By Kira Hamman

“Can you help us identify this bug that is killing our tomato plants? It is very tiny, white, multi-legged (maybe 6 legs - too small to determine), goes in and hollows out the root and stem of the tomato plants.”

This is tricky without a photo. Tiny white bugs that attack tomatoes include whiteflies and aphids (which come in virtually every color of the rainbow), although neither of those matches your description perfectly.

Whiteflies are generally found around the flowers of tomato plants, so if you’re seeing these guys on the roots and stem, it’s probably Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

A while back I misunderstood a question from a reader and thought he was wondering if the praying mantises on his tomatoes were going to hurt them.

Turns out he actually had aphids (poor guy), but this got me to thinking about beneficial insects and the important role they play in the tomato garden.

The praying mantis, for example, is indeed a beneficial insect. Far from hurting tomatoes, praying mantises love to feast on aphids and other bad bugs. They’re a little weird looking, it’s true, but they’re kind of fun to watch once you get used to them.

They catch bugs with their front legs, the prayerful position of which is how they got their name. Some species grow Read the rest of this entry »