Pest on crop
Tomato Hornworm on potato
Manduca quinquemaculata
Large green caterpillar (up to 4 inches) that defoliates tomato and other Solanaceae plants rapidly. Mature larvae become five-spotted hawk moths.
- Pest
- Tomato Hornworm
- Scientific name
- Manduca quinquemaculata
- Crop
- Potato
- Total hosts
- 5
Tomato Hornworm on potato
Detailed guidance for this section is being prepared. Check back soon.
Signs on potato
- ▸ Stripped foliage starting at the top of the plant
- ▸ Large dark-green frass pellets on leaves below the feeding zone
- ▸ Bright green caterpillar with white V-shaped marks and a single horn at the rear
IPM controls
- ✓ Hand-pick at dawn or dusk (caterpillars are well-camouflaged)
- ✓ Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray on small larvae
- ✓ Encourage parasitic braconid wasps (white cocoons on hornworm body indicate parasitism — leave those caterpillars in place)
- ✓ Till garden in fall to expose overwintering pupae to predators
Other crops affected by tomato hornworm
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