Be Silly. Be honest. Be kind.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
TOMATO HORNWORMS
These distinctive creatures are masters of camouflage. The
four-inch larvae are stem green with seven or eight
diagonal white stripes down their sides. Each stripe is
shadowed by a row of black dots, and punctuated with a
huge false eyespot and black tail. They feed in the
daytime, nibbling at fruit and consuming tremendous
quantities of leaves. Little souvenirs similar in
appearance to rabbit pellets are sometimes left behind.
Target plants include tomatoes, peppers, potatoes,
eggplant and dill.
Adult hornworms are huge grayish brown moths with
wingspans of up to five inches. They are also known as
hawk or hummingbird moths, and they are sometimes mistaken
for hummingbirds as they hover in front of flowers feeding
on the nectar at dusk. Wings are ornamented with a wavy
line pattern and the body is marked with orange spots.
Pupae hibernate underground in hard, two-inch cases shaped
like spindles. Fall tilling helps to destroy the pupae.
CONTROLS
Deterrent plants include borage, opal basil and marigolds.
Dill makes an excellent trap crop. The huge worms are easy
to spot on dill plants, and can then be handpicked.
Handpicking is the preferred method of control. Although
they are huge, they usually aren't numerous. A blast of
cold water from the hose will cause them to thrash about,
making handpicking easier.
If you can't bear to handpick the worms (even with gloves
on) spray susceptible plants with Bt. This natural
caterpillar control is harmless to the environment.
More information about growing tomatoes and dealing with
tomato insects is available at GardenGuides.
