Caterpillars

The other day I was VERY disappointed to find caterpillars on my tomato plants. I am striving to keep my plants pesticide-free so I wasn't sure what to do. So I did a little Internet research. What I found out was very interesting (though some might find it a little gross).

Here is one of the"critters". They are actual the very common tomato horn worm. The can devastate tomato plants ( and other plants) by eating foliage and fruit.

The good news is that those white eggs are not caterpillar eggs but a type of Wasp larvae. Eventually the larvae will kill the caterpillars and grow in to more mature Wasps. Thus eradicating my caterpillar problem! Therefore it is recommended to leave the caterpillars alone (as long as they do have larvae) and let good ole' mother nature do her thing. This species of Wasp turns out to be very beneficial to the garden - they not only prey on caterpillars but also other crop destroying pests. So far, so good, no chemicals!

Here are the first few of my tomatoes. I had more but Jacob squashed them. :(