiful!
Yep, naughty indeed, lol.
Interesting information. I haven't had any problems with them. So far only the horn worms and that was a few years ago. Thanks. Best wishes Bob.
You must be living right, Bob. Seems like we get just about every bug you can get around here, lol.
My little worms are smaller than that, and the tomato leaves look like lace now.
Sorry to hear that, Julie! Yes, they can be pretty destructive.
What did you spray on your tomatoes?
BT is a good option for worms on tomatoes.
Yes sir them worms can be a nightmare if one does not get on top of them fast! BT and Bayer Advanced keeps them under control for me. Glad you found them early... Keep up the great work!!
Well you can't argue with your results. You've got a tomato factory going on.
We just got a mater or two nothing major... :-) Sure is hot here today! Bet it's roasting worse where your at.
Today will make 4 days in a row over 100. Was 103 yesterday, and will be over 100 tomorrow. Then a break for a few days, then more heat. The garden is looking a little tired.
I done went back to the drawing board for next year. I plan to take all the boxes apart at the 8' mark and turn them sideways then line them all up with better spacing in the isles then frame the whole top in so I can put shade cloth over them for the summer. Summers here in NC seem to get hotter and hotter each year. Keep cool as you can over there!
That's interesting. I've been toying with the idea of using shade cloth too. They say 104 for today.....yikes.
Jim, your crops are certainly getting attacked this year. Thanks for sharing the info for future reference.
Yep, they are getting hammered from all directions. The heat is the main concern right now. 104 F today, 40 Celsius.
My container garden is a lot easier to manage when it comes to the worm situations. I did have an idea of sorts that I never tried, but plan to if I ever get back into the ground. What if you spread a bunch of wild bird seed throughout the garden? Perhaps they would congregate there and eat the worms as well. Also, we sometimes get a slug problem on our tomatoes. We now protect them with egg shells. Whenever we have eggs we take the shells, wash them, dry them and crush them really well and spread them around the base of the plant. Probably not as feasible in a garden your size. Diatamatious(?) earth is suppose to have the same effect, but haven't tried that route. Got lucky today and found a giant Preying Mantis hanging out in my cabbage and have had absolutely no bugs or signs so maybe introducing a predatory insect is an option. That is a rough one. I feel for you and wish you the best of luck. Oh yeah, I have also had quite a bit of success with companion planting. Many herbs and some flower types deter bugs. Garlic, Marigolds, Rosemary, etc. Just some ideas. Hate to see even one harmful insect in any garden. The struggle with my Fungus Gnats continues!
Thanks for all the ideas! Yep, there are a lot of things to try. I'm probably going to go with hand picking and BT for now, unless they get much worse. The blister beetles are eating the tomato plants a little now....but at least they don't seem to bother the fruit.
Would diamecitious earth keep the worms away?
It would help if you can keep it where it needs to be. I use it when I first plant tomatoes to keep cutworms from harming the plants.
Thank you for this video! I am having a problem with worms eating my tomatoes. I want to treat without pesticides. Any suggestions?
You can hand pick them. If you have a black light, you can shine it on the plant after dark. The worms will glow under black light, so they should be easier to find.
@@MidwestGardener They are the fruit worms. I picked off and destroyed 12 nice size tomatoes today. I did go get BT today and sprayed right away. I also got some fertilizer because my blossoms are falling off without making a fruit. The guy at the garden center (owner of the center) told me what works great. Calcium, magnesium and phosporus and nitrogen. Can't remember the name of the stuff. Thanks for responding.
@@MidwestGardener One more thing. I am in Wisconsin. Where are you in the Midwest?
The BT should work for the worms. Extreme heat can also cause tomatoes to stop setting fruit. We are in South Central Kansas.
What kind of spray did you use?
I usually use BT....Bacillus thuringiensis.
Hey Jim, dang the bugs are really giving it to you this year... Ok, I've seen those armyworms on some of my tomato leaves but no damage to my tomatoes. I didn't know what they were, just knew I didn't want them on my plants. I always cut off any foliage near my tomatoes, thinking this would keep my tomatoes safe from holes. I still haven't got around to spraying any of my plants this year. I do check for bugs and usually just pick the leaf their on and drop them to the ground and step on them... lol T
Yep, those bugs are tearing me up this year. Now we have spider mites on the pepino melon. Lol, it's always something. Sounds like they aren't hitting you too bad.
What is BT? I have this problem. After a hard rain is right.
It's Bacillus thuringiensis.
thanks for the video very informative except for HOW TO TREAT THE PROBLME!!
You're welcome. I use BT.
My mums tomato is getting also attacked by these worms. Last year was good this year different house location big tomato and many others getting eaten. What can you do to stop them?
BT is a good thing to use for caterpillars. It usually works pretty well. I also treat my tomatoes occasionally with Neem Oil. Good luck with them. I know they can be pretty frustrating.
Great video Jim. I was wondering how I got the damage on my tomatoes. Another good control for caterpillars is Spinosad. Like BT it's derived from a bacteria they found under rum barrels. Smells better than BT too. I also use BT and neem oil.
Thanks Brian! Thanks for the tip on Spinosad. Well, I guess a better smell is good as long as it works. It's too bad that the bugs like the same stuff we do, lol.
Midwest Gardener Yep. Bugs. Chipmunks, rabbits. The list goes on. Lol
hi whats bt ? .bifentrin?
i seen another army worm as you were looking for fruit nworm damage
Another person also noticed it too. Just goes to show you that if you look for them, they can be found.
I have the same problem what did you do to win the war?
I used BT. I also occasionally use neem oil.
@@MidwestGardener what is BT? And how should I apply it like use a spray bottle to get underneath the foliage
It is Bacillus thuringiensis, and you mix it in a tank sprayer. Spray it underneath and on top.
@@MidwestGardener thank you sir
@@alexviscardi924 You're welcome.
Thank you, just had the same damage on our Goliath tomato
You're welcome!
Just watched the whole thing I have no clue what he did to fix the problem I have the same issue
2:09 BT is what I use for worms.
@@MidwestGardener Sorry, not sure what BT is. I'm in Florida. May be a midwest term? Thanks
No problem. BT is just short for Bacillus thuringiensis. It's a bacteria that kills caterpillars but doesn't harm humans. It's used pretty much around the world.
@@MidwestGardener what kind of worm is it? I have the same problem. Today I went outside after all the rain we've been having in MD and I saw one of my young tomatoes with the same problem. I've kept the horn-worm at bay this year but I need to get a handle on this new sucker here. What type of worm is it again?
@@gavinscott10 It's in the title.
Do you deal with this every year? Great info, I'm just beginning to feel quite bad for you. 100f temps, vine borers, worms and other critters. Hope your spray works, I'd hate to see a poor harvest.
I think we will do ok. Thanks for your concern, but we deal with a lot of critter issues just about every year. They will get their share, and we will get ours :)
I have this right now. Turning the leaves yellow....there’s worm poop all over the leaves. 😞
Sounds like you have them really bad. You might even had some tomato hornworms. They can be hard to find sometimes.
How to kill those worms?what insecticide can be use?
BT will work.
What is BT
@@judyhowell7075 - I have the same question - What is BT? Did you find out? I just came in from looking at my tomatoes and one leaf didn't look right. A teeny, tiny green worm was on it. Now I'm using yt to research tomato worm death and this is the 2nd video saying use BT. ?? I saw a post earlier saying they use neem oil. I have some, so I'm about to go the shed and get that rolling, but still have BT question.
Didn’t find out I’m using need oil too
man I are slow so what do I do to get rid of them,,,da da da da
BT is a good option.
Just came in from the outside having the same damage to my tomato thank you for posting this hope to BT work
You're welcome! Sorry to hear it Carrie. I know how frustrating that can be. I hope you are able to take care of them before they do too much damage. Thanks for watching!
There only on my cucumbers right now doin serious damage...help
I just replied to your other comment. For an instant kill, you can spray insecticidal soap right on the worms and that will kill them.
@@MidwestGardener neem oil? I'm using neem oil extract in a round up sprayer?
That should work in the long term. Applied about every 10 days.
The other day I was looking at my cherry tomatoes and see these big holes in them and I'm like, I just put so much time into growing that and a bug just destroys it. So I wanted to find Out what's doing it and and here we go worms😡
I know how frustrating it can be. Hope you get them under control.
Thanks
You're welcome!
Thank you for sharing, I'm soaking all this up for if/when I can have a garden here in Kansas. I'm sorry your food is under siege by the monsters in the garden.
This does seem to be the year of the bugs here. Dealing with blister beetles this morning. It's always something :)
Oh, no, I'm sorry. I hope you are able to have a decent harvest.
Yes, we should still get plenty.
Oh god I have these in my garden yellow striped armyworms. How do you kill them?
For worms, or caterpillars, I use BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). It's a bacteria that will kill caterpillars, but is not toxic to humans. This year, I've also been using Neem Oil. It has to be applied about every 10 days.
@@MidwestGardener thank you so much! Its tough doing organic gardening lol. I have been using neem oil, baking soda and dawn dish detergent. But apparently it's not enough for those armyworms.
@@MidwestGardener you apply the bt every 10 days? Also how often to fertilize the cucumbers? I have been using epsom salt and liquid kelp.
@@CarolinaOats Yes, it is tough. Neem Oil works to a certain extent, but I've found that when summer hits, sometimes the bugs start getting the upper hand. That is when I start using BT for caterpillars, and if I see beetles like blister beetles, I use pyrethrin. I just found a very small tomato hornworm this morning.
@@CarolinaOats Yes, about every 10 days is about right. I usually stop if I don't see any for a few weeks. Then I keep my eye out for them.
Thank you 😊
You're welcome!
Makes me mad put all the work and time in your garden and some kind of insect destroys your hard work.
Yep, I'm with you Tina. It can be pretty frustrating. Just have to roll with the punches and deal with what comes I guess. As long as they leave us enough for some BLTs.
Good day Jim !! If it not one thing it another, your having so much trouble with pests in your Garden !! Thanks for the information anyway !! Poor you !! Thanks for sharing
We will be ok. It's just par for the course here.
Use black light at night they should pop up
Thanks. I've been meaning to try that, but I haven't yet.
thank you very informative this is the info I needed
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful!
Squirrels are eating mine. I'll be lucky to get even a few tomatoes out of this year's crops.
Oh, wow! I sure hate to hear that. If the squirrels around here ever figure out they are good to eat, I might be in trouble.
Looks like a type of Caterpillar than a worm. Only speaking about the one that looks like a Caterpillar! Lol.
Even though they are tomato fruit worms and army worms, they are actually caterpillars.
რატომ ქართულად არ არის რა გავიგო არაფერი არ მესმის
Why isn't you comment in English. I don't understand anything :)
Ugh. I always have those suckers. I get them on my zinnias too 😡🥺
Yep, caterpillars can do a lot of damage if you don't know they are there.
I think they are doing taste test before you. lol
Lol, I think you're right. I hope they enjoyed them, because they paid an expensive price.
Midwest Gardener Haha death by chocolate err tomato ! A very expensive price indeed , I hope I don't experience this kind of loss ever .
That is for sure.
So heartbreaking when you have a wonderful healthy plant and it starts setting beautiful fruit and then you run into this crap. I just started getting these worms eating my fruit and its pissing me off. I usually get the hornworms which eat the leaves and are pretty easy to control because they're so big....but this year i'm getting the ones like you've shown here. So many things have to go right to get a good crop without using pesticide...i had the tiny black flies in the beginning, controlled them with a soapy water solution....but these fruit worm bastards just seem to show up out of nowhere....aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! thanks for the vid kind sir and happy gardening!
Yes, usually, you won't even notice the fruit worms until they've already done some damage. It seems like it's always something. I guess nobody said it would be easy for we gardeners :) Thanks for watching!
Well some years are better than others but you seem to be having more than your share of problems this year.
Yep, it's one of those years. The heat is wreaking havoc right now. 4th day in a row over 100 today, and tomorrow is supposed to be triple digits too. Then we will get a break for a few days, then the heat will be back.
Oh my Jim !!! and it gets worse :((( Darn , I just wanted you to stop filming and squish those nasty worms....awww, they made holes in those beautiful tomatoes,just breaks my heart this sight :(( I had them devouring my Amish paste tomatoes last season and they seemed to be quiet active during the mornings chomping away on the fruits !! I would squish the ones i spotted manually and i sprayed the tomatoes with some diluted Eucalyptus oil as it has a strong scent, it helped me, i hope your bt spray helps you get rid of them Jim, all the best for tackling another gardening hurdle !!
Sorry to hear that you had to deal with them too. You understand exactly then. I agree about morning being a good time to hand pick them. They can be pretty hard to spot. And thanks for the tip about Eucalyptus oil.....interesting.
I forgot to tell you how beautiful the vine ripe Topaz tomatoes looked towards the end of your video ☺
Thanks for that, Sue! They are a pretty tomato. I have a taste test on them, coming soon.
Good information, Mild winter more pests, cold winter coming corn has more ears. NATURE. HTGDE
Yep, nature knows what it's doing, I just don't like how I fit in sometimes, lol. I don't know which is worse, having a hard winter, or more bugs.
More seed for next year and less bugs.
I feel bad for you. My tomatoes leafs have bites taken out and when I was staking the tomatoes A caterpillar fell on my hand and I realised that is what is causing my insect damage. Luckily the little guy isn't eating my tomatoes!
That was a lucky accident that you found it the way you did. They can really eat a lot sometimes before you find them.
I think I am gonna go looking today for some more
The worst thing is mine are green!
stop watering
Thanks for the tip.