JACKSON — I’m not squeamish. I’ve live-trapped raccoons, dispatched woodchucks and dealt with a variety of predators in the process of raising sheep, poultry and other livestock. I once walked around the corner of the turkey house and nearly bumped into a bear.
But looking eye to eye with a tomato hornworm invariably gives me pause. Hornworms are grotesque, in size, form and their capacity for destruction. Left unchecked, they can lay waste to tomato plants in short order.
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(2) comments
I enjoyed the article about "Bugs we love", but want to correct one error. Hummingbird Clearwing Moths (Hemaris thysbe) are indeed a type of hornworm, but are not the big green hornworms found on tomato plants which are Tomato and Tobacco Hornworms (Manduca sexta and M. quinquemaculata). Hummingbird Clearwing caterpillars eat Viburnums and honeysuckle and snowberry. So, I will continue to hunt down the voracious tomato and tobacco hornworms and feed them to my chickens.
Excellent article! This is one that I will print out and keep as a valuable resource. Other great sources of information include the Pollinator Partnership, the National Wildlife Federation, Gardener’s Supply website, and others.
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