On wasp cocoons and those seed packets from China
GARDEN Q&A
I’ve dispatched a lot of tomato hornworms this year. Now one has eggs on its back (which I’ve never heard of ). Is this normal? I never seem to catch them until they denude entire branches and damage tomatoes. Will I get a hornworm population explosion next year?
Hooray for your tomatoes. Ouch for the hornworm. The rice-like objects you see are actually the cocoons of a tiny parasitic wasp, in the Braconid family, that laid its eggs inside this hornworm some time ago. Their larvae hatched out and have been eating your hornworm ever since — from the inside out. What a way to go.
The larvae migrated outside the hornworm and are currently in the rice-shaped cocoons metamorphosing into adult wasps. These beneficial wasps are good guys. Though the hornworm is big and still alive, it has stopped eating. A smart tactic is to leave infected hornworms like this on the plants and let the wasps emerge, so they can stop your hornworms’ buffet next year.
Green hornworms are so well camouflaged, a good way to spot them is be alert for their dark telltale droppings on leaves below their munching.
I read in the newspaper that people have been receiving mysterious unsolicited seed packets from China. I received a small package from China about two months ago. At first I thought it was seeds (pips, actually) I ordered, but they were supposed to be American and not from China. And, they didn’t look right, as I know what they should look like, so I planted them in a pot to verify what they were. What came up looks to me like another plant. There are other weird things about this. There was no indication that the package contained live plants, as required by law, nor was there a USDA approved stamp. The pips have not come into contact with soil in the ground. Should someone examine them to see if they contain viruses or bacteria? I was very careful not to touch them.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has responded to nearly 500 calls and emails in reference to people receiving unsolicited seeds from China. MDA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance office on this issue. All inquiries are being forwarded to them.
We are asking people to notify MDA via email: ppwm.mda@maryland.gov if they have received the seeds. If you have the seeds and packaging, including labels, please hold onto it. Do not dispose of it yet.
If the seeds have been planted in pots, stop watering them and set them aside. If they are in the ground, leave them alone for now. Further direction will come from USDA in the near future. You can follow this issue at: aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/news Search ‘unsolicited seeds.’
University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center offers free gardening and pest information at extension.umd.edu/hgic. Click “Ask Maryland’s Gardening Experts” to send questions and photos.