It's a bit late for this solution but I sowed borage seeds last fall because it's said the plant repels hornworms. So far so good in my garden but all my tomato plants are done now. Peppers are going strong but the borage is history in the heat so I'm not sure how that's going to work. Maybe I should sow a fresh crop of borage. Duh!

They have been a serious problem for me as well and I've done LOTS of research. Most solutions I found recommended 1) row covers to keep the moth from laying her eggs; 2) picking them off when you see them; or 3) get chickens.

Last summer my garden was so infected with these buggers that I just started watching for the poop [evidence!!] and damage to the branches. I cannot touch them like you or my hubby can.....I would just go screaming like a girl for hubby. That got old....fast. If I saw damage beginning I would get a small plastic container, like a qt yogurt container, my snippers and just snip the bugger into the container. Dumped in the alley for the birds.

Good luck!

I've exterminated 12 so far , i did some research and i'm taking a black light out tonight to test the glow method. the worst thing it they turn into a ugly moth instead of a beautiful butterfly.

Actually they turn into a pollinating moth that some think attractive. Remember beneficial predators require their food be present to remain around your garden which means you have to be willing to tolerate some predation.

Most people do what you do, pluck them off when you find them. Chickens like em.

BTK works if you can't be around your garden all the time.

If you spot the below protect them (predator wasp cocoons)---I've been trying to spot some without success for my grape vine skeletinizer problem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=D7YIay0lIbI&NR=1

I have no idea what this is (fly?) but it is clearly a parasitizer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOlewbDxhB4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrZ2aWx1n8Y&NR=1&feature=endscreen

This post was edited by Fascist_Nation on Mon, Jun 10, 13 at 12:46

just got done using a black light out in the garden and they show up pretty well against the foliage. i only found one tonight but i will remain on the hunt with the black light to see if it stops.

your right and they have a built in toothpick right at the end of them.

Hah, fun thread, and a great pic. I get these hornworms in summer on my datura and ornamental tobacco/solanums and I mostly leave them alone. Since I do my tomatoes in winter/spring when there aren't many of these hornworms I don't have to deal with them much on my edible stuff.

That being said, Nation is right, Bt is a bacterium that is parasitic on caterpillars.. You can buy the brand Thuricide, mix it with some water and spray the foliage that the caterpillars are eating. They'll stop eating in a day or two and will die in about a week. It won't hurt bees, worms, beetles etc., it just kills caterpillars.

I do get them on ornamentals in the summer time--the lizards and the birds get a fair proportion of them, but in summer I let them do their thing. In tomato season it's a different story, hah!

Let us know what you do and how it works out!
Happy gardening!
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:406406}}

They're toxic, so I'm not sure that anything eats them in the caterpillar stage. A friend fed one to her chickens and the hen that eat it died within a few hours. Handpicking is said to be the only way to deal with them anyway. You'll develop an eye for them, as well as for the newly laid eggs.

Happy picking!

Wow i have that stuff and didn't read all the directions and stopped when it said it kills worms and didn't read the part where it says its safe for earthworms. talk about a Homer Simpson moment.

Me, a plastic bag and a thick pair of gloves. That's a natural predator. A hornworm can strip a pepper plant in a couple days and the first clue is a plant that looks stripped. I don't use a blacklight, a toothpick or any chemicals. I pry the nasty things off the plants, wrap them in the plastic bag, tie it 2-3-4 times and bury it in the dumpster. Then I fix a nice strong drink and compliment myself on my bravery, lol.