What is this thing?

**frugalfranny** · 06-10-2009, 02:16 AM

This thing is eating my plants....what is it? Gives a better color if you click it to enlarge it.......UGH.

**frugalwarrior** · 06-10-2009, 02:55 AM

If it were bright green I would say it was a tomato caterpillar. They make great bird feeder fare.

**Durgan** · 06-10-2009, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by frugalfranny

This thing is eating my plants....what is it? Gives a better color if you click it to enlarge it.......UGH.

Is this bug around the roots? Is it around most plants? An underside shot would help. Are they in large quantities? Is the bug hard to squash, meaning does it swell up like a balloon before bursting, when pressed?

My first thought is the European Crane Fly larvae, called
leatherjacket,, since it is in your area, but it is hard to tell from your photos.

**Missy** · 06-10-2009, 10:01 AM

I haven't any Idea what they are, but we have them here too. I pick them off (the kids love doing this) and feed them to the chickens and quail. If you don't have either, you could pick them off into an old coffee can filled part way with dish soap and water. Put the lid on and let em drown in there.

**frugalfranny** · 06-10-2009, 01:14 PM

It is a fairly fast moving caterpillar type bug......very soft bodied....squishes very easy. I will only find one at a time, not in groups. Have never found them close to anything..a pile or etc.... that would look like eggs. The same darker brown on the undersides. It was moving too fast when I was trying to photograph it to even count the legs. Oh...and....(knock on wood)...I haven't found them close to veggies....just other plants and in weed patches but maybe because my veggies are spaced out and it is too hot for them in those areas.

Think I will ask Durgan to take a look at it.....seems to be a 'garden buff'........hhheeeelllllppppp Durgan!!!

Between this thing.....the earwigs....and the slugs...I might as well just get a lawn chair and watch!

**NewLeaf** · 06-10-2009, 04:27 PM

It looks like something I have heard called a cut worm. Does it eat the leaves or cut the plant at the stem???? I'll ask dh about it.

**miss_thrifty** · 06-11-2009, 12:46 AM

yeahn we call them cut worms too. whren u first plant any kinds of small plants they eat the tender stocks. Ther are under ground right?
use broken egg shells. If u planting food- plant styrofom cups around the seedlings with bottom out, as the seedling get big enough cut and take off. it worked for me.

**frugalfranny** · 06-11-2009, 01:22 AM

Thanks gang........Durgan I googled the crane fly and read about it. Was at this site.. http://www.alaskapesticidesafety.org/cranefly150.pdf the picture of the larvae look a little like it but it is hard to tell from their pic too. Sounds like they are mainly in lawns. I know we get the 'over sized' mosquitoes about late July or Aug when the larvae hatch out.

I will have to do some more digging where I have found them. When I have found them I can't even tell which plant they have been on...not that the plants were lacking any holes but.....they were on the ground. I was blaming earwigs for the damage to my Bfly bushes but maybe it is these ugly things. Guess I will have to get out the diatomaceous earth powder...I hate using that stuff. Going to dig around first as the powder might just drive them to my veggies.

Also googled cutworm...this site...http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/cutworm.aspx I don't think it is a cut worm as it looks like the cutworm has little hairs on them and they cut the plant at the ground....these haven't done that at all. They eat leaves....and their preference is the fresh new TENDER leaves.

If I get any more and our master gardener place is open I might take it down there.