little poopy things on veggies?

15 years ago

I noticed a lot of little black of greenish round little things on my lettuce, kale, turnips and beets this morning. They look kind of like poop droplets but I have never seen anything like it. Does anyone know what they are? (I am not having much luck posting a pic so you can click on one of the links below for pics). Should I be concerned that they are maybe a sign of insects or something? Or just try to wash them off with a hose?

http://lh4.ggpht.com/dawnd1/SMvNfmBuY5I/AAAAAAAAFEA/h9hx17vfQl4/s400/IMG_2781.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/dawnd1/SMvNgSuvaxI/AAAAAAAAFEI/F2hr832THE0/s400/IMG_2782.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/dawnd1/SMvNiKx645I/AAAAAAAAFEY/-a7nuXEa9L4/s576/IMG_2788.JPG

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Comments (9)

jimster
15 years ago
It's been a long time since I've seen them but, as I recall, hornworm poops look like those. You sure have a lot of them. Has a lot of foliage been eaten? That would be sure evidence of hornworms. But then, I don't think hornworms feed on the veggies you mention. Maybe it's a different caterpillar. Sorry to answer with speculation, but I agree that they do look like poops.

Jim
aubade
Original Author
15 years ago
thanks Jim, you are correct. A friend of mine also pointed out hornworms, so I examined everything and found 6 caterpillars so far, a lot of eggs on the underside of the plants, and quite a few chomped leaves. I don't think its a hornworm though, they're about 1.5 inches long, light green with a yellow stripe. I'm thinking maybe an imported cabbageworm? http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/importcabbageworm.html

I'm about to upload my pics, will update this when I have em.
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aubade
Original Author
15 years ago
Below is a direct link to the best pic of the actual catepillar (you can see it pooped right on my glove as I was taking the pic!)

Here is a link that might be useful:
jimster
15 years ago
"...it pooped right on my glove as I was taking the pic!)"

The nerve!

It's good you caught them relatively early before too much damage was done.

Jim
lilacs_of_may
15 years ago
Those look very much like the worms that were eating my broccoli. I picked them off and smashed them when I found them, which resulted in a lot of dark green splatter (my half digested broccoli leaves, I assume). Then I sprayed with Pyola, and I had no more problems after that.
never-give-up
15 years ago
Trust me!! I am not laughing at your plight aubade, but "(you can see it pooped right on my glove as I was taking the pic!) just struck me funny, because of what happened to me.

After a spring and summer of fighting more kinds of vegetable eating bugs than I ever knew existed, I feel your pain.

jimster, in case you were wondering where the tomato horn worms are- they are here eating my tomato, pepper and potato plants. I spent about 2 weeks trying to remain calm as I looked for them each day. That turned into yelling "Alright where are you? You miserable little B#%!!!D, I know you're in there!" The final straw was when I was deeply buried in a tomato plant looking for them only to turn my head just a fraction. One of the biggest ones I had seen so far was about 3" from my face. Startled me so I yelled and went over on my butt.

I ended up putting row cover over my broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower as I didn't want to have to do battle with cabbage worms too.

Glad you figured out what they were aubade.
susancol
15 years ago
Tell me about it. I had a relatively bug free summer, as such things go, but this weekend, suddenly one of my tomato plants was attacked. HUGE bites taken out of every tomato. I thought it was a chipmunk or something due to the size of the bites. Turned out to be two very large, extremely UGLY Tobacco Hornedworms. I swear they were about 6 inches long. They ate almost the whole plant and every baby tomato in 24 hours. They also left poops behind, that did indeed look like those pictured. I only hope there aren't more of them to follow. I'm going out today to look for something to put down for them. Any recommendations?
hobbiest
15 years ago
Had something eating holes in the tops of my bell peppers a few weeks ago.Was always the same plant I noticed. Looked for the green hornworms as I thought that may have been the problem. Never could find anything. One night I went out looking for whatever it was as a last ditch bright idea I had. Got the flashlight out & started looking over the tops of the peppers. There it was!! A big brown slug was wrapped around the stem on a pepper & was doing his number!! Well, put an immediate stop to that. Broke off the pepper with him on it & flung him & the pepper over the fence & into the field about 50 yards or so behind my house. Haven`t had anymore problems since! I`m happy! :)
catherinet
15 years ago
susancol..........hornworms are very easy just to pick off and throw into some bushes, where the birds might eat them. If that bothers you, then break off the little branch its on, and toss that. If you find one with white eggs all over it, leave it alone, as those are eggs from the braconid wasp, which is a beneficial insect, and will eventually cause the hornworm to die.
Tomato hornworms become hummingbird moths, which I love......so I choose not to kill them, but to move them far enough away from the tomatoes, that they can't get back any time soon.

little poopy things on veggies?

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jimster

aubade
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little poopy things on veggies?

Comments (9)

jimster

aubadeOriginal Author

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aubade
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aubade
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