Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Found 4 hornworms so far. This is the smallest one I have ever been able to find!!
Tobaccofieldsforever 2022 Grow Log
- Thread starter Tobaccofieldsforever
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That one is only a day or two beyond hatching from its egg.
Bob
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
They are BAD this season! Already found 10 of them just looking at my plants casually…
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Make that 12…
My hornworms are 3 weeks past their delivery date for my typical first wave. I have not sprayed BT yet. So far, I have found 1 egg, and 4 or 5 tiny hornworms. I've been wondering who swiped them. Thank you, Ohio. My typical second wave should start up in the next week or so.
Bob
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Took a walk to look at my plants this morning. Found 11 more hornworms in a matter of minutes! That bigger one did some damage to a 609 leaf!!
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Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Can anyone tell me what these are? Some sort of egg or cocoon?? Found in underside of tobacco leaves.
I've never been able to identify those teardrop eggs. I see some every season. I just pluck them off. I have not associated them with any leaf damage.
Bob
Bob
skychaser
Well-Known Member
What's a horn worm? Never seen one here. Looks like something I would take fishing. 
For hornworms, return on investment is rather poor in the far northwest.
Bob
Bob
skychaser
Well-Known Member
All the hornworm farms went bust back in the 90's. Just wasn't any interest in them here. I did find some once on my tomatoes 25 years ago that escaped a farm. Plucked them off and fed them to my chickens. Never seen one since. We do have Sphinx Moths here though. Just not the evil kind that you lucky guys get to do battle with their offspring.
I saw this guy a couple days ago. It was HUGE! That's a 2"x6" it's sitting on.
Polyphemus Moth
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Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Well, I have plenty! Just found 29 MORE!! I am keeping them in a container, feeding them suckers until they are large then feeding to my chickens…maybe I’ll try bait…my grand total so far is 57!!
Are you using BT?
Bob
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
No. I try not to use any chemicals as a rule of thumb because it is pretty much the main reason I got into growing my own tobacco. Avoiding chemicals and additives etc… I don’t know much about BT though and I assume it is relatively safe to humans? I just may have to this season…
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
@deluxestogie when you prime the bottom leaves of a basma type oriental, what do they generally look like? A yellowing of the tip of the leaf seemed to be the indication based on the chart I saw. Also, do you then put them directly into the sun or wilt them in the shade first? I had some issues with flash drying green on some prilep bottom leaves and I wasn’t sure if I had primed them too soon or put them in the sun too quickly. The first priming was put into the sun straight away and is doing great but I primed about another layer up and set them out and had quite a bit of flash drying.
BT is not a chemical. It is a suspension of Bacillus thuringiensis, which gives any caterpillar a tummy ache. It affects no other insects or insect stages—just caterpillars. It is rated as "Organic" by the USDA. The bacilli die in the sun, after a week or so, and requires weekly spraying. It's only slight hazard to mammals (and humans) is if you directly inhale the spray as it comes out of the bottle.
There are essentially two ways to handle significant hornworm infestations (which tend to come in 3 waves each season, about 3-4 weeks apart). You can hand-pick and hand squish them, or you can do a weekly spray of BT. I used to do the former. I have instead sprayed with BT over the past few years.
For priming Oriental bottom leaf, I wait until the leaf has mostly yellowed on the plant—removing them only to prevent wind and rain damage, then string and hang them in the sun. I do not wilt them in the shade first. For all but the bottom leaf of Orientals, I stalk-cut them, and hang the entire stalks directly to sun-cure. From these hanging stalks, I pluck off the leaves individually, as they complete color-curing, and accumulate the plucked leaves in a bushel basket in my curing shed. Sun-curing usually requires about 3 weeks.
Bob
There are essentially two ways to handle significant hornworm infestations (which tend to come in 3 waves each season, about 3-4 weeks apart). You can hand-pick and hand squish them, or you can do a weekly spray of BT. I used to do the former. I have instead sprayed with BT over the past few years.
For priming Oriental bottom leaf, I wait until the leaf has mostly yellowed on the plant—removing them only to prevent wind and rain damage, then string and hang them in the sun. I do not wilt them in the shade first. For all but the bottom leaf of Orientals, I stalk-cut them, and hang the entire stalks directly to sun-cure. From these hanging stalks, I pluck off the leaves individually, as they complete color-curing, and accumulate the plucked leaves in a bushel basket in my curing shed. Sun-curing usually requires about 3 weeks.
Bob
furryfreek
Well-Known Member
Oops
. Last time I finished spraying BT I opened the pressure release valve while leaning over and got a face full. I'm pretty sure it's fine though. The only definite conclusion I've been able to draw from studies on the health effects of BT is that hay fever sufferers get hay fever. Most BT formulations do contain some other chemicals — wetting and sticking agents. I think they're fairly benign too but I believe there is some concrete evidence of some of those potentially being harmful (i.e. occupational exposure, allergic reactions.)
There are different strains of BT for instance Aizawai, israelensis or kurstaki!
Which one should bei used?
