BOOOOOO WHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

This Tomato Horn Worm has gotten FAT on my Roma Tomatoes in the last three days!!!!!!! I have waited all SUMMER long to finally have these babies on a plate with basil and fresh mozzerella and to my HORROR, this is what I found when I went to look at my little babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There were three that I could see with PILES of eggs at the base of my plant! What a complete disappointment. :-((( Now I know why I have to pay the big bucks to get produce in the grocery store! I would never be able to be a true "farmer"! Pam, if you are reading this and have some tomotoes, could you help out a sad friend????

These little buggers feed on leaves and stems of tomato plants. Ocasionally they will also eat the fruits later in the summer months. They also feed on peppers, eggplant and potatoes. They can defoliate a plant in just a few days. A bunch of them can spell disaster.
Control
1) Hand Pick:
(YUCK!) They are so big you cannot miss these guys. If you don’t want to touch them I recommend cutting them in half with the kitchen scissors. In the fall when you turn your garden pick out the pupae and destroy.

2) Introduce Parasitic Wasps:
Parasitc Wasps (Braconid Wasps) lay their eggs on the larva. If you see little white things on the worm don’t kill the worm, place it in a jar with a fresh leaf and keep feeding it until the wasps do their job. These are the cocoons of the wasp and their larva feed inside the host and will kill it. This guy has just met his maker!
3) Soap Spray:
Spray the undersides of the leaves with a soap mixture to kill the eggs at the first sign of seeing the moths. A hard spray of water will also help if your plants are strong enough. Wiping the eggs off with alcohol on a q-tip is effective.
4) Bt:
Use as directed on label.
5) Companion Planting:
Plant marigolds as they may be a deterrant. Marigolds Stink to a lot of different bugs.

So my friends, I am greiving over the loss of these things that I have cultivated! In THREE days....gone!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to take gasoline and light fire to the bastards! The only problem being, I'd probably light myself on fire too by mistake!