Tomato -Manduca quinquemaculata,

Lepidoptera: Sphingidae

Identification
• Hornworms are green caterpillars up to 3" long with a posterior horn.
• Tobacco hornworm caterpillars have white, slanted lines on the sides.
• Tomato hornworm caterpillars have white, horizontal V-shaped lines on the sides.
• The adult is a brownish moth with a 5" wingspread.

Damage
• Caterpillars eat tomato leaves, often stripping plants.
• Caterpillars may also burrow into tomato fruit.

Management
• Hand-pick the large caterpillars; they tend to be at the top of the plant and easily seen in the morning.
• Leave caterpillars with ¹/₈" white parasitic wasp cocoons on their back.
• Bacterial and other insecticides are effective.

Other Information
• These and other sphinx moths feed in the evening on the nectar of deep-throated flowers such as four o’clocks, petunias, and flowering tobacco. They hover in flight similar to hummingbirds.