Delisa posted on April 04, 2010 15:22
Photo of Tobacco Hornworm
You get up in the morning
You look all around
You know you are in trouble
Cause the cats are chowing down!
It can’t be denied that caterpillars love Brugmansia. One interesting fact is that the genus Brugmansia is a relative of the tomato. Both are from the family Solanaceae (sol-uh-NAY-see-ee). Therefore, it is not unusual to see brugmansia and the tomato being susceptible to the same pests and disease. Caterpillar pests shared by both include the Tomato Hornworm and Tobacco Hornworm similar as to often be labeled as the same hornworm. These hornworms are large and if not spotted early can quickly damage the foliage of a brugmansia. Although large it is easy to over look both since they are camouflaged by their green color and blend in with leaves.
Hornworm control, if you can touch them, may be met by simply picking the worms from the plant and tossing in a container of soapy water or should they have parasitic wasps’ eggs transfer to another spot where there will be no Brugmansia damage. Beneficial insects to use for hornworm control include green lacewings, wasps, and lady bugs. Natural insecticides, like BT Bacillus thuringiensis products, will kill caterpillars without harming pets and humans. Pryrethrins will kill hornworms fast but are more dangerous for use around animals and humans. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrin