Hornworms
- goodloe
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- Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 5:07 am
- Location: The SE edge of NE Mississippi
Re: Hornworms
Thought I had posted this pic here earlier, but apparently not... Found this little bugger back in late May; never seen one this small...had to use the "magnifier" thingy on my phone to get a decent picture.
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I have 2 seasons: Tomato and pepper season, and BAMA Football season!
- JRinPA
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- Location: PA Dutch Country
Re: Hornworms
I keep seeing BT mentioned on here. It sounds like a liquid? I have a big plastic container of Mosquito Bits. You use 1 tsp for so many sq ft of surface water for mosquito larva. Are they the same thing in dried form? Can I dissolve some in water or something and use that the same way? Or is it a different BT? I vaguely remember a BTi versus a different BT.
- JRinPA
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Re: Hornworms
I found this
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org ... es/bt.aspx
that explains the two types...I've probably read similar before. But I still have to wonder if it would work. It doesn't say not effective. I guess I wonder how much it has to do with science and how much with patent law.
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org ... es/bt.aspx
that explains the two types...I've probably read similar before. But I still have to wonder if it would work. It doesn't say not effective. I guess I wonder how much it has to do with science and how much with patent law.
- Ginger2778
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- Location: South Florida zone 10b
Re: Hornworms
I have always used BTKurstaki as my caterpillar spray or dust. The mosqito bits (BTIsraeliensis) are only very minimally effective against caterpillars. BTI can also be used in your potting mix to keep fungus gnats away, as well as mosquitos, but not good on caterpillars. The science is that they are 2 completely different strains.JRinPA wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:07 am I found this
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org ... es/bt.aspx
that explains the two types...I've probably read similar before. But I still have to wonder if it would work. It doesn't say not effective. I guess I wonder how much it has to do with science and how much with patent law.
- Marsha
- Whwoz
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- Location: Trafalgar, Victoria, Australia
Re: Hornworms
Agree with [mention]Ginger2778[/mention], there are 42 different strains/subspecies of BT, all effective against different groups. Have spent quite a bit of time work with BTi on mosquito control.
- karstopography
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- Location: Southeast Texas
Re: Hornworms
https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/field/hornworm.htm
Until this moment, I didn’t realize I get the Tobacco Hornworn, Manduca sexta in my plot instead of the Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata. Doesn’t mean much to the plants, either way they get gobbled up, but just a technicality I wanted to pass along.
What do you get in your garden? Hopefully, none of the above.
Until this moment, I didn’t realize I get the Tobacco Hornworn, Manduca sexta in my plot instead of the Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata. Doesn’t mean much to the plants, either way they get gobbled up, but just a technicality I wanted to pass along.
What do you get in your garden? Hopefully, none of the above.
"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
- HL2601
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- Location: Metro Denver
Re: Hornworms

Thanks Marcia and Karstography for your BT input.
Here was the haul this morning.
Off to BT land they go!
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- Ginger2778
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- Location: South Florida zone 10b
- Rockoe10
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Re: Hornworms
Oh wow, that's interesting. I didn't know this either, and it appears I too have the "Tobacco Hornworm". I had no idea.karstopography wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 3:31 pm https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/field/hornworm.htm
Until this moment, I didn’t realize I get the Tobacco Hornworn, Manduca sexta in my plot instead of the Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata. Doesn’t mean much to the plants, either way they get gobbled up, but just a technicality I wanted to pass along.
What do you get in your garden? Hopefully, none of the above.
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Rob, ZONE 6A with 170 days between frost dates, Western Pennsylvania
Rob, ZONE 6A with 170 days between frost dates, Western Pennsylvania
- JRinPA
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Re: Hornworms
Tough to say which I get, I think tobacco probably, but none this year so far.
I'll have to get some btk. For SVB, is what I need. Too late to go now.
I hope we are done with covid hours soon. The big grocery stores and walmarts and such that moved into the area did so with the promise to be open 24 hours a day, to better serve the public. The small businesses have been squeezed out, but now the big stores are no longer living up to their end.
I'll have to get some btk. For SVB, is what I need. Too late to go now.
I hope we are done with covid hours soon. The big grocery stores and walmarts and such that moved into the area did so with the promise to be open 24 hours a day, to better serve the public. The small businesses have been squeezed out, but now the big stores are no longer living up to their end.
- AZGardener
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- Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 9:12 am
- Location: Arizona, USA
Re: Hornworms
I haven't put tomatoes out yet so no hornworms there but I did find a big one on a pepper plant last week.
I use a black light to find them at night. It works great, especially finding the smaller hornworms.You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
USDA Zone 9b, Sunset Zone 13
Average Rainfall 9.5 inches
Climate: Sonoran Desert
Average Rainfall 9.5 inches
Climate: Sonoran Desert
- AZGardener
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- Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 9:12 am
- Location: Arizona, USA
Re: Hornworms
Found this article describing the differences. HTH
https://entomologytoday.org/2013/12/14/ ... hornworms/
https://entomologytoday.org/2013/12/14/ ... hornworms/
USDA Zone 9b, Sunset Zone 13
Average Rainfall 9.5 inches
Climate: Sonoran Desert
Average Rainfall 9.5 inches
Climate: Sonoran Desert