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horrible tomato bugs
Hi, I love your website. Now it’s my turn to ask for help… Attached is a picture of the Horrible Tomato Bug of 2005. I am finding three, four, or five of these buggers having a feeding frenzy – they eat through the bottom and hollow out the biggest, ripest tomatoes.
They don’t seem to climb much, and prefer the tomatoes that touch the ground. There aren’t many of them, luckily. Not yet anyway! They scuttle away very quickly and deftly when disturbed. I got this picture of a small one, luckily. These bugs are broad and sturdy, and relatively flat. If it were possible to get one of these bugs to stand still on a coin, it would nearly conceal a nickel. Up to 2cm in size (.75 inch) I’ve seen a couple that were even bigger. I’d love to know what these beasts are. (And how to prevent them from settling into the garden!) I’ve browsed around on the net to no avail. My parents have never seen these things in 30 years of gardening. Thanks in advance, and happy bughunting!
debbie

Hi Debbie,
We do not think of American Carrion Beetles, Silpha americana, as garden pests, but as beneficial insects. They are attracted to dead animals and lay their eggs there. They eat the rotting meat as well as fly larvae. It is a mystery why they are being attracted to your tomatoes. Try staking the plants to get the fruit off the ground.

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