GROSS! Easy Way to Find Utah Pest Eating Your Food

I hate those nasty horn worms that show up on my tomato plants and eat all the leaves. These big, fat, light green caterpillars gross me out. I put on a thick pair of gloves, pull them off and step on them. The whole process gives me the ick. 

Not as Foul to Get Them When They are Small 

Once you see one horn worm, you know there are more. It’s also frustrating to lose half of the plant’s leaves when you finally realize they have invaded. It would be better to get them when they are still little and haven’t done as much damage. 

Something about that big fat worm squishing under my shoe stays in my mind. A much smaller worm wouldn’t give me the same sensation. Getting it that early is the best plan. The hard part is finding them when they are small. 

Black Light Reveals this Nasty Bug 

Just like with scorpions, shining a black light on your tomato plant will make the horn worm light up. Specifically, it is the white stripes going down the worms back that glow. A quick check with this light will help you spot them early. 

This makes the process much easier to find and remove horn worms before they get monstrous. In one video, the guy used garden shears to remove the front half from the back half of the worm. I’m not sure that is any less gross than stepping on them. 

Read More: "Killed my Plants," Avoid Colossal Garden Mistakes

There are small black light flashlights you can buy for less than $10 bucks. Get you one and start hunting bugs when the sun goes down.