![]() It is possible to adapt some biological ways to control them too. You can opt for natural ways like picking them by hand when you spot them on the farm, tilling your soil to destroy them before they hatch, or interplanting your tomato plants with other crops that repel or trap the tomato hornworms. It would help if you took immediate action when you spot them to curb the problem from spreading to all your tomato plants. This is because its green color helps it camouflage with the color of your tomato plants. In most cases, the effects of the tomato hornworm become evident first before you see it. Have you noticed some holes in your tomato plants’ leaves, fruits, and stems? Have you found some brown droppings on your garden plants? If the answer to these questions is yes, your observations may indicate the presence of tomato hornworms. Brassicaceae (Brassica or Cabbage Family)."It’s pretty remarkable when they unroll it. “They tend to feed on very deep-throated flowers, although they can use it on shallow flowers, as well,” Elsner says. ![]() And their proboscis is almost as long as their wingspan. In the spring, a tomato hornworm emerges as a five-spotted hawkmoth, with a wing span as wide as six inches. They hover like hummingbirds while drinking nectar. “I’d always take a fair share of them home and raise them, try to get some adults, since I was into moths and butterflies from a very young age,” he says. “It’s remarkable how many survive at all in this world,” says the retired MSU Extension educator.Īs a kid on his uncle’s tomato farm, Elsner would help squash hornworms but not all of them. Then they have to get back out as a moth. They pupate underground, six inches underground. Duke Elsner says that’s amazing since caterpillars aren’t really built to tunnel. While no gardener welcomes a tomato hornworm-they eat twice their weight in leaves each day-they are impressive creatures.
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