IT'S WAR.... AND I DON'T LOSE AT WAR

I had just finished harvesting what is to date a record amount of tomatoes, when I spotted one of these little bastards. I quickly grabbed a stick, flung him off the tomato branch and let him become intimately familiar with a size 9.5 sandal.
I then started watering, and the scoundrel didn't come here alone. I spotted 4 more, and killed those sons of the devils too.
I can't wait to get home and kill more, and spray. Spray soapy water, or something organic to kill them all.

KILL. DIE. DIE DIE DIE YOU SCUM.

ABOUT MY ENEMY:
Larvae of the Manduca quinquemaculata grow quickly to a relatively large size of 3 to 5" long, and can devour young dill, eggplant, pepper, potato, tobacco, datura, petunia, and tomato plants in one to two days (the speed at which major damage can occur often takes gardeners by surprise). Tomato Hornworms can also damage young fruit on eggplant, pepper, and tomato plants causing decay or hard spots which can make the fruit unharvestable.

Control

<Hand picking tomato hornworms then squishing them is very effective.

1. Look for tomato hornworms on the foliage of tomato plants. They are very difficult to spot. One way to find them is to look for the black excrement on the tops of the leaves, then look at the set of leaves above. Usually the caterpillars are right in view, but their effective camouflage makes them very hard to see.

2. Pick the caterpillars by hand and squash underfoot if you have the stomach for this kind of grisly work.

3. Spray Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) while the problem is still in the caterpillar state. Bt is a bacteria that is safe to use on food crops and very effective in the control of caterpillars.

4. Purchase parasitic wasps, which will lay eggs on the tomato hornworm caterpillar. The wasp eggs hatch and the young feed on the caterpillar. (Parasitic wasps are not harmful to humans.)


DON'T MESS WITH ME, SICK INSECT SCUM