The Tomato Hornworm and Parasitic Wasp Cocoons: Garden Friend or Foe?

Let's get right to the point... A single 'Tomato Hornworm' can devastate a tomato plant in a couple of days. Several, can wipe out a plant overnight. If you wake up to missing tomato leaves, you most likely have hornworms. They should be removed immediately and killed. They are green, large, and really look like someone made an alien lifeform from clay. They are bad for a garden.

Parasitic Wasp Cocoons on a Tomato Hornworm 

If you see white cocoons covering the top of a hornworm, that is good. Freaky looking and even more alien looking, but good. A predator wasp, one that eats insects, has laid eggs just under the skin of the hornworm. The larva, once hatched, slowly digest the host and come out and form all those white cocoons as seen in the picture. You want the cocoons to mature and release wasps that will become part of your garden. Not all wasps sting or bother gardeners.

A great way to find the tomato hornworm is at night, using a UV light, sometimes called a black light. They are easily found online as an inexpensive flashlight. Shine the light on your tomato plants and the hornworms will actually 'glow' and reveal themselves. Grab and remove them. Visit my Amazon Shop for garden related items.

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Gary (The Rusted Garden)

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