Growing-Grapes.org

If your growing grapes these tomato hornworms are not your friend. Four large caterpillars took one of my grapevines down to the ground practically over night in 2010. If you have a lot of foliage it’s been said you can let a few survive and become a beneficail pollinator called a spinx moth. The spinxmoth is a very large and pretty moth. Found this online: The caterpillar reaches the final instar in 3-4 weeks, and is 3 1/2 to 4 inches when fully mature. Fully-grown larvae then drop off of the plants and burrow into the soil to pupate. During the summer months, moths will emerge from pupae in about 2 weeks. Moths emerge from the soil, mate, and then begin to deposit the eggs of the next generation on tomato plants. By early fall, the pupae will remain in the soil all winter and emerge as a moth the following spring. www.vegedge.umn.edu