[Jeanieblue]

Am quite scandalised. Found large green caterpillars munching on my outdoor plum tomatoes. Didn't realise cabbage whites were into global village cuisine!  Drat and double drat!  Has anyone else ever had this problem? And if so, what can I do .... for next time? Don't want to use chemicals if I can help it, but if growing organic means growing to feed little green critters .. well...  !

[gillie]

I have suffered in the past from large green caterpillars on my greenhouse tomatoes.  They are difficult to spot.  I don't think they are Cabbage Whites - some other  moth/butterfly.

I used a biological control called Bacillus thuringiensis but I don't think it is still available.

Gillie

[pushrod]

suspect it is a moth as well - you need to be vigilant, regularly inspecting leaves for damage. They are usually on the underside of the leaves. Squish them when they are small.

[mumofstig]

It's the first year ever that I've found caterpillars on my tomatoes....in the greenhouse 
Never heard of such a thing.....until this year
Tomatoes always seemed quite pest free apart fron whitefly, but now i know better.
Blight, virus and now on the few that survived that lot..........caterpillars

[Jeanieblue]

  Thanks for the replies. Tomatoes are still green so have picked them all to cut my losses. Still have chutney from last year, but I know someone who can use them up!

[Goosegirl]

I've seen two of those giant green caterpillars thanks to my feral kittem Martha who brought them into the house - bless her! Love to know what they are - I suspect some sort of moth.

[Terrier]

Same here, first time I've had toms attacked by 'pillers. They may be the same ones that are eating my greenhouse grown aubergine leaves. They obviously don't like peppers or chilli as they havn't munched those 

[Paul Plots]

Almost certainly a moth.... I think that next year I will put netting over the windows and doors of the greenhouse to keep the flitter-things out.

This year I used a small, dry paint-brush (reading specs) and a half-hour to go through the greenhouse flicking them into a jam-jar - later the scene was not pleasant but they had to go!  It stopped the damage so I think I got almost all of them! 

I wondered if flicking the garage light on (and because it's on the same wiring) the light in the greenhouse had helped attract the moths - most fly around dusk and are attracted to light...  :blink:

[Tattyanne456]

I've had bad problems with caterpillars on my toms and peppers every year for about four years!! This year, although a bit late I have finally got my act together and bought some fly screen mesh, just very fine black netting from the bay! Very cheap it was too, I got some for the doors and windows cos I tend to leave them open all the time throughout the summer! So next year hopefully......

[Paul Plots]

I've had bad problems with caterpillars on my toms and peppers every year for about four years!! This year, although a bit late I have finally got my act together and bought some fly screen mesh, just very fine black netting from the bay! Very cheap it was too, I got some for the doors and windows cos I tend to leave them open all the time throughout the summer! So next year hopefully......

What size mesh and how did you fix it in place - I need to do the same. 

[Tattyanne456]

I've had bad problems with caterpillars on my toms and peppers every year for about four years!! This year, although a bit late I have finally got my act together and bought some fly screen mesh, just very fine black netting from the bay! Very cheap it was too, I got some for the doors and windows cos I tend to leave them open all the time throughout the summer! So next year hopefully......

What size mesh and how did you fix it in place - I need to do the same. 

It was a very fine mesh, black in colour. I've fixed it around the frame with the little things that twist into the groove in the aluminium frame. Really easy to do. They do provide you with a roll of adhesive tape in each box that you can cut to fit if you would rather do it that way. I think I only paid a couple of quid for each that included P&P

[Cheshire Phill]

I too have had this problem on greenhouse toms, brown and green pillars, they look like Hebrew Character moth pillars to me...

Anyway, they have pretty much munched everything, peppers, toms, aubergines, the lot, depite daily squishings.

I did notice a "fly screen door kit" in my local Aldi last week, which had mesh, fixings and also velcro strips to cover the door, seemed OK at £2.99 so think I'll get one of these and try for next year. Not sure what to do about the auto-open window though!?

Also, do you need the door open for some insects, i.e. bees to pollinate your flowers of toms, peppers etc. etc. or can you keep everything out??

Phill

[Paul Plots]

As far as I know you don't need mini-beasts to pollinate tomatoes - just give the stems a tap now and then to encourage the pollen to spread.... not sure about the peppers & aubergines..... but I'd be surprised if they did need bugs to help. Can't see commercial growers inviting the hordes into their greenhouses!! 
Fly-screen sounds a very sensible precaution for next year - quicker & cheaper in the long run than losing fruit and hunting with a thin paint-brush and jam-jar for collecting the pests! 

[xandra3004]

Hi all

I have been reliably informed that these little devils are the Tomato Moth Lacanobia oleracea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) some pics of the caterpillars can be found here:

http://images.google.co.uk/images?rlz=1C1CHMB_en-GBGB311GB311&sourceid=chrome&q=tomato+moth&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=HA2iSsLGFuKj4gaWw9zvCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

Essentially they can be brown or green with a bright yellow stripe down each side of the body.

Netting will not help I am afraid as they over winter in the soil of your greenhouse/polytunnel (the chrysalis's are hard and red and easily missed in the soil) so they hatch out as moths right under your plants and lay eggs which turn into the caterpillars.  The best solution is to watch out for the chrysalis when you are digging your soil and then just be vigilant and pick off the 'pillars as you see them.

These little things got the part of my tomato crop that blight didn't affect 

[Yorkie]

Thanks for that info xandra3004 and welcome to the site 

sorry to hear about your toms 

Not one of mine has turned red yet, but at least they are still there at the moment