Tomato hornworm is one of the most feared worms for the gardeners. They can be as big as 5 inches long. If you have never seen one of them, you will be surprised to see its giant size. As they are so big, they can cause a great damage to the corps. They are among the most damaging worms for tomatoes, especially when compared to the regular caterpillar. They have a distinct color of pale green.
They have black and white markings on their bodies and also a horn like protrusion which cannot be used to sting. So despite of the shock to see a worm of such size, you should not be afraid of being hurt by these hornworm. These worms will turn to moths at spring. The moths that come from tomato hornworm will have orange markings.
If you want to see whether or not you have the tomato hornworms on your corps, then you can try to see if there are green droppings at the top of the tomato leafs. These green droppings come from the larva that are eating the leaves. If you want to find the culprit, then just try to see the underside of your tomato leafs and you will find the hornworm. But when you are too late and it is time for them to turn into moths, then you should look for stem with only some leaves left. If you find a white cocoons, then the worm is nesting in the cocoon in order to complete their transformation.
As they are not a pet that you want to linger in your tomato gardens, gardeners will need to try to get rid of them. Here are some of the best ways to do that:
1. Till the soil before you plant your tomatoes. This action will destroy the larvae up to 90% success rate.
2. If your garden is not too big, then it is highly recommended for you to handpick your tomatoes. This is a great tactic to control the plants, but of course this will require more patience and tome consumption. If you manage to find the worms, then do not crush them even though they will not sting you. Just prepare a container with soapy water and throw the worms in.
3. There are good insects too. The example for your tomato case is the wasps. Keep them around as they attack worms without harming the plants.
