Tomato is the most popular plant to grow in a greenhouse. With constant care you can enjoy tomatoes from June until October. However, tomatoes are ideal hosts for a variety of pests and diseases. Also, some animals can treat themselves to juicy tomato fruits too.
So, what is eating tomatoes?
Both animals and pets eat tomatoes:
Animals: deer, birds, squirrels, raccoons are eating tomatoes. Animals don’t eat entire tomato fruit, they just take a bite out of each tomato. However, sometimes animals can eat entire tomato. Also, it is very common for animals to steal unripe green tomato fruits.
Pests: Cutworms, Hornworms, Colorado Potato Beetle, Stink Bugs, Spider Mites, Aphids, Flea Beetles, Nematodes, Whiteflies, Slugs, Beet Armyworms eat tomatoes. Although pests usually eat the surface, they can eat all the way through the tomato fruit.
What is eating my tomatoes at night?
Hornworms.
These large green or brown caterpillars with ridged bodies and horn-like tails, 2-3 inches long with little horns on the head. Hornworms come out at night and eat tomato by tunneling into fruit and stems.
Also, they decimate all the leaves off the plant. In one night hornworms can destroy mature tomato plants. It is hard to spot them because they resemble tomato plant stems or branches.
What is eating my tomatoes in the greenhouse?
Although greenhouse shelters tomato plants unlike growing in the garden when they are exposed to a lot of pests and animals, some pests find their way into greenhouse structure.
Slugs are eating tomatoes in the greenhouse. They hide under rubbish and decaying vegetation. The first signs of slugs eating tomatoes are irregular holes in the leaves and tell-tale slime tracks.
What is eating holes in my tomatoes?
Tomato fruitworms tunnel into tomatoes and eat holes through the tomato fruits. If you cut the tomato with holes in half you will see a slimy, watery cavity full of skin castings and feces. Fruitworm caterpillars of many types eat holes in tomato about the diameter of a cigarette.
The sign that tomato plants is affected by fruitworms is holes in the leaves which you can spin together. Moreover, caterpillars can eat shallow or deep holes in tomatoes. Fruitworms or slugs usually eat holes in the sides or top of the fruit.
Can you eat tomatoes with holes in them?
Whether you can eat tomatoes with holes depends on what causes holes in them. If there are cigarette sized holes in the side or top of the tomatoes, these are caused by fruitworms and you can’t eat them. In a meanwhile you can eat tomatoes with holes in them if the holes are dry and result from the healed wounds.
Do rats eat tomatoes?
Rats eat tomatoes and are common garden pests. Rats eat tomato fruits right off the plants. You can tell that rats eat tomatoes if you see their tracks and droppings around tomato plants. To stop rats from eating tomato fruits place rat traps and repellents around the plant.
Do snakes eat tomatoes?
Snakes do not eat tomatoes as they all are carnivores. However, if you saw a snake hiding in the tomato plants, it might be hunting on an animal eating tomato plants like a rat.
Do possums eat tomatoes?
Possums eat tomatoes, generally speaking they eat any fruit or vegetable they can find. Although possums don’t eat tomatoes on the vine, they can get them off the vine. The best way to keep possums away from eating tomatoes is to set up a wire netting around the plants.
Do skunks eat tomatoes?
Skunks eat both plant and animal matter. Generally, they are not picky about what they eat and, yes, skunks eat tomatoes. If you live in the area where you get raccoons, possums and skunks, any of them can treat themselves to delicious tomato fruits.
Do squirrels eat tomatoes?
Most of the time squirrels eat a part of the tomato fruit and don’t touch the rest. However, occasionally squirrels can eat an entire tomato fruit. Squirrels do steal tomatoes from the garden and take away unripe green tomato fruits.
Do chipmunks eat tomatoes?
Chipmunks eat tomatoes as well as berries and other fruits and vegetables you are growing in the garden. The best way to keep chipmunks from eating tomatoes is to cover the plants with heavy-duty netting. Alternatively, you can install wire fencing to keep chipmunks away from tomatoes.
How do I protect my tomato plants from animals?
Option 1 – use cages and bird netting to cover tomato plants. You can set up the cages of chicken wire fencing. Install them around every plant and cover with the bird netting on top. It will keep the small animals away from the tomato plants. Put the stakes on the bottom to hold the netting down.
Option 2 – use homemade hot pepper animal repellent. You can use hot pepper repellent spray for your garden. To make hot pepper animal repellent at home you will need:
- 2 cups of hot water
- 3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper powder
- 3 teaspoons of garlic pepper
- 3 teaspoons of all-natural detergent
- 2 tablespoons of mineral oil
How do you make homemade animal repellent?
Step 1 – grind dry red chili peppers to make 3 teaspoons of powder. Alternatively, you can use 3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper powder.
Step 2 – Add 3 teaspoons of pepper powder to a measuring cup with 2 cups of hot water.
Step 3 – Add 3 teaspoons of garlic pepper to the mixture.
Step 4 – Add 3 teaspoons of all-natural detergent to the mix.
Step 5 – Pour 2 tablespoons of mineral oil into the mixture.
Step 6 – If you used the grind chili peppers, filter the mixture first. Mix it well and transfer the mixture to the spray bottle.
Option 3 – use commercial animal repellents. There is a variety of commercial options to choose from. For example, all natural repellent spray or you can opt for a solar powered Diaotec Ultrasonic repellent.
