I'm tired of searching for, and picking off hornworms.

Sarg3

Sarg3

Although the chickens love the little bastards, they refuse to gather them up themselves.  I will continue picking them off as I see them, but what can I put out that isn't harsh on nature to help rid them from my garden?
 
I have neem oil and DE.  How effective are eachof these products when it comes to hornworms?  I get them pretty bad every year and picking them off gets to be such a pain in the ass.
 
pretty sure pyrethrin will kill them.
 
i use permethrin myself at first contact... its funny you can look and look and look and look some more,  you will never find them until they are index finger size. 
last time i had them, i picked off two of them, then sprayed... next day i shook the plants and like 5 or 6 more more, like half in inch long fell out of the plants.
 
Are they on pepper plants?  I find that my peppers are among the least desirable hosts, that if you want insects to gravitate elsewhere, plant something else like tomatoes or okra, or for leaf eaters, practically anything....  Then there's natural predators, be nice to wasps because they love to use worms as hosts.
 
Bacillus Thuringiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis, also called Bt, is a bacterial disease deadly to tomato worms and it is often sold as a biological control organism. These bacteria serve as the active ingredient in some pesticides, but they can also be used on their own to kill tomato worms without harming beneficial insects or putting other wildlife at risk. Bt works by producing proteins that paralyze the digestive system of tomato worms, preventing the worms from eating -- infected worms typically die of starvation within several days. The main disadvantage associated with this type of treatment is that it is subject to degradation by the sun, and foliar applications typically do not last more than seven days.
 
Agree with AJ. I had an attack from hornworms not long ago, and BT was suggested to me by Devv on here. Kills most caterpillars including hornworms, and is supposed to be caterpillar specific so isn't supposed to harm anything else. Dipel and thuricide are 2 that I know of to look for.
 
BT is (considered) an organic pesticide that will take care of your caterpillar situation. It's a bacterium that infects caterpillars once ingested and makes them stop eating, starve, and die. You can buy it in powder or liquid form and apply on leaves. 
 
Another tip is that hornworms glow under a UV black light. If you go out at night, you can pick them off a lot easier.
 
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