How to Get Rid of Tomato Worms
Encountering a tomato worm, also known as a tomato hornworm, for the first time can be a little unsettling. The tomato hornworm is not actually a worm, but a bright-green caterpillar that can grow up to 4 inches long, with a horn-like growth protruding from its back end. The damage caused by the tomato hornworm typically begins in the midsummer and--because of the size of this pest--the damage can be severe. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Prevent tomato worms in your garden by thoroughly rototilling the bed after each harvest, especially plots where tomatoes, eggplants, peppers or potatoes have been grown. The blades of the rototiller will destroy any worms or pupae that remain in the soil.
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Pick the tomato worms off of the plants by hand. Hand-picking is the simplest and least-expensive solution. Look for hornworms early in the morning or at dusk, when they are easiest to find. Slice the pests in half with your garden shears or fill a bucket with water and drop the worms in it to drown them.
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Spray the infected plants with the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringensis or chemical products that contain permethrin, carbaryl or spinosad. Apply insecticides according to the manufacturers' instructions.
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Tips & Warnings
Parasitic wasps are the natural enemy of the tomato hornworm. If you see hornworms in your garden whose backs are covered with small white eggs, leave them on the plant. When the wasps emerge, they will lay more eggs in more hornworms and the tomato pests will be naturally eradicated.
The tobacco hornworm is often mistaken for the tomato hornworm. The tobacco hornworm has seven white lines running diagonally on each side and its horn is red and curved. The tobacco hornworm is the larva of the sphinx moth. The tomato hornworm has V-shaped lines on its sides and a straight, blackish-blue horn. It is the larva of the hawk moth. The treatment to eradicate both pests is the same.
