Tomato problems

Something is eating/pecking my tomatoes just bout the time they start getting red. My wife and I have tried to see what it is but can't see the offender. Must be happening while we're gone. I've kept them dusted and see no worms. Crows maybe, been seeing several around but none near the plants. Any Ideas?

My maters are done for the year down here. Now all I got in the garden are peppers which will make till early October, then it will be time to turn things over for the winter garden.

Probably some sort of bird...mockingbirds are a menace around here as well as some of the song birds...Hope you get your mystery solved.

Put a trail camera on it. I’m gonna guess birds.

There was one on there this AM half eaten , not just a hole pecked or bit out. Wife thinks might be a Possum doing his damage at night. That could explain why we can't catch the bandit in day light. We have a big Tabby cat that's out there in day time , he's in the garage at night. But Buster Posey is big and lazy , he may be the lookout for the mater bandit.

Trail cam could work.

You got any Duke Dog proof traps?

We pick our tomatoes as soon as I see some pink. Then put then in a brown paper bag inside to ripen. May add a brown spotted banana if I think it isn't gonna ripen alone. Birds seem to get them the day before They are vine ripe.

Never heard of putting them in a bag. How does that help?

Makes them easier to tote

Mockingbirds be careful if you kill one , do not let the other mockingbirds see you dispose of one of there buds , because five will come to the funeral and thee will stay when funeral is over. This happen to me. It was a all out war.

Concentrates the ethylene (natural chemical that ripens fruit). Same concept as if you have a piece go bad in the hydrator. The rest will go bad much faster as an overripe fruit puts out lots of ethylene.

I'd expect that out of 257.

Makes sense to me. My grandma would always put them in the kitchen window where the AM sun would hit them.