Here are a few tips on how to get rid of tomato hornworms in the garden (and how to prevent them)! Dead tomato horn worm killed by parasitic wasps, next to an unripe tomato 1. In fact, tomato horn worms can consume “up to four times their weight in leaves and fruit” daily! ( University of Wisconsin-Madison / Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension) Most likely, you’ve seen him on your tomato plants, and that, my friends, is bad news.Ī tomato horn worm can devour an entire tomato plant in record time. Have you found an enormous green caterpillar with horn creeping around your garden? So how do you get rid of tomato horn worms? Let’s look at a creative approach to this common garden pest! Hornworm Caterpillar Control Then, I later learned it was the very creator of the dreaded tomato horn worm! My youngest daughter and I saw a hornworm moth buzzing around zinnias in our flower bed in 2021 and thought nothing of it. It’s amazing he came from such a big, fat green tomato worm. The tomato hornworm moth is actually a kinda cool looking guy. Boasting a camouflage blend of brown and gray, the mature adult is known as the five-spotted hawk moth. The scientific name of the tomato hornworm is Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth). Then, the hornworm larvae burrow in the ground to become a pupa and finally emerge as adult five-spotted hawk moths. The hornworm eggs hatch into larvae (small caterpillars) and mature as larger larvae. Tomato hornworms come from eggs laid by the five-spotted hawk moth. Hornworms also have markings that look much like eyes evenly spaced along the sides of its body. Tomato horn worms are very large, bright green caterpillars with thin white and black markings and a horn at the back end. What does the tomato horn worm look like? Here’s a little more info on the dreaded hornworm, followed by some practical tips. Tomato Horn Worm covered in cocoons by parasitic wasp They can rapidly devastate your crops if left to their own devices.Īct quickly to remove and prevent tomato horn worms from destroying your beloved tomato plants. Tomato hornworms are the biggest caterpillars I’ve ever seen in my garden. Then suddenly, your favorite tomato plant is half gone! What gives?! The tomato horn worm can do serious damage to tomatoes in the garden, so be sure to act fast! Imagine a blissful tomato jungle as far as the eye can see.
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