Look at this caterpillar

[taherrmann4]

I was out taking a look at my vegetable garden and saw this caterpillar eating my tomatoes! It looks like there are eggs on its back.

 

[addy1]

The eggs are parasitic wasps, don't kill the caterpillar, it is already dieing and more wasps will be born to prey on others.

 

[j.w]

Wow, never saw anything like that before. Pretty interesting :regular_waving_emot

 

[addy1]

I get the tomato worms, saw the eggs last year on one, so read up on it. The wasp lays eggs on the worm/caterpillar a great fat host for them. So now I won't get rid of any of those worms with the eggs on them.


Parasitc Wasps (Braconid and Trichogramma) 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 below has just met his maker!

 

[koidaddy]

WOW! I get lots of those big green monsters but never had any with wasp larve. This one just finished cleaning off a green pepper plant. Sorry for the blurry second pic, but you get an idea of its size.

 

[jagan314]

I found one of those on my tomato's too.. I had NO idea until it moved.. It was GINORMOUS!!!! Apparently the moth flys at night to lay one of these buggers in your tomato plant.. It looks prehistoric with its horn.. My koi quite enjoyed it. lolz.

your's with the wasp larve.. EWWWWWWWW.. and yet cool.

 

[DrDave]

Fortunately, none have turned upon our tomatoes this year. I have seen some that big in prior years.