Big, fat, and green! Here are tips on how to identify, control, and get rid of tomato hornworms in your garden.
What Are Tomato Hornworms?
If you’ve ever grown garden tomatoes, chances are you have dealt with these green caterpillar pests. They can be found in most any region of the US and can ruin your tomato crop in record time; they also feed on eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. They can blend in quite easily with the green foliage and feed non-stop, creating spotty and chewed leaves and fruit.
Tomato hornworms live according to the following life cycle:
- In late spring, large adult moths lay eggs on the undersides of foliage, which will hatch within a week.
- Caterpillar larvae will feed from 4–6 weeks before creating a cocoon for overwintering in the soil. If the weather is warm enough, larvae may only burrow for as little as 2–3 weeks.
- Moths will emerge in the spring, and will then lay eggs once again. More than one generation a year may be possible in warmer climates.
Tomato hornworm moth (female). Look out for the moths in late spring. Photo by Didier Descouens/Wikimedia Commons.
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Horn Worms & holes in my tomatoes
I just went out and checked my 4 pots with tomatoes planted in them. I found a bunch of horn worms and actually one big brown worm that looked similar to a horn worm except for color. I picked off the worms I found and pulled them in half and threw them away but I also found that a lot of my tomatoes had holes in them and many of the holes were very discolored. I cut into one tomato expecting to find a worn or something but there was nothing there. Can you tell me what might have caused these holes in my tomatoes?
Hornworms
I bought a blacklight flashlight and go out after dark to look for hornworm. They glow really bright against a black light.
blacklight flashlight
Thank you! Didn't know about the black light! I will give that a try.
Horn Worms
I'm surprised this article did put the best and easiest way to keep horn worms from eating your garden.. Which is planting onions in between your plants whatever they are.... It always works every time....
Tomatoes
What do you think of DE for the pests?
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth (DE) does work against hornworms, though you should only use it when the plant is NOT in bloom. DE will kill pollinators, so avoid using it on or around flowers.
My chickens love them
A time consumer finding them and picking them off my tomato plants, but a tasty treat apparently for my chickens.
Dawn & water solution.
After picking off what worms i could find i sprayed a solution of dawn & water on my tomato plant leaves. Now the leaves are turning brown & the whole plant is looking poorly. Also what blooms there were are falling off. I thought this was supposed to be a safe way to rid the plants of worms. I think i have lost all my tomato plants. Any ideas??
The leaves may have gotten
The leaves may have gotten burnt. You don't want to have wet leaves getting scalded by the sun. Pick off or cut off the brown leaves. See if the plants gain strength.
Hornworm
Do not spray dish soap spray on a sunny day it will burn up your plants recommended for cloudy days
dont use dawn dishwashing liquid
Don't use dawn it is to harsh , if they use it to take oil off of birds etc imagine what it would do to a tomato plant! yikes . I use Thuricide Bt Caterpillar control. I also use pure Neem oil and Dr Bronners Pure Castile liquid soap.
Hornworms
I go out after dark with a flashlight and a pair of scissors. I just cut them in half and let the good bugs have dinner on me.
Just one thing if you see a similar looking worm on your dill please don't kill it because it's swallowtail butterfly. I plant dill in various areas of my yard just for them.
Natural prevention
First year growing in containers and hope for a better yield. Last year due to excessive rain when growing in back yard I experienced cracked and bottom rot fruit so I went to containers to allow moving plants to control moisture. For insect repellent I read to mix in a cup of hot water a tablespoon of Baking Soda, oil I used olive oil though something called fern oil is directed and only a drop of dawn dish soap only to emulsify oil into solution for spraying. Once the cup is mixed pour into sprayer with water. Shake well and I always try to use water that has sat dormant for a day or two so any chlorine residuals are dissipated. I love and been growing home grown tomatoes for years and must enjoy the challenge and learning more about gardening because for the time and effort spent over the years it would be cheaper buying them from the local farmers market. Do to the deer, rabbits, raccoons, and birds I now have a potable fencing system.
Blossom-end rot
Blossom-end rot - rot on the bottom of the tomato - could be a result of insufficient calcium in the soil. Crushed eggshells break down and replenish the calcium in the soil.
Calcium
Tried this on my squash this year and very pleased. Crush tums (2 per gallon) and add to a gallon of water...works great to add calcium with very little cost.
Horned worms
These pests devoured my trumpet plant! I picked off at least 15 of them, thinking at first it was deer that devoured my plant. Upon looking further it was these same worms that affect tomato plants! We drowned them then fed them to the wild turkeys. Totally taken aback that they ate my plant! I hate them!
Hornworm eggs
I had those nasty creatures & ended up pulling off what tomatoes I could that were still geeen & hope they ripen in the house or the windowsill. Those nasty eggs(larvae) left my nice new deck with green spots! How do I get rid of the stain without harming my deck? It hasn't been stained yet. Those creatures are gross!
Tobacco vs. Tomato
The pictured worms are actually Tobacco Hornworms. The tobacco hornworm caterpillar has black margins on its white stripes and it has a red horn, the tomato hornworm has green margins on its white stripes and the horn is blue. Just as hungry though!
Hornworms
Is it okay to spray a dawn and water solution then spri lie with cayenne powder on purple Cherokee tomato plants to treat for hornworms?
Dawn & water solution.
I started having a problem with green tomatoe worms so i used a solution of dawn & water to spray the plants. I think it is killing the plants as the leaves are turning brown & the blooms are falling off. They are not looking good. I wouldn't use it.
hornworm
I noticed my tomato plant leaves curling, a week or so ago and attributed it to the Texas heat. It had been many years since I'd had a tomato garden, so I had forgotten all about that 'sign'. I'm hoping the pesky worms have all been located. My question is, will the leaves of my plants uncurl and look full and lush again?
Hornworm Damage
Leaves that have been directly chewed or affected won’t recover, but any new growth should be fine as long as the insects didn’t infect that plant with a disease. Keep an eye on the plant to see how it develops.
You have to rinse it off.
I use dawn (actually the store brand version of it) on my plants all the time to get rid of soft-bodied bugs. It works great. HOWEVER, you have to rinse it off. Spray the plant then wait about 5-15 minutes then use a hose to rinse the soapy water off thoroughly. It doesn't take long to kill soft-bodied insects with soapy water. Most die instantly. Some people say using soapy water sprays with dawn or other soaps with degreasers damages your plants as it kills the good bacteria on the leaves. But my plants always look and grow healthy as long as I rinse the soapy water off. You have to understand that most gardening information, whether on blogs, videos, books, etc, is purely anecdotal. For me, I use what works so I can have a bountiful harvest. I grow organically - the only exception is my use of soapy water sprays. I have to keep the bugs at bay or else I might as well stop gardening altogether.
Horn tomato worms
They are not just tomato eaters. I just found 3 large juicy ones on my small petunia like plants. WOW, didn't expect that. I pulled the plant out since it was just a twig now and placed the plant with worms attached in a plastic ziplock Baggie. Off to the dump they go!
My method for diposal
Since I use no chemicals in my garden and hand pick off all pests found I feed them to wild birds. I have a platform made from scrap wood in the middle of my garden space where I toss the pests. This, in turn, attracts more insect-eating birds to the garden I have seen them scratching and feeding on something just below the surface of soil on several occasions. If have chickens or ducks just add pests to their feed. When I had chickens I would let them into garden in spring before planting and in fall after crops pulled and let them feast.
Tomato Hornworms
My grandmother used to go out in the evenings or early mornings with a pair of scissors and just snip in half every hornworm she found - never had to touch them.
1st time I've seen these
I noticed a lot of black dropping on the ground around my cherry tomato plants about 1 month ago they looked like coffee grounds because we had some gusty winds the night before I thought that they had blown off the roof and as I was sweeping them away I notice a large green caterpillar I googled it and discovered it was a tobacco hornworm so I went over all my plants and removed over 20 all varies sizes then I got my husband to check over them behind me and discovered a few more that I missed. The next morning there were more droppings and I removed another 10 and for the next 3 mornings after more droppings but only 3 this time then 1. Then nothing I thought I was in the clear then just last week I found a huge amount of dropping around by Better boys and discovered the biggest fattest hornworm yet. This is the 1st year I've seen them do you think I will get them every year now? I forgot to mention that all my Tomatoes are in containers on my deck with fresh soil every year.
Tomato Hornworm
Hi Lesley,
The tomato hornworm pupates into a sphinx moth, also known as a hawk moth. They lay eggs on tomato plants that will turn into the hornworms. Since you change your soil every year, it is unlikely that they will be a consistent problem year to year: No pupas will overwinter in your soil. The moths are just finding your plants. Keep in mind, right now is prime moth season. As summer moves on into August, you will see less sign of caterpillars and moths.
Cutworms or hornworms on tomato plants
Years ago, cutworms would devour my tomato plants just before I could harvest tomatoes until my mother-in-law passed along some tried and true Wisdom to me. When you plant your tomato plants take a "WHITE" Styrofoam cup size Large, cut the bottom out of it, place it in the hole and put your tomato sprout in it, be sure to leave the cup up out of the ground most of the way (use just enough dirt to hold it around the plant). As your tomato plant grows make sure that you prune any stems that can touch the soil which are usually the first stems so the worms cannot crawl up the stems that they can reach from the ground outside the cup. The white cup acts like a barrier to keep the cutworms off the plant, this is the same reason that crickets are kept in white Styrofoam bait boxes, cutworms & hornworms like crickets will not pass over WHITE - True story, I never have had a problem since nor has anyone I have shared this knowledge with - Blessings from Mary Joe Green Taylor !
Thank you for the info
I just put a UV blacklight flashlight on my list for purchase. Really appreciate that info. I'm not sure I want to see all the other stuff it can reveal though!
Also the info about leaving the ones that have the wasp larvae on them is interesting. Did this article really tell us they dont cause any more damage to the plant once they are studded with these little white things?
I take great pleasure in chopping these things right in half, right on the stem they are on with my Fiskar pruning shears when I find them...like killing an alien life form when their green slime is spilled. I am so mad at them for robbing me of the produce my plants would have provided, I wish I could do worse to them.
Also, when they are killed and left behind, especially the parts that fall off the plant to the ground (some parts stay clung on and shrivel right there), the rest of nature loves to eat them. I saw little yellow bees just gobbling the carcasses up and of course the ants and all love them.
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