Thanks for the responses. Yes, that is damage from one worm - I found it on the fruit - but that fruit is only marble-sized at this point. I suspected OFM myself, but noted these differences: 1) My worm is quite a bright green color - all web pix I've seen show OFM larva cream to pale yellow. 2) I didn't see the three protruding pairs of black legs on any picture of the OFM larva. 3) Web info says the OFM larva bores into the fruit and leaves only a small hole outside. My worm eats away at the outside only. This thing is only nuisance level at this point - hoping it doesn't get out of hand. I'm sure the BT spray wouldn't hurt. Anybody see OFM larva look/act like this? Or other ideas?

Boy, that sure looks like snail damage to me, Tom. Especially the top photo. Can you see any slime trails on the trunk or leaves? It also could be earwigs. They can do some significant damage to early stone fruit, too. Sluggo Plus will take care of both snails and earwigs, and it's safe to use (organic). It is a combination of iron phosphate and Spinosad. I've included a good site I often use to try to identify pests for my fruit and ornamentals. The link is specifically for plums/prunes, but there are links to all the stone/pome fruits, citrus, berries, grapes, nuts, etc. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: UC IPM: Pests in the Garden - Plums & Prunes

With a few exceptions, it's often hard to identify the right bug by the damage they do and correctly give you an action to take. Best would be to go out at night with a flashlight and take a look when they are feeding. You may have to make more than one trip after dark, but trust me, you can be very surprised in the activity after dark in your garden. There's 'stuff' in my own I never dreamed was there, and no wonder the slug deterrents I'd put out weren't helping when I had climbing cutworms :) Let us know....

Never saw a hornworm in 26 years growing tomatoes, that is until year 27. Didn't even know what one looked like and had never heard of them before either. Year 27 was last year and anyone who wonders how quickly they can destroy a tomato plant, trust me, it doesn't take very long. This was a tiny tim on Monday. 14 inches tall. It rained all day Tuesday, so was not outside to check anything or even see anything that was going on. Same tiny tim 9AM Wednesday morning. There was nothing but a few stems left and a couple of tomatoes. Luckily though, there was enough left in the season, half of August and all of Sept. for regrowth and toms before the frost set in. regrowing tiny tim This was on the other side of the yard, so none of the other tomato plants where affected, but trust me, i was going through those plants with a flashlight several times a day looking for any sign of them and found none. By the way, those hornworms measured 4 inches long and there where 2 of them on that poor little plant. So far this year no sign of them. A question though. My grandparents had a summer veggie and flower farm and my grandfather always swore by companion planting of marigolds and tomato plants. He always had marigolds surrounding his tom plants. and he had at least 150 tomato plants. I've always done the same thing when I plant them in the ground and when I use pots for the toms, I always plant a small growing marigold in the pot, right at the edge of the plant. I've never had an insect problem before in now 28 years of growing my toms, until last year. That one tiny tim didn't have a marigold in the pot with it, all the others had marigolds surrounding them and in pots with them and they never got any hornworms. Does anyone think that the marigolds help to keep the hornworm away or was last year just a coincidence and I've just been lucky all these years? Fran