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Tomato Hornworms: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Them

Image Credit:
Amanda Hill
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Big, green, and hungry—tomato hornworms can wipe out your tomato crop almost overnight. These giant caterpillars love to feast on tomato leaves and fruit, and they won’t stop there. Peppers, eggplants, and potatoes are also on their menu.

”This one is nobody’s friend if you’re a gardener and like to grow tomatoes,” says entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology’s Lepidoptera collection.

The good news is that these pests are easy to spot once you know what to look for, and they can be controlled without resorting to harsh chemicals. In this guide, learn how to identify tomato hornworms, understand their life cycle, and discover effective natural ways to get rid of them—plus tips to keep them from coming back next year.

🐛 Hornworms munching your tomatoes? Our Almanac Garden Club members get exclusive pest guides, expert webinars, and practical tips to protect their crops. Protect Your Garden Now.

What Are Tomato Hornworms?

If you’ve ever walked out to your tomato plants and found bare stems where lush foliage used to be, chances are hornworms were at work.

  • The tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) and the closely related tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) are garden pests found throughout most of the U.S. and southern Canada.
  • Both species feed on plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae): tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, tobacco, and potatoes.
  • Because of their size and appetite, a small number of hornworms can defoliate plants quickly.

These pests are the larval stage of large night-flying moths (sphinx or hawk moths).

Tomato Hornworm crawling on a tomato vine.
Tomato troublemaker in action—meet the tomato hornworm! Photo by Amanda Hill.

Identification

How to Identify Tomato Hornworms

Look for big, green worms on tomato plants! Hornworms are some of the largest caterpillars in the garden. Key features include:

  • Color: Pale green with V-shaped white markings along the body
  • Horn: Dark, pointed “horn” protruding from the rear
  • Camouflage: Blends almost perfectly with tomato leaves, making them tricky to spot
  • Size: Can reach up to 4–5 inches in length

Tip: Inspect your tomato plants daily. Check the undersides of leaves for eggs and watch for early signs of feeding damage.

Tomato Hornworm vs. Tobacco Hornworm

Both species damage tomato plants, but here’s how to tell them apart:

  • Tomato hornworm: White V-shaped markings; black horn
  • Tobacco hornworm: Diagonal white stripes with black spots; red horn
tobacco hornworm
Can you tell which hornworm this is? 
(It’s a tobacco hornworm! Notice the white stripes with dotted black lines and a red “horn.”) 

Signs of Tomato Hornworm Damage

  • Chewed or missing leaves, often starting at the top of the plant
  • Wilted stems and bare stalks
  • Dark green droppings (frass) on leaves or soil
  • Chewed fruit and sunscald on tomatoes (caused by loss of leaf cover)

Tomato Hornworm Life Cycle

Understanding the life cycle helps you prevent infestations:

  1. Eggs: Laid on undersides of leaves in late spring; hatch within 1 week
  2. Larvae (hornworms): Feed heavily for 3–4 weeks
  3. Pupae: Burrow into soil to overwinter in a cocoon
  4. Adult moths: Five-spotted hawk moths emerge in spring to repeat the cycle

In warmer regions, there may be two generations per year.

Tomato hornworm moth (female)
Tomato hornworm moth (female). Look out for the moths in late spring. Photo by Didier Descouens/Wikimedia Commons.

Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Tomato Hornworms

1. Handpicking

  • The most effective method for small gardens:
  • Check plants daily and remove caterpillars by hand
  • Drop them in soapy water, or feed them to backyard chickens

2. Use Organic Controls

  • Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt): A safe, natural bacterium that kills young caterpillars (must be ingested).
  • Neem oil or insecticidal soap: Can work on small caterpillars, but less effective on large hornworms

3. Encourage Natural Predators

  • Parasitic wasps lay eggs on hornworms (you may see white cocoons attached)
  • Ladybugs, green lacewings, and birds also feed on eggs and larvae

If you find a hornworm covered with white cocoons, leave it—the wasps will do the control work for you

A tobacco hornworm covered with parasitic wasp eggs.
Nature’s drama! A tobacco hornworm becomes a nursery for parasitic wasps.

How to Prevent Hornworm Infestations

  • Till soil in fall or spring to destroy overwintering pupae (up to 90% mortality)
  • Rotate crops—avoid planting tomatoes in the same spot year after year
  • Use companion planting: Interplant dill or basil to deter pests; plant marigolds at borders
  • Attract  beneficial insects  by planting nectar-rich flowers

Frequently Asked Questions

Do tomato hornworms bite?
No. They look intimidating, but they cannot sting or bite humans.

What does a tomato hornworm turn into?
A large five-spotted hawk moth, also called a sphinx or hummingbird moth.

When do tomato hornworms appear?
Eggs are laid in late spring, and larvae are most destructive from June through August.

Can tomato hornworms eat other plants?
Yes. They also feed on peppers, potatoes, eggplants, and tobacco.

More Help for Gardeners: See our Garden Pest and Disease Library for tips on other common problems.

Do you have tomato hornworms? How do you handle them in the garden?

Garden Pests

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Frank Ramage</span> Fri, 07/21/2017 - 19:47
If you have ever suspected that you have been bitten by a tomato or tobacco hornworm, chances are it wasn’t a hornworm that bit you. A tomato or tobacco hornworm (or any hornworm or insect for that matter) will do whatever it can to protect itself, especially if you handle it for too long. However, it doesn’t defend itself by biting. A hornworm will spit out the contents of its stomach, it will wiggle and thrash about, and it may even wrap itself around your finger, but it does not have the capability to sting or pierce the skin. (Ref: www. allaboutworms. com/tomato-and-tobacco-hornworms)
<span>Cindy</span> Sun, 08/21/2016 - 21:06
Thank you
<span>Brian Stone</span> Thu, 04/06/2017 - 12:14
I agree with the one comment as to “Feels like fire” , in reference to being stung/bitten by these things. Anyone that has felt the sting/bite from one of these things will never pick one up with their bare hands again. The first time I had this happen I thought possibly it was me or a wasp encounter etc. The second time my father-n-law tried to warn me to look for them before picking the tomatoes. Too late as one was under a leaf above the tomato and it pierced the back of my hand. Felt like fire and a stabbing pain all in one. I do not claim to understand whether a bite or sting, but. I now look before I pick tomatoes and I use pliers to remove these things. As they may have gotten me twice, but never a third time if I can help it.
<span>Joe Mckenna</span> Sun, 08/21/2016 - 08:19
So the white grains on the back are wasp eggs. How do you insure they multiply?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 08/23/2016 - 11:31

Hi Joe, If you see a hornworm with eggs on its back, just leave it there!  It will indeed multiply, carrying destroyers of hornworm brothers, sisters and descendants. I believe these wasps are commercially available, but it's an expensive way to go. The best you can do is provide a nice habitat. They love flowers from the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family such as angelica, carrot, celery,coriander (cilantro), dill, fennel, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip, cow parsnip, sea holly, and more. Allow some herbs to flower.

 <span>Toni</span> Mon, 07/25/2016 - 16:56
I was horrified today to see this big fat green creature on my tomato plant stem gorging itself on my grape tomatoes. Not wanting to touch it, I managed to get it off the plant but not without a struggle and smashed it against the wooden garden container. Thankfully I found your website and tomorrow will see if any more are "out" there and look for their eggs. I already have one dead plant but can't say it was due to this creature. With the exception of the grape tomato plant missing growth at the top, my five remaining plants look o.k. I also have eggplant and peppers, all doing nicely but according to your site, hornworms also "fancy" both so I'll be checking those as well. Should the vegetable oil and Murphy's oil be used as a preventative or sprayed directly on the worms???
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 07/27/2016 - 11:49

Hi Toni,

Go ahead and spray it directly on the hornworms. The oil smothers and suffocates them.

 <span>Donna Kelley</span> Wed, 07/13/2016 - 08:41
I picked off nine (9!!!) this a.m. and I just checked yesterday. I HATE these things; they have already destroyed the tops of three plants. HELP; they are so hard to spot before they get so big that they done a lot of damage. Any suggestions for the already in the ground plant?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 07/13/2016 - 12:54

Handpicking is one of the best things that you can do -- you might try going out after dusk, when they are more active. It is said that if you shine a blacklight UV flashlight (found online or in hardware/building supply stores) on the leaves, the worms will show up as bright green. Look under the leaves for them. Caution: When using a blacklight, follow manufacturer's directions; UV light can damage eyes and skin. Use UV blacklight safety glasses.

In daytime, also check the leaves and remove any green eggs that are laid underneath. See above for biological and chemical controls. Do not remove any hornworms with cocoons on their backs -- signs that parasitic braconid wasps are already at work. Encourage beneficials in the garden; plant borage (said to repel hornworms). Till your soil in fall to expose overwintering stages of the hornworm larvae.

 <span>Rick Davis</span> Tue, 07/05/2016 - 10:28
I'm in a condo and have 9 pepper plants in 5 gallon buckets on my patio. Yesterday I pulled off and flushed down the toilet a green caterpillar, later identified as a Tomato Hornworm. I'm just gathering information on these as I'd never seen them before yesterday and it's my second year of growing peppers in 5 gallon buckets.