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Tue, Jul 31, 12 at 15:33
| I believe this is ant damage, I just moved into this house (and garden) and the ants are terrible here. The damage is on tomatoes and tomatillos mostly. I'm thinking of trying cedar oil as a repellant. Any other organic suggestions? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| here is a photo of the tomato damage |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 31, 12 at 17:03
| i have never been to Ark.. and God knows what kind of things live down there .. lol but here in MI.. ants are usually.. what lures me to the culprit ... they are usually farming the honeydew from an assortment of bugs ... yeah.. its disgusting.. when you think about it.. lol ... i presume you find nothing on the undersides??? and i doubt the tomato hole is ant ... have you looked at night?? ken |
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| Consider flea beetles. |
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| Not ant damage. Many people have been taught, wrongly, that ants are pests and need to be eliminated when for the most part ants play a major role in helping keep our planet habitable for us by recycling our garbage. Your ants may well be helping you keep the insect pests you have under control since they are known to be predators of many insect pests. |
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| tbs, are the ants that you see in your garden fire ants? The fact that you are from Arkansas drives that question. Anyway, fire ant damage to fruits, veggies, berries, buds, flowers, foliage, and even bark is well documented. BUT! The pictures you have shown us don't look at all like fire ant damage at all. I agree with the suggestion of flea beetles for all of that foliar damage. Not sure about the little hole in the fruit...I'd be tempted to cut it open and see if you can find the culprit. |
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| I agree that it looks like flea beetles. Google eggplant fleas and flea beetles. I have similar damage on my tomatoes, tomatillos, and eggplants. The culprit is a tiny black beetle. Check the leaves. They'll come back every year until you find a control method that works for you. Good luck! |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 12 at 17:04
| Incredible that you are able to leave your toms on the vine with color like that. No squirrels? |
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