Topic: tomatoes

[cacran]

OMG, I have found that most of my big tomatoes are being attacked by giant catapillars. they have layed black eggs, like the ones that you get on nastertiums but they are at least an inch long when tuned into catipillare. I have picked off all I can see and as they have eaten into the tomatoes, have lost loads. I have taken them out of the greenhouse and put the plants outside. Not expecting much from them but at least the small tomatoes might have a chance in the greenhouse. I only hope I am not too late. ???

[thifasmom]

OMG, I have found that most of my big tomatoes are being attacked by giant catapillars. they have layed black eggs, like the ones that you get on nastertiums but they are at least an inch long when tuned into catipillare. I have picked off all I can see and as they have eaten into the tomatoes, have lost loads. I have taken them out of the greenhouse and put the plants outside. Not expecting much from them but at least the small tomatoes might have a chance in the greenhouse. I only hope I am not too late. ???

can you describe the caterpillar or do you have any photos and what laid the eggs, it can't be the caterpillars as caterpillars don't lay eggs they have to pupate into a moth or butterfly before they can do that, most possibly you are seeing their poo.

I'm not sure what moth/ butterfly caterpillar over here fancies tomatoes/ the plant, but i know in the States they have a moth i believe whose caterpillars can decimate a crop in a short space of time (the name eludes me but I'm sure some here will know it) but to my knowledge it doesn't live in the UK.

[thifasmom]

just did a bit of research and found there is evidence of the South American tomato moth 'Tuta absoluta' has been making itself a nuisance in certain parts of Europe and was first detected in the UK in March 2009. It is coming in on imported tomatoes from Spain where it is becoming a major problem. check this link out http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/showNews.cfm?id=402

if you google images of the moth and the caterpillars you might be able to confirm whether this is what you found on your plants, and if yes i think you will need to notify the necessary individuals because it appears it is a notifiable pest according to this link which has really good pictures of the pest as well. http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/pestsDiseases/documents/ppnTutaAbsoluta.pdf

i hope this helps and also i hope this is not what you have :-X.

[tim]

http://images.google.co.uk/images?sourceid=navclient&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4GGLG_enGB307GB307&q=tomato+caterpillars&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=InOOSsf6AYL5-AbJr6DyDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

[thifasmom]

http://images.google.co.uk/images?sourceid=navclient&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4GGLG_enGB307GB307&q=tomato+caterpillars&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=InOOSsf6AYL5-AbJr6DyDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

tim i think these are photos of the Tomato Hornworm which is the one i was reffering to that is a pest in the States and surrounding regions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_hornworm

[tim]

Sorry - didn't mean to duplicate.

[thifasmom]

Sorry - didn't mean to duplicate.

no need :), until i researched i thought this was the only major attacker of tomatoes :-\

[cacran]

Looking at the images on google, it looks like the Pieris Rapae caterpillar that is causing my problem.

Wonder what I can do about it ???

[cacran]

On further checking it seems like it is the small white cabbage type butterfly. Wonder why it's getting my tomatoes. I have had a lot of the white butterflies this year.  :(