So this is a hookworm. A hookworm? Yes, a big, scary worm. These big guys had been eating up my tomato plant leaves for a day or so...I figured something was doing damage to the leaves but didn't see anything so thought it was probably grasshoppers or something to that extent. I noticed the leaves, or lack thereof, were disappearing and only the stems were poking through the top of the plant and these were the culprits.
I was pushing around the vines trying to look for any new ripe tomatoes I could pick when I came across one of these giant buggers suctioned around a fairly thick vine stem. Let's just say I freaked out at the moment, especially given that hook on their end, and I couldn't believe I was actually brushing my hands nearby as they were just there munching on the leaves and I didn't even see them. My initial thought was that it's hook was literally going to hook me or attack, or something! Lame, I know~ but ignorance really is not bliss as not knowing or ever seeing one of these things added to my fear of just WHAT they were and what they could do to me! Maybe I've seen one too many sci-fi movies about insects taking over the human existence and imagining this worm munching on ME for it's lunch...shudder, eww!
Anyway, I did a little research on them and found that a white moth-type insect lays its eggs on your plants and hence, produces these extremely large herbivorous worm offspring that will pretty much devour your plant in no time...I watched them in horror as well as wonder and awe, (is that even possible?!?) as they just chewed away at the plant leaves like there was no tomorrow, and I realized that they would indeed take my plant down if I let them have their way. I was to destroy them and do it as far away from my garden area as was possible...really?? How does one exactly do away with one of these giant leaf-eaters?? I could only imagine the explosion of innards...ok, double-yuck.
On the other hand, they didn't seem to be bothersome or a threat for that matter, other than the way they were easily consuming my tomato plant, the selfish little insects~ save some for me! Find your own spot and leave some tomatoes for me, thank you. I really don't enjoy killing insects, bugs, spiders, anything if my life doesn't depend on it!
Growing up I was paralyzed by my fear of spiders and had to have my mom come in and get those harmless little light-yellowish spiders off of my wall, because I just couldn't do it~ I'd shake and sweat and couldn't muster up the courage to do it myself. I always had in my head a little contraption I could invent to capture them and let them go outside, but funds prevented me from doing so, lol.
Over the years I've become more respectful of insects, mainly spiders, and their role here in nature, that they too, were created in the spirit and who am I to take away their life prematurely?? I know, I'm sure that sounds borderline creepy, but I seriously don't feel like I'm going to be able to treat any living thing like that without a consequence of some kind...I've had some pretty amazing situations in my life where I connected with an insect, a dragonfly for example, that made me realize the connectedness to us all; plant, animal, insect, human.
So I really didn't want to do away with these icky looking worms but I also didn't want them taking over my garden, and all the hard work I'd put into my garden having been done in vain! So I reluctantly took them across the street (as there were more than 1) and used a big rock to SMASH! And that was the end of that...or so I thought.
I don't remember if it was the next day or couple of days later, but sure enough, there were more! Again, I debated over having to kill more of these guys, as from my previous paragraphs, well you can debate over my sanity for yourselves about how I feel about killing ANYTHING :) I didn't know what else to do, so crossed the street again, asked them to forgive me and that I was sorry, but they really needed to stop coming around and bothering my tomato plants, and SMASH! That was that. And that was that for good, I didn't notice anymore afterwards and boy was I grateful to be over and done with them.
It was rather quite hilarious after I found them, for I showed them to my boys and just to illustrate how different each one of my boys are, Braxton was extremely interested in them and stuck his face right into the container I had them in so he could get a closer look. Cameron, on the other hand, started shreeking in terror at thought of his brothers plight at the hands of those almighty hookworms, ahhh! He was so serious! He really thought those worms were going to maul his brother's face or something. I couldn't help but laugh! But at the same time, they were both fascinating and disturbing and you really can't help but look at them and watch in amazement.
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