Any idea what's messing with my tomatoes?

[Starless]

Never had this problem before. At first I thought worms/caterpillars, but I cut into several and no worms to be found. Now I'm thinking birds. It's been very hot and humid but no rain. I'm thinking birds are looking for some water. I've put out a few large pans with water around the garden hoping if it is birds they'll drink from the pans and leave the tomatoes alone.
Any Ideas?




Thanks

[svandamme]

tomato fruitworms.. you won't find em.. they are very stealthy

destroy any tomato with holes...
almost impossible to eradicate without some pesticide

use organic pesticides like containing spinosad and Bt (Dipel, Thuricide ).

[flatbutt]

A bacillus spray will get them. Or a water solution of Castile soap also worked. I've heard that sprinkling diamtomaceous earth around the plants gets the crawly ones.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Starless

Never had this problem before. At first I thought worms/caterpillars, but I cut into several and no worms to be found.

By the time the tomato is ripe the worms have grown up and left the building. They burrow into the tomato when it is green and leave when they are ready to change into a moth. Look for holes in green tomatoes and you may find the worms.

[Starless]

Originally Posted by svandamme

tomato fruitworms.. you won't find em.. they are very stealthy

destroy any tomato with holes...
almost impossible to eradicate without some pesticide

use organic pesticides like containing spinosad and Bt (Dipel, Thuricide ).

I have bacillus thuringiensis, same thing more or less, no?

I'll cut into a green one and see what i find.
Thanks!

[Starless]

OK it looks like bacillus is what everyone is suggesting. I cut into a couple of green ones and nobody home, just all black where the hole was. I removed the damaged ones sprayed the rest with BT. Oddly, they went more after my "Starless" tomatoes, kinda liking that name, than the others. The others do have a thicker skin, that may be why.
Anyways, thanks all.