Tomato Hornworm Stats!

 

The tomato hornworm is the caterpillar of a grey or brown hawk moth.  They are a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to (and sometimes confused with) the tobacco hornworm. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Tomato hornworms are known to eat various plants, commonly feeding on tomato, eggplant, pepper, tobacco, moonflowers and potato plants. Females prefer to oviposit on young leaves near the stem of host plants, and early instar caterpillars can often be found here during the day. In the evening or early morning when sunlight is less direct, the caterpillars will feed on more distal leaves.  To rid your garden of these pest you can spray neem oil during early planting regularly to avoid growth or just pick the caterpillars off and discard. Planting marigolds around your tomatoes can also help repel predation of plants.                                                                                                                                                       A parasitoid wasp Cotesia congregata also kills the caterpillar. The adult females lay their eggs inside the skin of the caterpillar. After hatching, the wasp larvae use the organs and tissues of the caterpillar as food sources before burrowing out of the skin and pupating on the back and sides of the caterpillar. Once the wasps have emerged from their cocoons, the weakened caterpillar dies.  These wasps have also been suggested as a means of biological control of the tomato hornworm.