How to Get Rid of Tomato Hornworms
WHAT ARE TOMATO HORNWORMS?
IN THE GARDEN
If you’ve ever grown garden tomatoes, chances are you have dealt with these green caterpillar pests. They can be found in most any region of the US and can ruin your tomato crop in record time; they also feed on eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. They can blend in quite easily with the green foliage and feed non-stop, creating spotty and chewed leaves and fruit.
“Tomato hornworms can be up to 5 inches long—which can be quite a shock when you first come across one!”
Tomato hornworms live according to the following life cycle:
- In late spring, large adult moths lay eggs on the undersides of foliage, which will hatch within a week.
- Caterpillar larvae will feed from 4–6 weeks before creating a cocoon for overwintering in the soil. If the weather is warm enough, larvae may only burrow for as little as 2–3 weeks.
- Moths will emerge in the spring, and will then lay eggs once again. More than one generation a year may be possible in warmer climates.
The larvae blend in really well with the plant greenery. Just get used to a daily patrol, looking for hornworm eggs and small caterpillars. Here are some cues of infestations:
- Look closely at theTOP of your tomato leaves for dark green droppings left by the larvae feeding on the leaves. Then look at the underside of leaves and you’ll find a hornworm.
- Look for stems missing some leaves and wilted leaves hanging down. You may find white cocoons and their hornworm hosts nearby.
PREVENT TOMATO HORNWORMS
- Till soil at the beginning and end of each gardening season to destroy overwintering larvae. Tillage has shown to cause up to 90% mortality.
- Keep wasps around; they’re beneficial insects which feed on hornworms and act as a biological control. You may see hormworms with wasp larvae attached, which look like grains of rice (see picture, above). These attacked hornworms will continue to feed for a little while, but will soon succumb to their hitchhikers, so it’s wise to leave them alone and let the wasps carry out their life cycle. Alternatively, remove infected hornworms and place them far away from your garden. This way, the wasps will still do their job, but the hornworm won’t continue to damage your crops.
- To keep hornworms away from your tomato plants next year, try interplanting dill or basil; marigolds are also an excellent companion plant and keep many pests away.
IDENTIFICATION
HOW TO IDENTIFY TOMATO HORNWORMS
Tomato hornworms can be up to 5 inches long—which can be quite a shock when you first come across one! They do the most damage in the caterpillar, or larvae, stage. They are pale green with white and black markings, plus a horn-like protrusion stemming from their rear. (Don’t worry, they aren’t able to sting!) The caterpillar also has eight V-shaped stripes on its green body. Tomato hornworms come from a mottled brown moth.
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Use a blue light, the kind you use to find urine in carpet, to help locate these caterpillars at night as they glow.