Tomato Hornworm

Manduca quinquemaculata

Similar to Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca sexta), these huge bizarre looking caterpillars can do a lot of damage to Tomato plants. I used to hand pick and kill them (usually with a stick as touching them didn’t appeal to me). After a time I resorted to deportation from the garden, after I realized they turn into a spectacular moth (I know the deported caterpillars may well have died with no Tomatoes to eat, but I can’t think of everything!) In recent years I haven’t done anything, as Trichogramma wasps do the job for me. Their white egg cases can be seen on the motionless and unfortunate Caterpillars - I almost feel sorry for them.

They will also eat dill and those plants are sometimes used as a trap crop to protect tomatoes.

Image: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org