This has been my first tomato growing experience. I have had no toruble at all since now and it has been a wonderful crop. However, whenever I cut open a tomato, I get to see these disgusting looking very small ( around 2mm) white worms swimming inside. Outside appearence of the tomato doesnot give any indication of this apart from the fact that if you look very carefully there are needle picked holes in them. Plese help me. what should I do about this?

-- chutta Ginige (chuuchan@hotmail.com), November 12, 2001

Answers

ust make tomato paste,, call it,,,, "with added meat"

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), November 13, 2001.

Stan, by any did you eat roly polys as a child?:~)!!! It sounds as if the tomatoes have some sort of fruit maggot. Like from a fruit fly or something. I looked through some of my gardening books and couldn't find anything with that description. I will keep looking unless someone finds the answer first. That is frustrating with your first tomato crop! Tomatoes do better if they are not planted by Corn or any type of cabbage family plant. They all have the same type of pests and they can go from one to the other. I always plant tomatoes by carrots, onions, or bush beans. There are several herbs that they like too, and Marigolds will help discourage pests.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 13, 2001.

Try www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/ They should be able to help you.

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), November 13, 2001.

Did you ever find out what those things were? You have me curious now! Hope that you figure it out and can wipe out the little critters!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 14, 2001.

No, Nan, I couldn't find anyone who could give me advise on this and I am thinking of pulling out all these tomato plants and planting some other vegetable all together. It is frustrating to see these fruits now. Do you think it is because of too much water? I put water twice a day and I feel that they need it.But somehow, nothing seems to work this time.

I am thinking of taking a sample to the University of Queensland pests and insectinstitute.

-- chutta Ginige (chuuchan@hotmail.com), November 14, 2001.

My 1st thought was tomato pin worms, (which I have had in my tomatoes) but I haven't been able to find my book with them listed, do they stay close to the core of the fruit? or out in the seeds? Are they long and slender or short and fat (if fat looking they are a pepper maggot) Any how, They are layed by a type of fly, If it is very bad, a bag made of remay type fabric will keep the flys away from the fruit.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), November 14, 2001.

Oh, I forgot to add that water would not contribute to the worms.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), November 14, 2001.

Do you suppose that you could get rid of the infected fruit and cover the rest of the blooms after they have set fruit. Maybe with panty hose? I know that sounds crazy, but it might work. cut up a pair of hose and wrap it around the fruit with twisty ties. What do you think Thumper? Old sheer curtains will work like remay too, but will need to be clothespinned down to the cage if you have them in one. I would sure hate for you to pull them up and have to start all over again. You must be somewhere other than Oklahoma. I live in Northeast Ok and we have lost our tomatoes for the year to a frost. If you are getting ready to have a frost it will be too late to save any this year.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 14, 2001.

Most of the egg laying happens in temperature cycles, if they lay eggs on the small green fruit the worms will eat most of it before it is ripe, if on almost ripe fruit there is less damage and they can be cut out, I think pantyhose would work, just make a bag by closing up the bottom of a 5 inch or so long piece, I'd try a few just to see anyway.

Chutta, have you cut open different size fruit to see how soon the worms are getting started?

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), November 14, 2001.

Please, for the sake of the good people on this forum, if you aren't in the USA, or at least North America, could you say so up front? Lets them limit their answers to things which may be applicable. Also, lets people like me know that I can answer, whereas I avoided it at first because what I could say about pests like this wouldn't apply to the USA.

Now, what you have is almost certainly the infamous Queensland Fruit Fly. With that in mind, let your fingers do the walking and phone your local Department of Agriculture office, and ask to talk to someone about fruit flies in tomatoes. If the office is an easy trip, you might be able to make an appointment, arrange in advance to pick up some literature as well, then go in (with examples of the infected fruit) and talk to someone face to face.

As a matter of interest, where are you? I'd assume Brisbane somewhere, but it would be nice to know (my mum came from Benowa [now more or less known as Ashmore Village] on the Gold Coast, but my family live in Grenfell in NSW, and I live and work in Bathurst).

P.S. Nan had a good idea - if you LOOSELY wrap them in panty hose material (preferably a double layer) while they are small and hard- green, the insects that have been laying eggs in them shouldn't be able to get close enough to do it any longer.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 15, 2001.

Oh, I am sorry I forgot to tell you that I am from Australia,Brisbane (Indooroopilly). It never came into my mind that this could be a problem specific to Queensland or Australia and so forth. I will call up the local agricultural department and take a sample of these infected tomatoes along with me. Thank you so much for all the help and advise from Nan,Don, Thumper and everyone. I am really greatful.

-- chutta (chuuchan@hotmail.com), November 15, 2001.

Wow it never occurred to me that you wheren't in the USA, I found fruit worms in two of my books but, I thought naw, couldn't be that, OKlahoma doesn't get those (so far) The 'swiming' kinda stuck with me tho' I'm very glad to know what they are now. Thank you Don, ( my puppies say G'day to you all down under.)

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), November 15, 2001.