Coitus interrupted...

I hope these lubber-lovers appreciated their last seconds on my plumeria... I despise them--they hiss and spit as the pliers close around their noggins.

Dreadful beasts. Red of claw, indeed.

Tomato Hornworm caterpillar

Manduca quinquemaculata. I noticed the damage yesterday on my Goose Creek tomato, and meant to find the bugger, but got distracted. Today it continued its rampage until I found it. Though very large (more than two inches long), these caterpillars are very hard to find, since they so closely resemble a tomato leaf. I find them by gently shaking the plant -- the hornworm "leaf" weighs so much more that it continues to bob after I stop shaking.

Given how quickly tomatoes grow, the damage they cause is pretty minor. I let the kids decide -- bucket of soapy water, or happy home next to the Swallowtail caterpillars. The kids gave me pollice verso and he's now contentedly munching on some tomato suckers I pulled for his delight.

Tomato fruitworm damage

(photo from barbcoleus)

Collectively over at GardenWeb Florida Forum, we identified the little worm that's been damaging my tomatoes and eggplants: the Tomato Fruitworm Moth larva (Heliothis zea). The damage isn't severe, particularly this time of year, when the rains and humidity are low. But that damage would be a more serious issue in July. Organic control is good old reliable BT or Spinosad ( Monterey Garden Insect Spray). The Gardener's Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control indicates that Neem should work, too, presumably as an antifeedant.

The damage on my 'Little Fingers' eggplants seems less severe, presumably due to its thicker skin. The damage seems to have been inflicted over a fairly short duration, since new fruits are unaffected.