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Tomato Hornworms: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Them

Photo Credit
Amanda Hill

Spot Them Early and Save Your Tomatoes: Expert Tips for Gardeners

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Big, green, and hungry—tomato hornworms can wipe out your tomato crop almost overnight. These giant caterpillars love to feast on tomato leaves and fruit, and they won’t stop there. Peppers, eggplants, and potatoes are also on their menu.

”This one is nobody’s friend if you’re a gardener and like to grow tomatoes,” says entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology’s Lepidoptera collection.

The good news is that these pests are easy to spot once you know what to look for, and they can be controlled without resorting to harsh chemicals. In this guide, learn how to identify tomato hornworms, understand their life cycle, and discover effective natural ways to get rid of them—plus tips to keep them from coming back next year.

🐛 Hornworms munching your tomatoes? Our Almanac Garden Club members get exclusive pest guides, expert webinars, and practical tips to protect their crops. Protect Your Garden Now.

What Are Tomato Hornworms?

If you’ve ever walked out to your tomato plants and found bare stems where lush foliage used to be, chances are hornworms were at work.

  • The tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) and the closely related tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) are garden pests found throughout most of the U.S. and southern Canada.
  • Both species feed on plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae): tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, tobacco, and potatoes.
  • Because of their size and appetite, a small number of hornworms can defoliate plants quickly.

These pests are the larval stage of large night-flying moths (sphinx or hawk moths).

Tomato Hornworm crawling on a tomato vine.
Tomato troublemaker in action—meet the tomato hornworm! Photo by Amanda Hill.

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Identification

How to Identify Tomato Hornworms

Look for big, green worms on tomato plants! Hornworms are some of the largest caterpillars in the garden. Key features include:

  • Color: Pale green with V-shaped white markings along the body
  • Horn: Dark, pointed “horn” protruding from the rear
  • Camouflage: Blends almost perfectly with tomato leaves, making them tricky to spot
  • Size: Can reach up to 4–5 inches in length

Tip: Inspect your tomato plants daily. Check the undersides of leaves for eggs and watch for early signs of feeding damage.

Tomato Hornworm vs. Tobacco Hornworm

Both species damage tomato plants, but here’s how to tell them apart:

  • Tomato hornworm: White V-shaped markings; black horn
  • Tobacco hornworm: Diagonal white stripes with black spots; red horn
tobacco hornworm
Can you tell which hornworm this is? 
(It’s a tobacco hornworm! Notice the white stripes with dotted black lines and a red “horn.”) 

Signs of Tomato Hornworm Damage

  • Chewed or missing leaves, often starting at the top of the plant
  • Wilted stems and bare stalks
  • Dark green droppings (frass) on leaves or soil
  • Chewed fruit and sunscald on tomatoes (caused by loss of leaf cover)

Tomato Hornworm Life Cycle

Understanding the life cycle helps you prevent infestations:

  1. Eggs: Laid on undersides of leaves in late spring; hatch within 1 week
  2. Larvae (hornworms): Feed heavily for 3–4 weeks
  3. Pupae: Burrow into soil to overwinter in a cocoon
  4. Adult moths: Five-spotted hawk moths emerge in spring to repeat the cycle

In warmer regions, there may be two generations per year.

Tomato hornworm moth (female)
Tomato hornworm moth (female). Look out for the moths in late spring. Photo by Didier Descouens/Wikimedia Commons.

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Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Tomato Hornworms

1. Handpicking

  • The most effective method for small gardens:
  • Check plants daily and remove caterpillars by hand
  • Drop them in soapy water, or feed them to backyard chickens

2. Use Organic Controls

  • Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt): A safe, natural bacterium that kills young caterpillars (must be ingested).
  • Neem oil or insecticidal soap: Can work on small caterpillars, but less effective on large hornworms

3. Encourage Natural Predators

  • Parasitic wasps lay eggs on hornworms (you may see white cocoons attached)
  • Ladybugs, green lacewings, and birds also feed on eggs and larvae

If you find a hornworm covered with white cocoons, leave it—the wasps will do the control work for you

A tobacco hornworm covered with parasitic wasp eggs.
Nature’s drama! A tobacco hornworm becomes a nursery for parasitic wasps.

How to Prevent Hornworm Infestations

  • Till soil in fall or spring to destroy overwintering pupae (up to 90% mortality)
  • Rotate crops—avoid planting tomatoes in the same spot year after year
  • Use companion planting: Interplant dill or basil to deter pests; plant marigolds at borders
  • Attract  beneficial insects  by planting nectar-rich flowers

Frequently Asked Questions

Do tomato hornworms bite?
No. They look intimidating, but they cannot sting or bite humans.

What does a tomato hornworm turn into?
A large five-spotted hawk moth, also called a sphinx or hummingbird moth.

When do tomato hornworms appear?
Eggs are laid in late spring, and larvae are most destructive from June through August.

Can tomato hornworms eat other plants?
Yes. They also feed on peppers, potatoes, eggplants, and tobacco.

More Help for Gardeners: See our Garden Pest and Disease Library for tips on other common problems.

Do you have tomato hornworms? How do you handle them in the garden?

Garden Pests
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Cathi</span> Mon, 09/23/2013 - 15:39
I live in Maine so if I tilled the area I was going to plant in and placed the black plastic over it until it was safe to plant, this would possibly kill the moths? I think sometime in April is possibly when I could till but planting doesn't happen until end of May. Thank you!
<span>Bradpa</span> Sun, 08/14/2011 - 19:03
This year has been terrible. I usually plant marigolds but didn't this year..We have taken over 70 hornworns off. I'm sure there are more. They are destroying my 4 tomatoe plants...I have two basil plants next to one of it and that hasn't detterred them at all. I'm wondering is it too late to plant the marigolds this year? The tomatoes are still green what is left. They are heirlooms and I live at 3800 ft. Thanks for any anwers you may have!
<span>Amyheffernan</span> Tue, 07/12/2011 - 08:45
I haven't gardened in years. This year was the first time we purchased three tomato plants from a co-op. When my Early Girl hit 4 ft I noticed leaves missing and there a huge 3" ugly hornworm on the stem (blending in). Since we've never had a garden in the area we planted the tomatoes we were wondering if eggs were in the co-op soil... anyone else had this problem?
<span>Lynetta Billiot</span> Wed, 08/18/2010 - 09:44
I took the article in OFA to heart and planted marigold plants amongst my tomatos this year and we had NO tomato worms at all. I'm assuming it worked, we have ALWAYS had these grose worms and they can devour a plant in short order.
<span>Toney Poole</span> Tue, 08/17/2010 - 12:01
I do not have any hornworms, but I would welcome them for they are VERY good fishbait. just break them in to two pieces and turn one wrong side out over your hook and bream love them. Sometimes you can catch several fish with one bait.
<span>Mary Mcallister 2</span> Tue, 08/17/2010 - 09:16
Planting borage among tomato plants is a good deterent to hornworms as well.
<span>Mammacita57</span> Tue, 06/22/2010 - 10:58
We have several different tomato plants planted in our garden,only a few have these small "Orange" worms eating on them, does anyone know what they are? Sevin does not kill them either.
<span>Bobbyjowebb</span> Tue, 05/24/2011 - 08:22
I have found that using a strong solution of dish soap and water in a spray bottle works great on just about any pests, no chemicals!
<span>Bjl</span> Thu, 04/12/2012 - 20:03
I used to do that but it destroyed my marijuana plants and my bell peppers too.
<span>Charlielinn</span> Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:14
I would like to find "won't kill bees" product, or alternatives to "Sevin" that really work against hornworms.