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tutorial The Pest Guide
- Thread starter Cayennemist
- Start date
Tomato Horn Worm Damage 
images below show my damage
Location:Common throughout North America
Control: Because they are so large hornworms are most often controlled in home gardens by handpicking. Once removed from the plant, they can be destroyed by dropping them into a bucket of soapy water.
Biological Control: Beneficial insects including lacewings, braconoid and trichogramma wasps and ladybugs attack the eggs.
Prevention: Till soil at the beginning and end of each gardening season to destroy overwintering larvae. Tillage has shown to cause up to 90% mortality.
Damage caused:If you see leaves with large holes and severe defoliation, devoured flowers, and/or scarring on fruit surfaces, you might have tomato or tobacco hornworms. The fruit also may be damaged by sunscald because of the reduced foliage cover
images below show my damage- Tomato Hornworms IMG
Location:Common throughout North America
Control: Because they are so large hornworms are most often controlled in home gardens by handpicking. Once removed from the plant, they can be destroyed by dropping them into a bucket of soapy water.
Biological Control: Beneficial insects including lacewings, braconoid and trichogramma wasps and ladybugs attack the eggs.
Prevention: Till soil at the beginning and end of each gardening season to destroy overwintering larvae. Tillage has shown to cause up to 90% mortality.
Damage caused:If you see leaves with large holes and severe defoliation, devoured flowers, and/or scarring on fruit surfaces, you might have tomato or tobacco hornworms. The fruit also may be damaged by sunscald because of the reduced foliage cover
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kts4375 said:
I would honestly rather use biological and mechanical methods, than tilling soil. There are so many other disadvantages to tilling.
They're a pain, but they're very cyclical, and the damage they do often make the plant bounce back with accelerated vigor, once under control.
I feel kind of dumb for not taking a picture of it, but I recently found the most unusual looking egg mass on the underside of one of my Aji Limon plant's leaves.
It was covered in a brown, almost hair-like material that made me initially think it was just some kind of artificial substance that got blown onto the underside of a leaf while it was wet, but peeling it back revealed a multitude of black colored eggs. It was about an inch long and half a inch wide with the eggs kind of stacked on each other, which suggests whatever made it was a fairly sizable insect, too.
I scraped it off since I assumed it wasn't a good thing (I know ladybugs and a number of other beneficial insects prefer leaving their eggs on top of the leaves). Doing searches showed there are some species of moth that lay fuzzy egg masses like that, but I find it peculiar that I've never encountered one until now.
It was covered in a brown, almost hair-like material that made me initially think it was just some kind of artificial substance that got blown onto the underside of a leaf while it was wet, but peeling it back revealed a multitude of black colored eggs. It was about an inch long and half a inch wide with the eggs kind of stacked on each other, which suggests whatever made it was a fairly sizable insect, too.
I scraped it off since I assumed it wasn't a good thing (I know ladybugs and a number of other beneficial insects prefer leaving their eggs on top of the leaves). Doing searches showed there are some species of moth that lay fuzzy egg masses like that, but I find it peculiar that I've never encountered one until now.
Great resource! I always somehow end up with an infestation of white/greenfly on my plants. I used to use chemical pest control but this year I tired going natural. I bought some ladybird larvae and after about a week my plants where clear! and some of the ladybirds have stayed around the plants so have kept them that way
I've been spraying my plants regularly, but those pesky mites (Which I'm fairly positive now are not broad mites due to how large they are) seem to have established a foothold on my shishito pepper plant regardless.
Would it safe to simply dunk an entire branch of the plant in a container of soap solution to ensure every last inch is getting covered? Coverage seems to be the issue and it doesn't help that they've been hiding inside the flowers and attacking the developing peppers before the petals have even fallen off.
Would it safe to simply dunk an entire branch of the plant in a container of soap solution to ensure every last inch is getting covered? Coverage seems to be the issue and it doesn't help that they've been hiding inside the flowers and attacking the developing peppers before the petals have even fallen off.
I had assumed it was the mites that were ruining my shishito peppers before they could even start growing, but nope, it's actually chili thrips. Caught a bunch of them sitting on a new pepper after I had pulled the drying petals off of it.
It doesn't seem like it takes too many of them to decimate a plant's yields as a thorough examination didn't reveal many of them (They're pretty big and mobile compared to the mites and rather easy to notice) and the ones I did find were swiftly crushed.
This just goes to show that neglecting to spray for even a few days can allow all kinds of annoyances to settle in on a plant though.
It doesn't seem like it takes too many of them to decimate a plant's yields as a thorough examination didn't reveal many of them (They're pretty big and mobile compared to the mites and rather easy to notice) and the ones I did find were swiftly crushed.
This just goes to show that neglecting to spray for even a few days can allow all kinds of annoyances to settle in on a plant though.
Another weird fuzzy egg mass like the one I mentioned in a previous post showed up on an aji limon leaf (Though this time it was on top of the leaf, so whoever makes them isn't picky about orientation), so this time I removed the leaf and shoved it into a jar to see what kind of monstrosities emerge from it.
I'm assuming they're probably just the larvae of one of those smaller unremarkable moths who like to come visit the lights at night, though, not anything fancy like a sphinx moth.
I'm assuming they're probably just the larvae of one of those smaller unremarkable moths who like to come visit the lights at night, though, not anything fancy like a sphinx moth.
Anyone ever seen these before? Little pin dots all over my Aji Melecoton pods.. Not all of them but it's pretty common. Reminds me of needlecast infections of stomata.
Also not sure how to tell when these are ripe
My best guess is it has something to do with these Brown Marmolated Suckerfaces.. I must have taken a couple dozen of these this year. Yet I don't see any of the symptoms on my other plants.. Yet.
Also not sure how to tell when these are ripe
My best guess is it has something to do with these Brown Marmolated Suckerfaces.. I must have taken a couple dozen of these this year. Yet I don't see any of the symptoms on my other plants.. Yet.
Is there an an easy way to identify beneficial mites vs. harmful ones?
I've noticed a couple on my plants that are scurrying around very quickly and look a bit larger then the usual pesky ones. They also tend to roam everywhere as opposed to favoring the undersides of the leaves.
I've noticed a couple on my plants that are scurrying around very quickly and look a bit larger then the usual pesky ones. They also tend to roam everywhere as opposed to favoring the undersides of the leaves.
SNS 209 systemic pest control, anyone tried it?
https://sierranaturalscience.com/natural-pesticides/sns-209/
I don't think I'm going to be able to keep up with the aphids, hate to dump my OWs...
I've ordered a pint, will report back if there is significant reduction in aphid activity...
https://sierranaturalscience.com/natural-pesticides/sns-209/
I don't think I'm going to be able to keep up with the aphids, hate to dump my OWs...
I've ordered a pint, will report back if there is significant reduction in aphid activity...
I don't know what you have going on, but spraying them with really diluted soapy water works wonders for me when they are really bad. I also follow up with a wet swab to remove them, with emphasis on the big ones. Then I swab them every other day and it gets hard to find them. Before I brought in my other plants, I was down to 2 that had aphids still, of the dozen or so that started with them. If you can do the whole plant in one sitting a couple times, and they still seem to be coming back strong, start looking for basal shoots that are hidden in the substrate.. That's the only reason I keep getting them back on the two of the first batch.stettoman said:
Well.. I would only spray them when they were in a serious state, with a very dilute solution. How many times are we talking about here? For me, that's once.. And then, with the same dilute solution, I will follow up and hand clean them with a swab. When you are only using a few drops to a pint.. I've yet to see anything but beneficial results from the treatments as I do them. I also consider it the "feeding" for that duration. Then there is the whole "removal of the honeydew effect". To say using a systemic solution is better is a dangerous generalization.. It's better if you are going for that whole Chernobyl landscape.solid7 said:
And while you might be right in given situations, by given methods, I am far from wrong in what I've said. He was talking about an OW, and I was sharing my own indoor experience in the thought it may be similar. Contact methods are my favorite, for the record.. I want to see their beady little eyes! I also want to make sure I don't kill one of the very few predatory spider mites I have lurking around.. Or other beneficials.
As someone who as spent most of my career doing pesticide and herbicide applications for various ends of the industry, I'm very hesitant to use harsh or residual chemicals and try to restrain others from using them when there are other cheaper and potentially less detrimental options. I definitely won't vouch a method unless I've vetted it myself. Every applicator is different and I could tell you horror stories that would scare anyone anyway from any given method out there if that's the way I wanted to spin it, but it's usually the applicator.. Anything can be detrimental.
Look at how many people kill peppers with just water!! I've done it too.. But wouldn't recommend it.
I love methods that offer the most overall benefit, with the least negative impact.
I'm trying to maintain a natural harmony indoors, maybe keep these Aphidius wasps and other beneficials alive, even if it means farming some of these little honeycows
What else do I have to do all winter? You can say what you want about ant farms, but I find all the best predators there!CraftyFox said:To say using a systemic solution is better is a dangerous generalization.. It's better if you are going for that whole Chernobyl landscape.
Wouldn't agree with that, at all. Nothing nuclear about using a plant based systemic that only affects things that are actually eating the plant. Especially when you consider that a slow growing OW will maintain succulent growth - which is the most vulnerable state for a plant to be in. And also the most desirable to a pest.
I won't rob you of your experience - but aphids for many, if not most of us, are not the kind of thing that are generally a "one time" issue. If you have them n an OW, you probably have everything that you need for an epidemic. Ants in containers indoors? HELL-TO-THE-NO. You're branding your own religion, there.
You'll have to clarify how you use a soap based contact spray, but manage to spare the predatory insects. That's a new one on me.
CraftyFox, I suggest you check my link. What you are doing for pest control may ultimately be effective for you, but time & devotion-wise it's just not practical for me. If I can apply a biologic pest control that empowers the plant itself to repel the little bastiges, it's win-win all around. One pint of this stuff makes 60 gallons of treatment, well worth the $25 bucks if it works...
I don't recall saying anything about ants in containers.. The ants I tolerate in my house are of the hunter fashion, I'm the only farmer in here. To say that systemics don't have an impact on non-target species is, at best, a half-truth.. Is this even an argument? There is always new and tender growth on peppers where I live, indoors or out.solid7 said:
Wouldn't agree with that, at all. Nothing nuclear about using a plant based systemic that only affects things that are actually eating the plant. Especially when you consider that a slow growing OW will maintain succulent growth - which is the most vulnerable state for a plant to be in. And also the most desirable to a pest.
I won't rob you of your experience - but aphids for many, if not most of us, are not the kind of thing that are generally a "one time" issue. If you have them n an OW, you probably have everything that you need for an epidemic. Ants in containers indoors? HELL-TO-THE-NO. You're branding your own religion, there.
You'll have to clarify how you use a soap based contact spray, but manage to spare the predatory insects. That's a new one on me.
As far as epidemics go.. I had one indoors, moving into fall, from lack of attention. Not only did my plants bounce back, but they look even better now. I can understand wanting a one shot easy solution, but that doesn't make mine wrong.
If you don't practice maintaining beneficials, I'm sure a few of the concepts would seem foreign to you.. There's definitely an art to it that I have yet to master. So easy to destroy an ecosystem, so hard to maintain one.. I start by quarantine, then visual inspection with a hand lens, removing any beneficials back to the general population. It's really not that hard, but it's certainly not the "easy" method. Nothing about it is perfect and I'm fully confident I've killed a good number of soon to be wasps already.. Maybe more than the incandescent lights, but it's debatable.
You might not have the time, knowledge, or desire to employ a given method.. Doesn't make your method the best, or mine ineffective. I offered it for someone who made it sound like they needed a solution to get things under control NOW.
And really, you make Aphids sound like they are some evil force.. Like, attack of the zombie cows!! They are like a threat level 1 in my grow. I mean, number one problem with aphids is they will bring a disease to your plant. Whether you kill them or not, after they vector it, you've got it. In my grow, any new adult that happens to find it's way in here is going to be confronted by a standing force, before they get to take one single suck on these.. Can't see how that's worse?
That's not a chemical I've used yet, or I'd have shared my experiences about it. Hopefully it fits your need. I'll definitely be interested in the results. The cost of my method is essentially time that I already spend with my plants, just more focused.stettoman said:
I'm only going to reply to this once, to address what seems to be glaringly off. Then, it's move on time....
Just as you don't want to eat summer lettuce that's bolted and hardened, neither do many pests prefer woody stalk and stems on plants.
Aphids are absolutely a super detrimental pest. Come down here where I live, and let me introduce you to the several dozen varieties of them that we have.
Also, that's not quite how "vectoring" works. Just like every person who is exposed to an STD is not guaranteed to contract it, plants aren't necessarily going to get infected when first attacked. However, repeated exposure will absolutely multiply the chances of infection. To assume that the damage is done when first bitten, is naive at best, given that not every pest is infected with something, to begin with. But you don't take that chance, if you love your plants.
It sure seems that you are, by implication, advocating the tolerance of ant (farmers) in indoor containers.CraftyFox said:I don't recall saying anything about ants in containers..
I'm trying to maintain a natural harmony indoors, maybe keep these Aphidius wasps and other beneficials alive, even if it means farming some of these little honeycows
Of course it is. We didn't even get into specific systemics. "Systemics", as a term, doesn't have the connotation that you assigned. (your Chernobyl reference) Additionally, systemics can be applied either as a drench, or to foliage. So without context, I wholeheartedly disagree with your assertion.CraftyFox said:
Of course there is. But my comment was that an OW is in a perpetual state of succulent growth. This is why we have to harden off plants when they go back out. Is this even an argument?CraftyFox said:
Just as you don't want to eat summer lettuce that's bolted and hardened, neither do many pests prefer woody stalk and stems on plants.
Be damned if I'm gonna go all "Honey I Shrunk the Kids", or wear a portable microscope on my face, while picking at plant nits. I doubt many others will, either. In fact, if you maintain enough pests to keep the beneficials going, then you've arguably got enough pests to cause your plant a problem. Especially when you factor in the prolonged exposure.CraftyFox said:
CraftyFox said:
Aphids are absolutely a super detrimental pest. Come down here where I live, and let me introduce you to the several dozen varieties of them that we have.
Also, that's not quite how "vectoring" works. Just like every person who is exposed to an STD is not guaranteed to contract it, plants aren't necessarily going to get infected when first attacked. However, repeated exposure will absolutely multiply the chances of infection. To assume that the damage is done when first bitten, is naive at best, given that not every pest is infected with something, to begin with. But you don't take that chance, if you love your plants.