3 Tips to Controlling & Preventing Tomato Hornworm Organically 

I hate touching them with my hands so I pick up one of my favorite chickens. Walk around the garden with her and point it out and she just eats it for me lol great bonding time 😂

My grandfather had a great way to reduce hornworms. While it's true that the birds might see them while passing through, they mainly hunt caterpillars by sitting and scanning the ground. So he put wooden stakes right in his tomato bed, about four feet high (might need higher if you stake the plants). He said he got the idea by watching bluebirds sitting on old mullein stalks in a field, hunting caterpillars. The birds can perch on the stake, where they are much closer to the plants, and can sit and watch for them rather than trying seeing them on the fly or from a perch somewhere far outside the bed. When asked what he used for hornworms, he would reply "cardinals."

The best way to deal with pests is to make the environment hostile to them. That's the holistic approach. The underside of a size 14 boot seems to be a particularly hostile environment. So far, I haven't found any that have been able to survive those harsh conditions. 😂

Great info Luke. Jess over at Roots and Refuge has a great video about using a black light flashlight after dark to look for, and pick off, these theives. The black light makes them look fluorescent and they practically glow. She found tons of small ones and some big ones too. Great channel too for southern gardeners with insight with what grows in the excessive heat.

I am a 66 yo who grew up on a truck garden in Missouri, who loves your videos. Thank you for being so engaging on the 'little' matters of gardening... :)

So nice to hear confirmation of what I suspected: attracting birds to my yard this year is stopping my typical worm issue on tomatoes. I didn't even spray with BT this year since I have milkweed, citrus, and fennel as host plants for butterflies, and no problems at all. I have daily lesser goldfinches, CA scrub jays, and hooded Orioles in my yard. I have actually witnessed the Orioles hopping around my tomatoes plants and popping out with a green worm in its mouth! Absolutely fantastic. People told me attracting birds was going to be detrimental to my garden and its been the opposite. I love my bird helpers!!

I've been blessed by Braconid wasps living in my area. I still find stripped branches before the wasp's find them. But, if I find them with the little white rice sized cocoons, I leave them to be. "Enjoy your final meal!"

They also stand out under UV light. This can help you find them at night.

Perfect! So many people don't know how to make a great video. You do! Informative, interesting, on-topic and without taking 30 minutes to give 10 minutes worth of information. Perfect!

"Then you can use the chicken manure to fertilize your tomatoes. " "The circle of liiiife..."

I so dislike those things!! They give me the heebie jeebies! I found 3 on my tomatoes last week and I turned them in to Bass Food - we live on a lake.

they will eat through you garden SO FAST ... seriously

I wrapped aluminum foil around the base of the tomato plant and didn't get any. Not sure of the reason why. A friend mentioned to do that and it worked for me.

If you wait till dark and shine a 'blacklight" flashlight, they will glow and be easily seen. 15 bucks on Amazon!

Super informative and useful - I caught 4 big ones and 5 smaller ones in just the last 2 days, can't imagine the damage they would've done. As a follow-up video, folks might also be interested in seeing a video on using Ultraviolet light at night to better spot them.

Thank you for showing a close-up of the worm because that gave me a definite knowledge to know what I’m dealing with. And yes that’s what I have here eating all my pepper plants. They didn’t seem to bother the tomatoes that much but wreaking havoc on the pepper plants. I just take my snippers and cut them in half while they’re on the plant. So gross. I live in Houston, TX, and they really didn’t start till July.

Just as you mentioned in your video, I reached for a stem to prune the plant and touched the hornworm. Yes, they wiggle around. Not knowing whether this was a stinging insect or not, I used a stick to pry it off my tomato plant. At first, I thought the deer had been in my yard eating the leaves, but thanks to your well-explained video, I now know the worm was the culprit. I searched the rest of my plants and didn't find any more. Yes, they are quite well camouflaged and difficult to see unless you look closely at every branch. Thanks for the tips on the droppings and the fact that they prefer the top leaves.

Thank you! This is my first year dealing with them. I just sent the video to a friend who is having the same problem. The first one I ran into scared the bejeesus out of me he was so big! OMG

If when you are looking for the worms, also look for the green eggs they hatch from. You may not find them all, but the ones you find will not do damage. They are green to clear, and make a crunch noise when you crush them. Look under the leaves, and on the stems.

Yes, we have fed them to our chickens. They actually fight over them! One of the best preventatives I've done is to plant borage (plants) between the tomatoes. I could not believe how few horned worms I had the year I did that. Borage is good about re-seeding also.

I feed them to my chickens. Before I had chickens, it was fun to collect them in the day and wait for the bats to emerge in the evening so we could toss them high up into the air.

Gaaah!!! I have found two hornworms this summer. The first one nearly killed me by heart attack. You may have heard the echoing scream coming from West Michigan. It was super exciting. 🙄 Right now blight is more a problem than anything else. 😖

I am so glad to have found the MIGardener. So much great information.

Thanks for your information on hornworms. This is exactly what I thought it was, but you covered all of my questions as I am a first time gardener.

After watching this video. I caught 2 of them on my plants!!!!! 2 of them! Thank-you. You are the real MVP.

Luke, any chance of you doing a video on how to save seeds and prep them for planting next spring? I having a great season tomato-wise and a few of the plants are stunners! What do I do with the seeds!?Thanks,Rich

Hello! Great ideas🙏Thanks so much! 🙏🙏We have been dealing with these hornworms in our tomatoes plants for a couple of years now, and your suggestions come at a good time! It’s too bad we don’t have chickens here at home in Brooklyn, NY🙂 We’ll feed them to the birds on our backyard! Thanks again! All the best to you and your family🙏

Great tips! I however enjoy the hand picking method as I enjoy being out in my plants in the early morning and evening. I keep a coffee can with water and dishsoap out there then pick them off and toss in the can. Your tomato horn trivia is amazing. I never knew they grew that fast! Thanks for the great tips. I really enjoyed this video.

Thank you! I just pulled a HUGE hornworm off my plant, i'm sure there are more, I've lost 9 tomatoes in a few days to these suckers. I've ordered BT AND a black light so i can hopefully get this under control. My first year trying tomatoes and my single plant got decimated haha

I'm fighting hornworms with a whip and a chair! Jurassic Park all over again..... .....

Terrific segment. I noticed the droppings yesterday and wondered what they were. A quick Google search and I got my answers! Thank you!

Lots of great info! I really li e these videos! When I actually plant tomatoes, these tips will help greatly.

One more tip.....the moon flower will attract the moth that lays the eggs of the horn worm. So, don't plant that flower on your property.

Found my first worm ever today. Your video was the first one that came up after I identified what it was and looked for solutions. Thank you for the video. I found two huge ones in different gardens. One on tomato and one on a bell pepper. Lol I did find the first one by grabbing it on accident while wondering wtf happened to my plants leaves.

love your channel & the way you present. Thank you :)

This video was easily one of the ten most helpful gardening videos I’ve ever watched

I had four tomato plants in their own separate pots. One night I noticed 80% of my leaves gone one night. 6 hornworms!!! Tried to pull them from the plants. Man, they’re strong. So, I used a lighter and ended them.

I have a different approach with the tomato hornworm... I have a love/hate relationship with them. I adore hawk moths but I also really like my tomato plants. We always have many volunteer tomatoes that I move to a bed near my compost pile. When I find a horn worm in my garden, I relocate him to the tomatoes that I don't necessarily want and they can chew and chew to their hearts content. Then I still get to enjoy my tomatoes AND the hawk moths. Found one with parasitic wasps on it. Crazy to see that!

Love your videos! Thank you so much for all the great information! I am learning a lot!!

Thanks again, Luke, for some educational and enjoyable content! 👍🏼

They are aggressive when you try to take them off too. They make a creepy clicking noise and thrash their head back and forth. Makes it difficult to grab as well as them holding on the plant with a death grip.

Luke, can you please make a video on how to get rid of grubs in your soil? I think this could be really helpful for people!

Good video. I always find a few on my tomatoes every year. This year only 4 so far-but i check my plants daily. I usually just hand pick-tweezers will work or even two scraps of wood is sufficient. I have used BT also-but I need to restock-the BT has a shelf life even in ideal conditions.

I just saw my first hornworm catepillar on my tomato plant--- oh wow--- they are so pretty! Pretty colors and blended in so well. I gently removed them and relocated them. I have no problem hand picking them off though we'll use the bird bath and posts for birds to sit on and hopefully eat them, as additional support.

They FREAK ME OUT cuz when I found one and poked it with a stick THAT THING STRAIGHT UP LUNGED AND BIT THE STICK!!! I didn’t expect that and they give me shivers every time I see them... 😂

This year, for the first time, I haven't had any hornworms. I planted basil & marigolds & that seems to have helped tons.

Thank you for sharing. I am going to checky plants.

Love the MIgardener even though I live in KY! Lots of very useful information that i can use everyday! Love this video on hornworms .... never thought about feeding to my chickens.... great idea. Yay! Thanks.....

I wish I had this last year, horn worms took over my tomatoes! This year I’ll be ready. Thanks MI gardener, I love learning from your informative videos. Keep up the good work! Q: Have you ever had a mole problem? Many people in my area (Sandhills of NC) have this problem and I thought to ask you if you have any solutions. Thanks Again!

These suckers are a PLAGUE here in southern VA. Thankfully we're past their peak now, but I picked off over 30 in the last couple months. I keep a lidded bucket of soapy water in my garden labeled Death Valley specifically for dropping these awful munchers into it.

You're the best youtuber I know migardener you and calikim keep up the hard work

Great information! Thank you for sharing!

Oh my, the first time I saw one of these on my tomato plant I was so freaked out by it that I had my husband throw it out tomato plant and all, lol. This was before I knew what it was of course. I think they are scary looking little creatures. I'm normally not squeamish about bugs but the hornworm still gets to me. Any info (aside from picking them off) on how to eradicate them is so appreciated. Thanks Luke!

This is my first year gardening. I had some really nice tomato plants but then I noticed how all the leaves had disappeared from my plants. The stalks were still green but no leaves. Upon research on the Internet I came across several sites that recommended using neem oil as a pesticide. The neem oil did work on other bugs in the garden but not the big green caterpillar I finally discovered on my tomato plants. Then I see this video tonight and figured out what I am dealing with. Now I will look for BT. Is there a particular brand you recommend?

Thanks for the information because this is my first year to grow in the ground. I didn’t have this problem with my container tomatoes but I’ll be on guard thanks to you!! Thanks I have all your seeds growing in my seedling trays!! 😀❤️

I have learned so much from you! Thank You!

We get these every year. : / I put a garden glove on, peel them off from the stems, and toss them into a bucket. They make a clicking kind of sound when there are a few of them in the bucket, which is odd to hear. Yuck. They can be tricky to spot as they blend in looking like a stem that has a curled up end. Good thing our chickens like to eat them!

They look sort of like the caterpillar in Alice in wonderland 🤔

This video was super helpful as I have been struggling with these worn worms for the last week!

i found little black droppings and saw a newly hatched hornworm. removed the leaf and put it near the bird feeder. also i looked for eggs and removed them. might as well do super early prevention. btw, found a total of five little worms which were easy to see since they are a lighter green than the leaves. this video put me on the alert for these pests. i also read about parasitized worms and eggs to leave them alone so the beneficial insect can flourish as well.

Never had a hornworm here in southern Ohio.. but tomato pinworms are very annoying to deal with. Fortunately BT works with them as well. I mix BT and neem oil extract to take on aphids and pinworms at the same time.

We had hornworms but they were found by braconid wasps! The wasps paralyzed and murdered the hornworms. If you plant little flowers, the wasps eat them later in their life cycle. Letting dill plants and some of your oregano flower and then go to seed seems to be a fantastic way to get these magnificent tiny non-stinging magic wasps.

I saw one a long time ago but didn’t know what it was. Thanks for the information. I’ll be on the lookout for them.

This video was extremely good and helpful! Thank you!!!!

I had one worm take out every leaf on 2 plants over night. Those things are so ugly lol. I've alway thought they would make good fishing bait cause the skin is so tough.

So this has been my trick in the past. I had heard that if you grow Parsley with your tomatoes it will keep the tomato worm away. I NEVER have these guys. This year however, I just didn't plant the Parsley and I've had like 12 of these from both tomato and peppers! So, although I don't know for sure that Parsley works or not, I will definitely go back to companion planting with them next year. I've been throwing them out in the field behind us but we feed tons of birds so I'll toss them in their direction now. Thanks for the tip. (Southwest Mi)

Found one pn4my tomatoes July 15, 2019 and this video confirms it. Thanks for the video.

Looking at your basil like man I wish mine looked that good tfs

I generally notice the foliage damage or I noticed the white wasp larvae on them and I just pulled them off and put them down in a bucket with diatomaceous earth or if I think I have more than one I would just sprinkle diatomaceous earth on my plants lightly I may leave the diatomaceous earth on the plants for 48 hours but then I spray them off with the garden hose I certainly don't want to kill the honey bees that pollinate for me!

Yes. Went away for a week in the summer and when I got back, the tomatoes were decimated. In just a week.

Enjoyed the information. Thanks.

Thanks for providing such reliable information in all your videos! I also need a strategy for dealing with squash vine borers. I’ve searched your video history for one about squash vine borers but haven’t found one yet.

Could BT spread to other caterpillars like monarchs and swallowtail? I wouldn't want to damage pollinator species

my blight kept the tomato horn worms at at bay! lol

I've picked off well over 30 of these this year. I hate them but my chickens do love them lol Thank you so much for making this video!!

MIgardener - your garden is impressive! And possibly a bit large for this tip, but for those of us with fewer plants who are willing to handpick the hornworms, they aren't green or large as babies. Instead they start out small and dark brown with a goldish stripe and no tail. I knew to look for hornworms after noticing fecal matter and partially eaten tomatoes like you showed but they'd eaten very little foliage at that point. At that young stage, they looked like the yellow and brown sun damage that was already on some of the other leaves so I almost missed them. I picked the little ones off and added them to my birdfeeders, but never thought to do the same with the big ones. If I catch anymore this year, the birds are in for a treat!!

Wasps are the best. Once the larvae matures, your hornworm is dead and you have more beneficial insects.

Glad I found this video! I had two in my tomato plant and they ate 20 tomatoes I had growing 🤦😔 #sad Lol

Great video, thank you! I wondered what the little gross green clumps were under the plant, now I have one more clue. It hurts to be too late and see the stick where a healthy plant was 😪 My chickens do love them, tho.

Amazing info. My peppers were having a challenging time with two of those caterpillars. Thanks for the info

Those suckers hit my tobacco plants. I enjoy throwing them to my chickens for some tug-of-war.

I like the hawk moth! They're gorgeous. I plant 2 sacrificial tomatoes and move them to those

Thanks for sharing Luke!

For the first time in my life I realized we had hornworms after noticing the tops of our plants chewed down and pellet droppings everywhere! I posted for help on Facebook and friends new exactly what was going on, including attaching this great video of yours! We ended up with at least a dozen worms - maybe more! Upon more research I discovered there’s actually a tobacco worm and tomato worm. The difference is the either straight line or v-shapes markings on their sides. They’re are 7 lines. What you had and I also had are actually the tobacco variety! Anyway, I’d attach a video of the box of them we collected if I could. We took them and dumped them in woods. I didn’t want to kill them. Maybe we should have!

If you hand pick them, they make a very satisfying popping sound when you step on them.

What's ironic is that I do gardening and, at the same time, I love taking care of caterpillars in general.

Thanks for your very hepful tips!

Thank you! Just found one in my tomato plant… and will use your tips ❤️

Oh my gosh, last year I tried to pull one off a tomato branch and I tell you truthfully, it turned it's head and spit brown juice at me.

I need to go check my plants now... horn worm paranoia! 🌱

Thank you for the information... perfect !! Question: you mention in another video some product that brings back to life your plants as well as fertilize??. I can't recall what you were referencing. Could you tell me more about it>

You can also actually hear them eating, crunching away. I've found them that way. When I kept ducks, it was a good day for them when a tomato hornworm was plucked from the garden. They would fight over it, running around the yard trying to get it away from each other. So gross. But you're absolutely correct at how quickly they will take a plant down. When we first started gardening 20 years ago, our whole tomato garden (about 8 large plants) was decimated in a day.

My husband picked 25 off 4 tomato plants 😭 nursing them back to health currently.

I just found 9 on my plant this afternoon here in Texas. They destroyed 80% of the plant. This morning it looked great this afternoon it look like death. I hate these things.

Great informative video, as always! 😀

Thank you for all your information! It was very helpful!

I put my tobacco horn worms in a bird feeder. Blue jays go crazy for them and start bugging me for more. Lol

If I may add: to get you tomato plants off to a good start, take a paper cup, take the bottom out, insert the plant into the paper cup and plant with the cup a 1/2 inch to an inch underground. This will prevent the cutworms from being able to get to your plants.

I didn’t grow any tomatoes last year, because of that blasted leaf-binger. I lost half of a cherry tomato plant overnight to just ONE tomato hornworm. I’m so glad that I saw it move, because it blended right into the remaining foliage. I would have touched it first and passed out from its acrobatics.😱🤣 I have two plants in our garden and I’m prepared this time! Thank you!

I found my first hornworm when it was the size of an inchworm and didn't know what it was so I left it. Came back the next day and a whole leaf branch was gone and the worm was much bigger, but my girlfriend thought it was cute and harmless and insisted I leave it. The following day half the plant was gone and the worm was massive! ugh! glad you also detest these garden pests. Thankfully my orange cherry tomato plant has recovered well and is producing a lot :) thanks for the tips Luke!