Tomato hornworms are typically easy to control in the garden if you regularly monitor your plants for the presence of the caterpillars as well as the adult moths (called five-spotted hawk moths) that bring them into being.Īlthough the caterpillars are large (typically 3 to 5 inches long), they are well-camouflaged and blend in almost invisibly with the color of the foliage. Learning how to recognize the early signs of a hornworm infestation can also help you prevent these destructive creepy-crawlers from getting out of hand. The good news is that you can eradicate tomato hornworms, without resorting to chemical insecticides, by using a variety of natural control methods. Although it prefers to munch on tomatoes, it will also happily feed on potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tobacco, and other plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). What makes the tomato hornworm such a menacing garden pest is its ability to defoliate tomato plants in days. The culprit? Most likely it’s the tomato hornworm ( Manduca quinquemaculata), a plump, green caterpillar named for the threatening but harmless “horn” protruding from its tail.
You’ve waited all summer for that first luscious tomato to ripen only to discover that, almost overnight, something has been feasting on your tomato plants, stripping the stems bare and chomping holes in your nearly ripe fruit. 6 WAYS TO PREVENT & GET RID OF TOMATO HORNWORMS
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