What is eating my garden? - Ask Extension
There is something eating almost all of the plants in my raised beds, as well as some of my perennials. It is effecting- tomatoes, rhubarb, basil, d...
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What is eating my garden? #648588
Asked June 09, 2020, 9:35 PM EDT
There is something eating almost all of the plants in my raised beds, as well as some of my perennials. It is effecting- tomatoes, rhubarb, basil, dill, delphinium, watermelon, brussel sprouts, to name a few. It is not eating my strawberries, cilantro, parsley, raspberries or blackberries. The herbs are eaten to bare stems. The tomatoes are effected on the lower leaves but seem to be making a comeback now that they are taller. I tried a mild soap and water spray that didn't work. I included some pictures of tomato leaves.
Boulder County Colorado
Expert Response
Greetings and thank you for your questions regarding insect damage!
We appreciate the pictures of your tomato leaves as well. It looks like this could certainly be an insect issue.
If possible, could you please describe and/or include pictures of any insects you see on or near the plants you mentioned above? It often helps to look around these plants at dusk or even after dark with a flashlight. If we can narrow down the insect(s) for certain, it will make treatment options going forward a little more precise.
I've additionally included a few links to some of our fact sheets pertaining to insect control:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/insect-control-horticultural-oils-5-569/
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/insect-control-soaps-and-detergents-5-547/
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/the-preparation-of-small-spray-quantities-of-pesticides-7-615/
We sincerely hope this is helpful and feel free to reply with further information at your convenience!
We appreciate the pictures of your tomato leaves as well. It looks like this could certainly be an insect issue.
If possible, could you please describe and/or include pictures of any insects you see on or near the plants you mentioned above? It often helps to look around these plants at dusk or even after dark with a flashlight. If we can narrow down the insect(s) for certain, it will make treatment options going forward a little more precise.
I've additionally included a few links to some of our fact sheets pertaining to insect control:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/insect-control-horticultural-oils-5-569/
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/insect-control-soaps-and-detergents-5-547/
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/the-preparation-of-small-spray-quantities-of-pesticides-7-615/
We sincerely hope this is helpful and feel free to reply with further information at your convenience!
Here are some pics of bugs on my plants, although there weren’t that many last night.
Thank you for the pictures - unfortunately, they are not very clear and there is no size indication on the images. I am going to refer you to a publication that we have on problems with tomato plants and I hope that helps.
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/recognizing-tomato-problems-2-949/
Sincerely,
Molly H
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/recognizing-tomato-problems-2-949/
Sincerely,
Molly H
