7/13/2023 0 Comments Stray dog new buffaloThey had stopped clicking and eating and if they were not already dead, they were paralyzed.Since then, the wasps have kept the hornworms in check. ![]() The next day all of the remaining hornworms were covered in the white eggs. I didn't remove the white-scaled worms because I wanted the wasps to grow up and multiply and eat all the hornworms they could. I've never been so excited about a parasite. At first I was like WTF kind of new devilry is this? Are they really aliens morphing into something else? I frantically tweeted the following photo to a friend and veteran organic grower who is knowledgable in pest ID. yikes? But good news! It turns out those white things are the eggs of a parasitic wasp that feed off of the juice of hornworms, which given the worms diet is basically tomato leaf juice. A closer look showed me it was a hornworm covered in white pellet looking things. I started spotting white things in between the leaves. After I realized the worst they could do to me is click, I had took off the gloves. By the time evening started to roll around, my hands were coated in a sticky green film of tomato resin.Then something happened that I didn't expect. I abandoned my afternoon plans (garlic harvesting) to take out as many hornworms as I could. =/ Just when I thought I got them all, I would hear and spot more. They side-eyed the worms and made suspicious sounds in reaction to the clicking of the hornworms and ultimately didn't touch the things. I collected piles of the hornworms and threw them into the chicken coop thinking the hens would be overjoyed. As a chemical-free farm, it was my only defense against them and my last hope of saving the tomatoes. I put on a pair of gloves (because they look gross and a little like aliens) and started hand picking them off into piles as fast as I could. They blend in so well it was hard to see them but their clicking betrayed them. Almost every leaf or fruiting stem was bent with one hanging on and chewing away. The worms eat so much so fast that if we didn't do something in a matter of hours the entire crop of tomatoes-about 130 plants-would be destroyed.They were everywhere. ![]() Then I realized the severity of the problem. I followed the sound to a giant ugly horn worm that was using the sound to scare off predators, maybe? I shook more of the leaves and heard many more eerie clicks as if answering in chorus. If you haven't seen one, they are big fat green worms with a red "horn" on their back end.One day I was harvesting cherry tomatoes for lunch and heard a distinct clicking sound, like something out of an alien movie. For instance, just last month we were invaded by tomato hornworms. As organic growers, sometimes you can feel helpless when pitted against thousands of tiny insects. We planted lots of kale and cherry tomatoes, which soon came under attack by a number of pests. ![]() Chris McGrane and Minehaha Forman operate the farm with hired help from the neighborhood and some volunteer help from fellow City Commons growers.Chris McGrane Minehaha Forman Joseph Wiley -Farm hand and neighbor This year we almost doubled the size of our growing space and got a 70'X30' hoop house to extend our growing season. That means almost everything we do is with shovels, wheelbarrows and hands and not with machinery. Meet the farmers: While 3/4 of an acre may not seem like a lot of space, it takes an incredible amount of work to keep it in production at hand scale. ![]() We grow a wide variety of crops, including cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard, kale, and carrots. About the farm: Started in 2010, Buffalo Street Farm is now a 3/4 acre growing space in Northeast Detroit. And we at Buffalo Street Farm and City Commons want to fill you in on some happenings and thank all of our members for their season long support that helps us realize our passion for providing fresh, local, organically grown food while transforming vacant lots in our immediate neighborhood. You know what's in the box, but what's going down on the farm? A lot.
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