BT for any caterpillars on basil, tomatoes?

16 years ago

I have three tomato plants and a basil plant in my garden. I planted them 4 weeks ago. The first few weeks, the basil plant was getting small to medium size holes in the leaves.

In the last few days, the basil leaves are now being devoured, and one of the tomato plants (not even the one closest to the basil plant) is getting holes in the leaves.

After researching on this forum, I went out late last night with a flashlight and found a caterpillar on the tomato plant that had the holes in it. It was about 2 inches long, but it did not look like the tomato horned worm pictures I have seen. There was nothing on the basil plant, though it looked like something had eaten more of the basil plant even since the afternoon.

I plucked the bugger off and flung him over the cinderblock wall into the neighbors yard.

So my question is should I try some BT, even though I don't know what type of caterpillar it was? Or since there didn't seem to be that many (I only found the one on all four plants), can I keep up just by plucking them off?

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Comments (4)

fatamorgana2121
16 years ago
With most insect pests and especially the bigger ones, like 2" long caterpillars, I just remove them by hand. Since you only have a couple of plants, it is not hard to look them over for smaller caterpillars as well to keep your plants pest free.

FataMorgana
ksrogers
16 years ago
Bt is an friendly bacteria culture that when sprayed o leaves of all plants will make the insects, in this case, worms/caterpillers, die for starvation in just a couple of days. About the only caterpiller that feeds on toxic tomato leaves are the green hornworms. It may be yours are very yound and not fully grown yet. They can get to 3 inches long and as big around as an index finger. Bt is not harmful to people.B sure to get the right type (strain). The plants need only a couple of applications to get rid of most of the buggers. Flicking them off isn't very effective as they can easily return. Picking them off is time consuming and is definately something you would do only when you see them (at night). Just looking for a well disguised green worm is a task. Last year, my fruit tees were attached by leaf eaters. Most were caterpillers dropping down from an over hanging oak tree, but I still can't figure out how my peach/plum got attacked as it was well away from any trees. I need to spray Bt on my fruit trees very soon as they are just starting to leaf out
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debbysunshine
15 years ago
Bt is good but you look really close for that huge hornworm that looks like a leaf and hides really well because he only eats the plants and never was stopped by BT. As much as I'm in the garden never saw the worm until my daughter found one and put it in a jar, couldn't believe how huge it was. Here in San Diego we have Roof Rats that are huge and nasty and eat everything too unless you get rat bars at Home Depot and catch them they've also eaten the wires in my car engine, bore some very big holes in my deck and spa, and probably are what ate the middles out of some of my fruit last year. Very nasty but if you hide the bars where pets won't get them and only touch the poison with waxed paper to keep your scent off you won't have any trouble unless they climb into your attic. debbysunshine@hotmail.com
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
Bt is only effective if the caterpillars are in their earlier stages of development. It's truly a much better idea to inspect your plants carefully daily, and remove the critters as you find them.

BT for any caterpillars on basil, tomatoes?

Comments (4)

fatamorgana2121

ksrogers

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debbysunshine

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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