How to Get Rid of Worms That Eat Tomato Plants
There are a number of worms that can be extremely detrimental to tomato plants. Sometimes, a strong temptation can be to immediately pull out insecticides and eliminate these pests with extreme prejudice. However, especially with plants that produce food, such as tomato plants, this is usually not the best first option. Follow the steps below to ensure that not only are the worms gone, but that potentially dangerous pesticides are the very last resort. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Magnifying glass
- Bucket
- Sealing disposable containers (such as resealable bags)
- Natural pest predators, such as ladybugs (optional)
- Food-friendly pesticides (optional)
Instructions
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Thoroughly examine the type of pest and extent of infestation. Sometimes, pest problems are easy to take care of by hand or simply spraying with water. Examining what type or types of pests are present as well as to what extent they have infected tomato plants will help in determining which worm-elimination method is most appropriate. For example, tomato hornworms are a very large pest (three inches long or longer) and can usually be picked off by hand without much difficulty.
If you are not familiar with names of different types of insects, there is a useful insect identification guide online maintained by Texas A&M University that includes large pictures and information about each insect and what they eat. You can find the link to this site in the "Resources" section.
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Manually remove worms. If the situation appears manageable by hand, pluck or spray pests to remove them from tomato plants. In the case of tomato hornworms, place the worms in a bucket or some other container that they can't possibly get out of. Seal them in a disposable container and throw them out when finished to ensure the infestation does not reoccur. Although it is sometimes difficult to spot worms because they tend to blend in well with tomato foliage, spraying plants with a quick blast of water will sometimes help because it can cause the insects to thrash about, making them more noticeable.
A type of hose attachment called a "bug-blaster" can assist in elimination of bugs by spraying water. These attachments are specially designed to be able to reach the undersides of leaves and other hard-to-reach areas. Bug blaster attachments are available at most gardening stores.
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Release pest predators in infected area. If picking or spraying are not options and the infestation involves smaller worms, pest predators such as ladybugs, which do not harm plants but feast on common pests, can sometimes help eliminate the infestation. Live ladybugs and other garden-beneficial insects can also usually be obtained at gardening stores.
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Spray with a "food-safe" pesticide. If all else fails, pesticides may be a necessity, but be sure that whatever is used is safe for food plants such as tomatoes. BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) is one such pesticide that is considered mostly safe for food plants. Talk to a gardening expert in your area for the best safe pesticide for your particular infestation.
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