Hornworms In Vegetable Gardens

Quick facts

• Tomato hornworms are very large caterpillars with a horn-like tail.
• Tomato is the host of choice, but they have also been found on potato, eggplant and pepper.
• Hornworms chew leaves and can completely defoliate plants.
• They can also chew holes in the fruit.
• Physical removal is usually the only necessary management.

• Insecticidal soaps will also kill hornworms, but the pests need to come into direct contact with the substance.

Courtesy of SFG

***Growing basil with tomatoes in the garden is a beneficial pairing and it protects the tomato from some pests. Missouri Botanical Garden states that basil repels thrips, white flies and mosquitoes. Cornell University lists the same insects and adds the tomato hornworm to the list.

Courtesy of GrowVeg

***You can use a Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) based organic insecticide to control young tomato hornworms, less than two inches (5cm) long, but more mature caterpillars may survive the treatment. Plus, more eggs are hatching all the time, which is why organic gardeners learn to be sharp tomato hornworm scouts.