Im finding little balls attached to the undersides of my tomatoes and butternut squash plants. The eggs are slightly stuck to the leaves, but they will come off if you rub it. They will also burst if you squish it.
Who's eggs are these??
- Thread starter CrazyConure
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Those are caterpillar eggs. They could be one of many varieties of caterpillars and all bad for your plants.
I already removed all caterpillar eggs I found and just sprayed with spinosad and bt.
Are there beneficial bugs that eat caterpillars that I can attract?
Are there beneficial bugs that eat caterpillars that I can attract?
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Many beneficials eat eggs but I don't know how to attract them. Spraying eggs with Bt or spinosad won't do anything until the eggs hatch. You must use Neem
I used neem in the mix. Neem is always my base ingredient for all my mixes. I just wish I don't have to spray so much.
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Ants and wasps will eat them, that's what gets most of my caterpillar eggs in my garden. And if they hatch, there's a good possibility that a parasitic wasp will lay its eggs on the caterpillar, see third pic on this link http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/tomato-hornworms-in-home-gardens/
Personally, I'd leave the eggs and the caterpillars, their damage to plants are way over stated, at least in my experience.