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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.

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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>Maggie Crooks</span> Tue, 08/05/2014 - 19:23
Thanks for your comment. So true.
<span>Connor Young</span> Sun, 09/29/2013 - 17:23
The cocoons were stuck tight, and the worm kept flailing sbout, so we quit. It the escaped, time to find a new one!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 09/30/2013 - 05:38
Connor, Thanks for sharing. That worm is what they call the "walking dead" due to those cocoons.
<span>Connor Young</span> Sat, 09/28/2013 - 12:26
My kids also want it as a 'pet', so is there a way to take the eggs off? Thanks!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sat, 09/28/2013 - 22:38
This is a first! Once the wasp eggs hatch, the hornworm will be eaten. It is the cycle of life. We have never removed the cocoons and probably would not, but let us know what happens!
<span>Connor Young</span> Sat, 09/28/2013 - 12:23
We found a hornworm with 5 white, bumpy specks on it. Are those eggs from a wasp? We're guessing they are.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sat, 09/28/2013 - 22:35
Those are the white cocoons of the wasp.
<span>Keesha</span> Fri, 09/27/2013 - 21:23
We live in southern Arizona; our backyard consists of grass, 4 trees (orange, desert willow, mesquite), and a large variety of roses, lantana, and vines. We have found tomato hornworms wandering in our yard approximately every 6-8 weeks for the last few years. However, for the last couple months we have been finding them dead all over the yard. There have not been any signs of involvement by wasps that we can tell. Their coloring is no longer bright but instead is kind of brown, and they are kind of soft and mushy (it is evident when I pick them up with a pooper scooper--the one I picked up this morning actually tore into two pieces). Does anyone have any idea of what kills tomato hornworms other than wasps? The only thing I can think of that has been unusual around here is a phenomenal weather situation July 15 (2013) when our neighborhood was hit, ripping 2-story high, decades old trees out of the ground, root and all, throwing them into homes, ours included, so I have wondered about the possibility of some soil disturbance or something, I don't know. Help! Thank you kindly.
<span>Csaiz1109</span> Thu, 04/10/2014 - 17:06
I too live in Arizona. I hear from a lot of people that soap and water and then just spray your plants repels the pests away and is safe for the plants. I have yet to try it but after finding 3 of those hornworms today on my tomato plants it will be tried effective immediately. also with some netting/shade screening as well.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sat, 09/28/2013 - 09:17
We're stumped. We can only imagine wasp predation.