I have a (previously) healthy tomatillo plant in a container on my deck. Something is eating it. There are some sets of very small yellow/yellow-orange eggs on the undersides of the leaves. Each set has about 8-12 eggs, laid right next to each other in rows. Once those hatch, they turn into dark brown bugs that a) are a bit slimy and b) sit on the underside of the leaves in groups and eat the leaves. I don't see the brown bugs moving at all. They are about 1/8 inch in length.
I've tried spraying diluted Dr. Bronner's soap on them. That appears to kill them but new ones keep coming back to the plant. Any suggestions? Any idea what they are?
I just noticed these today. I just removed the affected leaves. Problem is, the tomatillo is so full that it's impossible to check every leaf. I just hope I can keep it under control.
I'm curious, anyone have an idea what these eggs are?
I've just reminded myself that Cuke/ squash beetles will munch on tomatillo....so those eggs could either be those of ladybugs OR the pests. As long as you have clear indications that they are eating the foliage, then I'd say you should get rid of the eggs.
