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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>Joyce Shields</span> Fri, 05/31/2013 - 21:15
I read in a book about garden pests that you can spray tomato plants with a mixture of tabasco sauce and water to get rid of tomato hornworms. It did not give the ratio of tabasco sauce to water. Has anyone tried this? Did it work? How much tabasco sauce did you use in a quart of water?
<span>Mzdiana</span> Wed, 06/11/2014 - 10:20
I read a few articles last year regarding the use of hot peppers, garlic and water, that you spray on plants to keep such as aphids, hornworms, etc, away. I can tell you that it was not only messy, but it didn't work. I tried everything except for bt, which I've read about this year. I tried sevin dust but for some reason it made the leaves of my tomatoes turn very hard . I had 7 tomato plants last year and the few tomatoes that I had were very small and not good. I had 2 square foot gardens, that I grew okra, eggplant, beets, peas, zucchini, jalapeños, Lima beans, radish, green beans, bell pepper, and cow peas, which all yielded a great crop. I also grew pickling cucumbers on the east side of my house that also did extremely well. I did have a problem with aphids, and read that neem oil worked well, but for me after it got hot, it killed a few of my plants. I live in the Southern Central Valley of California, and the summer temperature easily tops 100+ degrees sometimes a month or more straight. It was 112 degrees just two days ago. So I've got to be careful what I use on my plants. I planted pickling cucumbers again in the same spot as last year. I noticed that the leaves were being eaten rather quickly, so I researched the Web, most site's either said that it was slugs or a beetle. I put down slug bait, and the next morning, I noticed that more leaves were eaten. I went through the plants, turning the leaves over to find a slew of hornworms noshing away on my cucumbers. I haven't found anything yet that's worked without harming the plants, other than inspecting and picking off the hornworms by hand. I will be definitely looking into BT as a remedy. It is a cornstarch based bacteria, once the hornworms eat it, it will paralyze the stomach and they die. Its also approved for organic gardening. I hope that this helps you. Good luck with your garden.
<span>Janalynn</span> Tue, 06/25/2013 - 13:39
I've heard that too. However, these catapillars devoured half my jalepeno crop...ate the peppers right up to the stem. So am am doubtful that tobasco would deter them?
<span>Suzi Taylor</span> Mon, 07/22/2013 - 13:04
You have to add dish soap or vegetable to the mix. They hate both.
<span>Mzdiana</span> Tue, 06/17/2014 - 22:43
Used Dawn dish soap diluted in sprayer, also Hot Chili Sauce, garlic mix it didn't faze them! Can't use Neem Oil due to the heat. Going to try BT. Thanks
<span>Linda Lopez</span> Mon, 06/03/2013 - 12:25
Yes I tried it. It's one ounce of tabasco per gallon of water. I used it several weeks ago....found 2 big horn worms today. You try and let me know if it works. Thanks
<span>Sarah Herring</span> Thu, 05/30/2013 - 22:25
I haven't found any big green worms. Just little fuzzy ones eating holes in the tomato leaves. The leaves look like swiss cheese. Are these the baby horn worms? Is there any way to get ride of them before they turn into the big worms and destroy the fruit and the plant? They are all tiny and fuzzy and black and white, about 1/4 inch at most right now.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 06/04/2013 - 11:12
Another of nature's mysteries: It sounds like you have tomato fruitworm, which will soon become a moth...but we can't be sure. Yes, they could destroy the plant, esp the fruit. If it's the fruitworm, some sources recommend Trichogramma spp. egg parasites; the larval parasite Hyposoter exiguae; and predators such as bigeyed bug and minute pirate bug. (The idea is, fight nature with nature.) However, some even advise using organically acceptable Bt (consult your local extension or nursery). In the meantime, pick them off and eliminate them.
<span>Betsy</span> Mon, 04/08/2013 - 13:38
a friend told me she heard that putting pennies around the base of your plants will stop the worms from crawling up the stalks, something about the copper in the penny they dont like, will this not harm my plants?
<span>Brokeback Farmer</span> Sat, 05/23/2015 - 14:02
That makes CENTS!