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tomato pest
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Posted by mee2u Bne Qld (My Page) on Sun, Oct 9, 05 at 7:40
Hi all,
I have just found that my tomato's are being attacked by a very small green thing about 2mm long and about .5 mm wide they are attacking the leaves with the skeletal part being left if you touch them they behave like a inchworm like movement they are on the underside of the leaf can anyone suggest what to treat this pest with and what it may be.
cheers :-( |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: tomato pest
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Sounds like baby tomato grubs. The first option is to just wait and see. Perhaps they'll go away or get eaten by their predators. If waiting's not on, you could rub them off, provided the infestation isn't serious. Otherwise you could try a simple home made white oil spray (check out the Gardening Australia Website for a recipe). Another option is Dipel, available at most nurseries. It's actually a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, that infects the grubs and they die a horrible and painful death. But die they do!
If it's not grubs, then I don't know what it is. |
RE: tomato pest
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- Posted by mee2u Bne Qld (My Page) on
Sun, Oct 9, 05 at 18:05
hi ray,
Thanks for the info I have found a item in (what garden pest or desease is that)book by Judy McMaugh, that fits the discription called loopers
being moth caterpillars (Order Lepidoptera:Family Noctuide)
what ever that is. I will give your suggestion of white oil spray a go as they are many in number but first I think the rub off method would be a better inviromental solution so I will try that first.
Cheers John K :-) |
RE: tomato pest
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| I just went and checked my tomato seedlings and a couple have been hammered by tiny little worms ...it sounds like I have the same thing. I'm not happy about it I'm going to white oil them senseless. |
RE: tomato pest
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| Another alternative to white oil is a simple flour glue spray. Mix 1 cup boiling water with 1 cup white flour. Add cold water till it's thin and sprayable. Strain well. Spray on thickly on top and under the elaves. Repeat after five minutes if you think it's not quite thick enough. Wash sprayer well or you'll have to soak it for ages. And wash the glue off the plants after a few hours. Doesn't keep. (Recipe courtesy of Jackie French). Whatever spray you use, a repeat application or two at weekly intervals will get the later hatchlings. |
And another thing...
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| You might want to spray the tops and bottoms of the leaves too! |
RE: tomato pest
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| I think Dipel and Success are the best. These are the spray-on grub killers with the bacteria Ray mentions above. The grubs die and, whether painfully or not, it's a very thorough death. You might also find white fly, fruit fly and other pests create problems for you later in the season. I like pyrethrum. Buy the concentrate (expensive though it is) and spray weekly. Rain removes pyrethrum but a weekly application before you have major problems will effectively control grubs, whitefly and help with fruit fly. This is from my limited experience. But whenever I see pyrethrum on special I stock up. Only one day withholding period and Cundall washing his flowering corms in buckets of it without gloves or anything. |
RE: tomato pest
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- Posted by mee2u Bne Qld (My Page) on
Mon, Oct 10, 05 at 18:31
Hi All,
Thankye for the input I have removed all the offenders by hand
i.e.the ones I could find so I will keep an eagle eye out for tne next wave of invaders and if they arrive treat them with dipel as you mentioned or would it be best to treat the plants with dipel now before the next raid occurs as will no doubt happen me thinks so anyway.
Cheers JK :-) |
RE: tomato pest
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| No point applying dipel until they're there. The grub has to eat the stuff for it to work. |
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