HORNWORMS are voracious eaters of tomato plants and fruit. They are large (1” to 4”) green caterpillars with a prominent horn on the tail end; they will eat leaves, small stems, and fruit, sometimes stripping young plants entirely. The mature caterpillars drop to the ground and pupate in the soil over the winter.
FRUITWORMS, also known as corn earworms, are about an inch long, pale green or brown, sometimes striped. They burrow under the stem end of tomato fruit to create messy warrens full of brown frass.
▪ CONTROLS: Hand-picking caterpillars in the early evening, when they are most active, is quite effective. Rototill or thickly sheet-mulch beds to destroy pupae between seasons. Bacillus thuringiensis (1) or spinosad (1) sprays, both organic, can help with control. General predators, such as praying mantises or wasps, also reduce populations.
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