I had this problem last year - turned out to be the dreaded hormworm. Try doing some intense investigating and I'll bet you'll find one (or more!).

Good Luck,
Christine

I've looked. Is there a certain time that they dine?

Woooaaa now hold on there calm down take a stiff drink if youÂre so inclined to spirits.
DonÂt stop growing maters. Hornworms do eat green maters and their leaves.
Now I know that there are some folks on this forum that are appalled at the thought of killing the things and I respect them for it.
You will have more maters and you can hunt the things down and deal with them according to your own desires. After all they are your Hornworms.

Worth

At night when it's cool mostly. You will find them under the leaves in the day time. Look hard real hard.

Worth

I hear that some people spray garlic water on their plants. Is this good? will it prevent additional fruit from bearing?
Should I add anything else to the garlic water like dish soap?

I forgot to ask......will garlic water prevent those hornhorms?

I forgot to ask......will garlic water prevent those hornhorms?

No.

Is this why you were asking about the sevin just the other day? As I'd told you last week when you posted the pictures, I think you probably have worms. If you'll recall, I also recommended at that time that you use Dipel Dust (Bt) to treat for the worms.

Use the dust instead of a liquid form of Bt since you're also using Daconil -- it can be a pain to coordinate sprayings twice a week of two different substances.

Or just look for the worms and pick them off like Worth recommended.

Hold off on the Sevin if you can, it kills off beneficials that prey on mites.

Get D.E or I can't spell it Diatomateous Earth, it's very powdery and you need gloves and mask. Sprinkle it away from where you water preferably make a small mote for water and on the outside of the small ditch sprinkle it around, any way, to them it's death to them. Imagine us walking on shards of glass, that is what happens to them but they die due to dehydration.

Pleas were the mask or you will be breathing little shards of glass.
It is derived from Diatoms.

Worth

I agree with Worth. DE can cause sever silicosis when breathed. No, Worth, I'm not really appalled at killing hornworms, it's just that so many here have been finding scads of them--and killing them--while I have scads of maters and not a single hornworm to collect and rear in a controlled environment. I only tell people to not kill them, but relocate them to another food source [i.e. noxious weeds] so they can complete their life cycle and become the moths which are really beneficial as pollinators of our night-blooming plants. Bees and butterflies are not active by night.

I just wish those finding the big sphinx cats would actually contact me --and send me some--instead of just saying they will. I know some really have not had any luck finding any, either. You are actually close to my sister, who also lives in Austin, and would be happy to have a few cats herself.

Horn worm,

ItÂs a done deal man, been thinking about how to get you some.
I know what they look like (the chrysalis) none around right now, but I do see them and when I find the things in the ground when I dig, I will sure give it a try. Next year will be better though.
Those big ole moths come in the house at night and scare the wife half to death.
Next year I wont kill them as you have given me a newfound respect for living things.
Their sure are not as many as their used to be which tells me something is way out of whack, the darn things may not be around in 20 or so years, which in itÂs self would be a bad thing as the wise one put them here for a reason.
It doesnÂt bother me one darn bit to let the little fellers crawl on me.
They do have the most remarkable shades and patterns of green, (My favorite color).
I donÂt ever use seven when the HornÂs are about and the (only) reason I use it is for the hoppers.
You are right about the mater plants and those catÂs I look at it like this.
If you donÂt want kids around donÂt put up a candy store, we want our candy so were just going to have to come to a mutual agreement some how.
All of my friends will tell you that if I say I will do something, itÂs a pretty sure fire bet that it will happen.
I do like to make folks happy and knowing that I made some ones day and put a smile on a face is reward enough for me.
Thus the reason for my light hearted posts; you have to take them with a grain of salt.
I guess I showed a little more of my self than necessary but I not doing this over.
You know how to get in touch so youÂre welcome to knock any time.

Worth

Sorry thats Tomato Worm not Horn Worm.
Same thing.

Worth

Cool, Worth. I like to make peace between our native Lepidoptera and gardeners. I asked a while back if planting cilantro really did work. I think if it does, it will be the best way to build that bridge between us and insects. if hornworms only stayed on their side of the fence, no one would ever have incentive to kill them. they are large, high-profil insects which have big appetites. If you think a hornworm is voracious, try feeding out some Cecropia or Polyphemus cats! Sheesh! Cecropias get nearly 5" and a Poly is only 4' at the longest, but thicker and heavier than a tobacco worm.
Well, Carolyn posted how cilantro does not always work. Maybe even mere coincidence. I have NO cilantro and still NO hornworms at all! Last year, I regularly combed my neighbor's tomato plants and found only 6 or 7 larvae--all of which were parasitized by the dreaded tachinid fly. This fly [an introduced species, has not only taken a huge toll on sphingids, but has been responsible for the extinction of a few saturniids and is still taking a huge toll on existing species!
My neighbor told me just 30 years ago, hornworms were everywhere. I can believe it. Nature is out of whack and the virtual local extinction of the beautiful Io moth only proves it! I used to find Io's like you find hornworms--30 some years ago. I always reared Io's every summer. Now, I haven't even seen a wild Io in 15 years!
Yes, hornworms are quite pretty. Not as ornate as our sat cats, but remarkably designed and strategically camouflaged. Green, the color of most plants, caterpillars and even some birds--is also my favorite color. Another hornworm and non-pest, is the ash sphinx, also found in Austin, and the ofen colorful white-lined sphinx.
Unfortunately, disease, not insects, has destroyed much of my crop and if I don't get hornworms soon, I'm just going to abort about half of my plants!

Tomato Worm, i enjoy yo posts, an feel like Worth does, i'd be happy to at least re-locate a catapillar, instead of killin it, if i knew it was endangered. But thats the Problem. Why dont you modify yo web page, here, and show, say..maybe the 2 or 3 different species you lookin for, provide a picture, so that a gardener could Know. Tell in a Photo, what is in declining occurrence. Also, if one needed to re-locate a Horn Worm, what kinda plants/vegetation would suit it best, to be re-situated in ?

Tomato Worm,

I'll be glad to send you some hornworms when I start seeing them. I generally feed them to the chickens, so rarely Bt them. Other than daconil, BTs are pretty much my thing....so that means I'll have lots of hornworms. Got 20 in a day last year. I've seen the moth here...I don't think it's attractive, but I love our smaller sphinxes.
Anyway, write me instructions on shipping hornworms, ok?

Gimme, I don't believe our Manduca quinquemaculata [tomato worm] is endangered. It's just harder to find in most gardens as it seems to have stayed on its side of the fence, preferring weeds and wildflowers as a host, rather than cultivars. When I say "weeds" I'm referring to plants like Carolina horsenettle and black nightshade, both of which are classified as "noxious" by certain states. If you want to relocate hornworms safely, please find any plant in the nightshade family except bullnettle or buffalobur. Hornworms can't survive on the spiny plants and become impaled. The hornworms that get on tomato, pepper, eggplants and related plants--must have any member of the nightshade family.

Cat, I'll send you an e-mail.