It is the time of year when everything is against tomatoes...too much rain (equals fungus) and heat and bugs. It is really the end of the season for tomatoes so it might be time to take the plant out.

I agree - mealybugs show up on weakened plants in my yard, not healthy ones.

Thanks for the input. Jay it is more oval and hairy. Laura what time of year is best for tomatoes in Florida?

Yep definitely a mealybug then. You can probably just crush and kill them. I've never had problems with them being the ones who killed a vegetable. Only pests that really destroy things for me in FL have been whiteflies which target even healthy plants in my experience.

(Also I might be in a different area of FL but if you keep your tomatoes from getting afternoon sun mine have always been fine, just thirstier, during the summer than the other seasons.)

Perfect! Thanks Jay. Yes the whiteflies are horrible- they descend in many of my healthiest plants and cause me a great deal of frustration. Thanks for the help!

Here's the University of FL's veggie gardening guide w/ a table of recommended planting dates...

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021

Thanks a lot carol!