How do I get rid of him? If there's one, does that mean there's more?
by dealers_choice
36 Comments
hefty_ballsagne
Ive heard you can go out at night with UV flashlight and flick them off plant or something along those lines
fullmooonfarm
This year was the first year I ever had these guys in our garden and they were everywhere!! My daughter and I went out a few times everyday and picked off as many as we could find and then fed them to our ducks but you can also just throw them off of the plant, they die pretty quickly once they are no longer in it. After a week or so of doing this we couldn’t find anymore
SpottedKitty
Squish him. Put on your gloves and squish him.
CitrusBelt
Yes, there will almost certainly be more.
Any “chemical” pesticide you’re comfortable with using will usually work very well on them….and if you’re leery of such & insist on “organic”, then you actually have a very cost-effective option (not always the case with (“organic”), which is Bt sprays.
If you’re squeamish, easiest way to deal with the visible ones is just to snip them with a pair of scissors. Better yet, remove them alive & then set them out in an open area; some birds love them (I have lots of blue jays in the yard & they prefer hornworms to peanuts….which is saying quite a lot, because peanuts are like crack for blue jays — but they’ll take a hornworm over a peanut every time)
TheRealMasterTyvokka
Yank him off and squish him. They hold on strong so give it a good pull. You can also drop him in some dish detergent water if you are squeamish.
Yes, there are probably be more. They are easy to find with a UV light at night. They pretty much glow in the dark. Be attentive to your plants. These guys can strip a plant bare in a day or two.
Pomegranate_1328
Can confirm UV lights work. I’m that weird person out at night . I cut them in half with scissors.
HealthWealthFoodie
I pick them off and place them in an open area away from my tomatoes so the birds can get them. If you’re quiet, you will hear them making a high pitch clicking sound when they feel threatened. Just put on some gloves and pick them off, carefully inspect the rest of the plant to see if you have more. Look for frass (caterpillar poop) to see where they might be hiding (they will usually be on one of the leaves directly above it). They get big fast, so are pretty easy to spot once you know to look for them.
You got a lot of advice for if you’re squeamish, but if you’re not, I hear they can make a tasty snack if you cook them (just look up recipes for hornworms).
jpeetz1
I’ve been pulling them off and putting them on my Alyssums in hopes the wasps will get to them, but the birds seem to be finding and eating them first.
They’re quite easy to spot if you know what their droppings look like. Find some weird cube poops, look up and you’ll find the hornworm.
If you can’t go out at night with UV, you can stick your head into the plant and listen for the crunch of them chewing your leaves. Then pick them off (use gloves or a dogpoo bag) and leave them out for the birds.
If you happen across one covered in white eggs, keep it until the eggs hatch out. Those are from a parasitic wasp who is our friend.
nervousfemme
feed them to birds and chickens, they love hornworms
cleverghost
If you have a UV light, you can see them EXTRMELY well when it’s dark. They will glow bright green.
Appropriate_Level690
Feed them to the birds or chickens
PD-Jetta
Remove it and step on it!
Sweaty_Ranger7476
do beer traps work at all for these?
Viivusvine
Raise them into hummingbird moths! They’re native nocturnal pollinators and beautiful animals.
I put them in a large container with paper cuttings and scrap tomato leaves for them to eat. Feed them for a little while and they’ll burrow & pupate.
Slippy_Ostrich
Monterey b.t biological insecticide works great.
OkKey6515
Off with his head
PraxicalExperience
Just pick ’em off and dispose of them. That said, if your season is drawing to a close, as it is with many people in the northern hemisphere, I just wouldn’t worry about it.
You can use BT spray on your plants and it’ll kill these guys, and many other plant-eating bug. BT’s not a chemical insecticide; it’s a bacteria that’s completely harmless for mammals but will fuck many bugs up.
PuzzleHeadedHussy
Buy a bearded dragon and save them for treats. Or sell them to bearded dragon owners because they are 4 for 16$ at petsmart.
ekatsim
Next year plant dill and hope for parasitic wasps
Xassxweex
Spray bt on your tomatoes
Xique-xique
I understand the urge to annihilate them but wondering if they turn into anything worthwhile. Do they morph into a moth or butterfly?
pharsee
Pick off any you see and then spray your plants with BT Thuricide.
jrpr1983
I found a couple of these guys on my Grandmother’s 4 o’clocks the other day, they were legit 3-4 inches long, biggest I’ve ever seen. I picked them off, and put them where she asked me to and then she stomped them. So, I guess that? I’ve never had them on my plants, so haven’t had to deal with them.
littlecowbaby
My dad used to pay me and my sister each 25c to pick them off the plants. And then we’d get to feed them to the chickens. They weren’t super difficult to control, just pick ‘em as you see em.
SnarfRepublicCA
Kill it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
slinnyboy69
For everybody that be living it up 🎶🎶
Acceptable-Chance-27
annihilate
Scoopit20
I ended up getting a cheap black light off Amazon and look for them at night… they light right up
Queen3990
Oh no – he will eat that entire plant super fast
Vinzi79
Attracting braconid wasps will help and attracting them involves the same thing as attracting pollinators and repelling other pests.
They become a very pretty moth that is an important pollinator. If you can get over “F them they eat leaves on MY plants, how DARE they exist.” You can toss them in a Rubbermaid with some little holes or mesh top, put in dirt, some twigs, and toss a few suck leaves in there, they will pupate in the ground and become a hawk moth.
meowminx77
so crazy how many of y’all kill off these things. i leave them be. never had an issue with them eating an entire plant. no reason to go crazy over something you’ll never control. what usually happens is a wasp finds it and nature has its way. you have reddit, youre not going to starve if this caterpillar eats your tomatoes get a life.
michaelalex511
Burn the whole thing down!! Match, gasoline, and a beer to watch
36 Comments
Ive heard you can go out at night with UV flashlight and flick them off plant or something along those lines
This year was the first year I ever had these guys in our garden and they were everywhere!! My daughter and I went out a few times everyday and picked off as many as we could find and then fed them to our ducks but you can also just throw them off of the plant, they die pretty quickly once they are no longer in it. After a week or so of doing this we couldn’t find anymore
Squish him. Put on your gloves and squish him.
Yes, there will almost certainly be more.
Any “chemical” pesticide you’re comfortable with using will usually work very well on them….and if you’re leery of such & insist on “organic”, then you actually have a very cost-effective option (not always the case with (“organic”), which is Bt sprays.
If you’re squeamish, easiest way to deal with the visible ones is just to snip them with a pair of scissors. Better yet, remove them alive & then set them out in an open area; some birds love them (I have lots of blue jays in the yard & they prefer hornworms to peanuts….which is saying quite a lot, because peanuts are like crack for blue jays — but they’ll take a hornworm over a peanut every time)
Yank him off and squish him. They hold on strong so give it a good pull. You can also drop him in some dish detergent water if you are squeamish.
Yes, there are probably be more. They are easy to find with a UV light at night. They pretty much glow in the dark. Be attentive to your plants. These guys can strip a plant bare in a day or two.
Can confirm UV lights work. I’m that weird person out at night . I cut them in half with scissors.
I pick them off and place them in an open area away from my tomatoes so the birds can get them. If you’re quiet, you will hear them making a high pitch clicking sound when they feel threatened. Just put on some gloves and pick them off, carefully inspect the rest of the plant to see if you have more. Look for frass (caterpillar poop) to see where they might be hiding (they will usually be on one of the leaves directly above it). They get big fast, so are pretty easy to spot once you know to look for them.
You got a lot of advice for if you’re squeamish, but if you’re not, I hear they can make a tasty snack if you cook them (just look up recipes for hornworms).
I’ve been pulling them off and putting them on my Alyssums in hopes the wasps will get to them, but the birds seem to be finding and eating them first.
They’re quite easy to spot if you know what their droppings look like. Find some weird cube poops, look up and you’ll find the hornworm.
Pick them off and drop them in water
I think Bt kurstaki knows how to kill them.
Edit: being downvoted so here’s the proof:
https://preview.redd.it/7d2iihrk8gsd1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ccd698d86c321f6b7bad8675e197c8709b747f0
If you can’t go out at night with UV, you can stick your head into the plant and listen for the crunch of them chewing your leaves. Then pick them off (use gloves or a dogpoo bag) and leave them out for the birds.
If you happen across one covered in white eggs, keep it until the eggs hatch out. Those are from a parasitic wasp who is our friend.
feed them to birds and chickens, they love hornworms
If you have a UV light, you can see them EXTRMELY well when it’s dark. They will glow bright green.
Feed them to the birds or chickens
Remove it and step on it!
do beer traps work at all for these?
Raise them into hummingbird moths! They’re native nocturnal pollinators and beautiful animals.
I put them in a large container with paper cuttings and scrap tomato leaves for them to eat. Feed them for a little while and they’ll burrow & pupate.
Monterey b.t biological insecticide works great.
Off with his head
Just pick ’em off and dispose of them. That said, if your season is drawing to a close, as it is with many people in the northern hemisphere, I just wouldn’t worry about it.
You can use BT spray on your plants and it’ll kill these guys, and many other plant-eating bug. BT’s not a chemical insecticide; it’s a bacteria that’s completely harmless for mammals but will fuck many bugs up.
Buy a bearded dragon and save them for treats. Or sell them to bearded dragon owners because they are 4 for 16$ at petsmart.
Next year plant dill and hope for parasitic wasps
Spray bt on your tomatoes
I understand the urge to annihilate them but wondering if they turn into anything worthwhile. Do they morph into a moth or butterfly?
Pick off any you see and then spray your plants with BT Thuricide.
I found a couple of these guys on my Grandmother’s 4 o’clocks the other day, they were legit 3-4 inches long, biggest I’ve ever seen. I picked them off, and put them where she asked me to and then she stomped them. So, I guess that? I’ve never had them on my plants, so haven’t had to deal with them.
My dad used to pay me and my sister each 25c to pick them off the plants. And then we’d get to feed them to the chickens. They weren’t super difficult to control, just pick ‘em as you see em.
Kill it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For everybody that be living it up 🎶🎶
annihilate
I ended up getting a cheap black light off Amazon and look for them at night… they light right up
Oh no – he will eat that entire plant super fast
Attracting braconid wasps will help and attracting them involves the same thing as attracting pollinators and repelling other pests.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/beneficial-insects-braconid-wasps-zw0z1301zkin/
They become a very pretty moth that is an important pollinator. If you can get over “F them they eat leaves on MY plants, how DARE they exist.” You can toss them in a Rubbermaid with some little holes or mesh top, put in dirt, some twigs, and toss a few suck leaves in there, they will pupate in the ground and become a hawk moth.
so crazy how many of y’all kill off these things. i leave them be. never had an issue with them eating an entire plant. no reason to go crazy over something you’ll never control. what usually happens is a wasp finds it and nature has its way. you have reddit, youre not going to starve if this caterpillar eats your tomatoes get a life.
Burn the whole thing down!! Match, gasoline, and a beer to watch