re: Caterpillars eating tomato leaves

quote:

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Bacillus thuringiensis

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This.

The caterpillars eat it. Their high pH stomach breaks down the crystal bond releasing the bacterial spores. The crystals bind to specific receptors in the gut causing it to tear and the caterpillars stop eating. This allows spores and normal gut bacteria to enter the body. This causes them to become septic and die. I’ve used this stuff for years with great results. Many people get impatient with it because they expect immediate results out of them. But the caterpillars usually take a few days to die. Good news is they do stop eating only hours after ingesting it. I find it a better long term solution to controlling caterpillars as opposed to contact poisons.