What's eating my gardeners delight tomato?

Gardeners Delight tomato is most threatened by tomato hornworm and aphids outdoors, while greenhouse plants also attract whitefly. Slugs can damage young transplants, and birds peck ripe fruits. Aphids are the most widespread nuisance, spreading fast in warm conditions and weakening plants before fruit sets.

Clustered colonies on growing tips and leaf undersides; sticky honeydew, curled and yellowed leaves, stunted new growth. Blast off with a strong jet of water; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray; introduce ladybirds or lacewings as biological controls.

Large ragged holes in leaves and fruit; distinctive dark green droppings on foliage; stems stripped overnight. Hand-pick caterpillars daily; look for white braconid wasp eggs and leave parasitised hornworms; Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray for heavy infestations.

Clouds of tiny white insects rise when plant is disturbed; leaves yellow and become sticky with honeydew; sooty mould follows. Yellow sticky traps; insecticidal soap or pyrethrin spray on leaf undersides; introduce Encarsia formosa parasitic wasps under glass.

Irregular holes in young transplants and low-hanging fruit; silvery slime trails on soil and foliage. Apply copper tape around containers; scatter iron phosphate pellets (wildlife-safe); use beer traps at soil level; hand-pick at dusk.