Are tomato worms dangerous to your garden? That’s a question I get asked a lot. The truth is, they’re not as dangerous as you might think. They can be a good addition to your existing gardening arsenal, but only if you use them properly. Tomatoes are by far one of the easiest plants to get rid of, but it does take some know how to do it properly.
First of all, don’t try to dig them up yourself. Even if you’ve already got a head full of dirt, that’s no guarantee that you’ll get the worm that’s causing all that trouble. I’ve been burying tomatoes for weeks with little success, and digging them up still doesn’t guarantee success. There are professional gardeners out there that will be able to tell you exactly where the worm is hiding in your soil. It might not be visible at first, but once they’ve done their job they’ll be able to tell you almost instantly.
Another thing you need to know about are tomato worm infestations is that you don’t have to use any chemicals to eliminate them. Sure, there are a few commercial products on the market that can help get rid of them, but those are mostly made up of harsh chemical agents. Unless you have access to some top-secret weapons of the highest order, those chemicals are probably going to be more trouble than they’re worth. And that’s the biggest thing – you don’t need any chemicals to get rid of them. Unless you’re allergic to them, you can safely use them to kill any and all tomato worms, and it won’t cost you a fortune to do so.
Of course, if you don’t want to resort to harsh chemicals, there are a few natural alternatives to get at the heart of the problem. For example, there are certain foods that have natural enzymes which can break down the worm. Eating they may do the trick in some cases, and there are some plants (such as onions) which are naturally digested by the pests. In this case, simply cut up the plant and eat the parts which are digested. If nothing else works, the onion is probably your last resort.
So, what can you do if you have a tomato worm infestation? Are tomato worms dangerous? Well, it depends. If you have one tomato plant, and it’s overrun by the little buggers, all you have to do is chop it up into little pieces. Then, just throw the chunks into your compost bin with the rest of your organic garden waste.
However, if you have a whole garden, and they are getting out of hand, you’ll have to take a more drastic approach. The first thing you’ll want to do is apply an insecticide to the whole garden, then move on to smothering the affected plants with a good broom. Continue to apply the insecticide for a couple of weeks, after which, just remove all of the affected tomatoes and place them in a sealed glass container. Just be sure to remember to put a sealable lid on it for a couple of months while you’re cleaning up.
Are tomato worm dangerous for kids? Yes, because they are so small little bugs, you can’t see them very easily. And, they will actually embed themselves into the skin of your tomato, feeding off the juices for a while until they get to the softer parts of the fruit. This is when kids get hurt. They may not get eaten, but they’ll get scratched and their fingers will become raw from the bug bites.
Are tomato worm dangerous for pets? Again, it all depends on the size of the bug. If you have a very large garden with lots of tomato plants, then yes, they could be a problem. But, with very little garden space, they would never even be an issue. So, if you have other pets at home, keep them far away from your plants until you have cleared your garden of these insects.