Question
Hello! I am from Syracuse,NY. I have an indoor hydro garden. I am just a beginner and starting to grow these and herbs and noticed that I have very tiny worm looking insects on them.So tiny you can't see them without looking with a magnifying glass, no longer than a eighth of an inch. They look like and move just like an inch worm. I also noticed the leaves on the plants have white specs on them. What are these creatures? What do I do about them?

Answer
Steve,
Inchworms are the insect larvae of geometer moths (order Lepidoptera - including moths and butterflies & family Geometridae). There are 1000's of different species in North America. To ID the particular one you have you would have to compare a picture of it to pictures available on the internet. Type inchworm pictures into your search engine and see if you can match yours to one of the pictures.

I would need a picture of the white specs to better try and ID what they are. The white specs are probably the egg cases laid by the adult moth or a transitional cocoon of the larvae. They could also be the damage made by the inchworms as they eat.

The best control for caterpillars(inchworms) is a product called BT (Bacillus Thurgensis - spelling???). It will only kill caterpillars and is a safe biological control. Get to your local garden center (Put a couple of worms and a leaf with white specs on it in a sealed plastic bag)and see if they can ID it. Ask them for some BT (It is a powder form of the insecticide). You mix it with water and spray the foliage of your plants. Always follow the directions on the label for the best results. It will not harm the plant or other type organisms. And it is very safe for you to use.
Hopefully this info helps you,
Good luck,
Rick #Southern NJ)