Caterpillars Attacking Tomatoes and Tamarillos!! (forum)

Fruity Tootie starts with ...
Hi Guys. Does anyone have some suggestions for caterpillars? I have them eating up the beautiful foliage on my tamarillos and they are in each of my gloriously large tomatoes (but not the cherry tomatoes for some reason?) I tried home made garlic spray, tried eco oil and then today tried the tomato dust which I hadn't wanted to use but feel I have no choice?! Anyone able to help? Am feeling so depressed that you wait for this stuff to grow and then it gets abliterated in a number of days?! :( :(

Time: 16th November 2011 6:03pm

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About the Author Fruitie Tootie
Sydney
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peter says...
hi f/t
if there are too many c/pillars to pick
off by hand then get some dipel from
bunnings and follow the directions.
very easy and very affective.

Time: 16th November 2011 6:48pm

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au0rey says...
Right now the measures are bit late. Only can pick off those affected tomatoes or fruits and get rid of caterpillars by sight and hand. After clearing them up use nets which have holes that moths and butterflies won't be large enough to enter to net over tree and tomato bushes. You can drive bamboo stakes through ground and put net over, use clothes pegs to secure net onto stakes. Sometimes I even use double layer of netting.

These caterpillars are mostly moths coming to lay eggs at night. You can inspect under leaves to see if any more eggs are deposited and rid the leaves.

Time: 16th November 2011 7:11pm

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About the Author au0rey
melbourne
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Fruity Tooty says...
Thanks for your reply!am picking them by hand but feel like its a war and i am losing!will try your ideas though guys!

Time: 16th November 2011 10:24pm

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Wazzbat says...
I squirt my plants with the hose then look on the ground for the little green buggers. They are pretty easy to spot, even the little ones because they wriggle around on the ground.

The trick is to get the hose up underneath the foliage. I have slowly but surely got them under control on my tomatoes, chillis, basil and oregano.

Time: 17th November 2011 8:25am

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About the Author Wazzbat
Vic Park WA
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Fruity Tooty says...
Wazzbat thats great that you got them under control with a hose only..i pick them off then by the next day theres more..its so frustrating.realised my 'organic suburban farming' ideology is just not going to cut it.need to do something if i ever want to even see a ripe unaffected tomato!

Time: 17th November 2011 3:15pm

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