Pictures?

Ok, my phone isnt that hot, but this is the best I could do.

BT spray will take care of them.

Hi and thanks!

After googling tomato hornworm, I do think that that is what they are. The pictures look near-identical.

If you can't stand to squish them, and aren't too squeamish, I put them in a baggie and then into the freezer. After that they can do in the trash. I used to do that when I had land snail problems, too. :)

Or toss them into the street and let the cars (or birds) do the dirty work for you!

Yup, definitely tomato hornworm caterpillar. They turn in to wonderful hummingbird moths, which I love. I let them do their thing on my daturas and tree tobaccos (they eat foliage of ANYTHING in the tomato/solanum family: tomatoes, potatoes, nicotiana, datura, brugmansia, eggplants, etc), and I relocate them off of plants I'm concerned about.

Like others mentioned you can pick and destroy, or relocate them, or spray them with Bt, a natural bacteria that is parasitic on them and kills them without hurting bees etc. You can buy it at any nursery or big box home improvement stores. Thuricide is a brand I keep handy just in case! Be sure to spray all of the foliage and follow directions. It takes a few days for the caterpillars to die, but they'll stop eating within a day.

Let us know what you do and how it works out. Good luck!

Grant

I had never seen they turn into hummingbird moths-although I guess all caterpillar/worm creatures do morph into something flying. Not a beautiful butterfly, but a very interesting moth. And I'm assuming, valuable for pollination.

Yes, I usually toss any grub or snail over my shoulder into an area with low vegetation (grassy). The birds watching me usually see what I am doing and make short work of it. Of course if you have chickens....

Turn into the moths that fertilize the saguaros. They're big ones. You've definately got horn worms. I find them in the weirdest places and I have no idea how full-grown ones find my potted peppers.

Another good way to keep them at bay is to pick off and dispose of any eggs you see on your plants. Little jade colored balls. Pick them off and throw them away. It will keep them from hatching on your plants and the birds from obsessively chomping on the leaves looking for the worms.

Marianne - yeah, they seem to go straight for my potted peppers too - leaving most other stuff alone.