How To Get Rid Of Hornworms Organically

Hornworms can be very frustrating and difficult to get rid of. They have impressive appetites, which means they can do a lot of damage very quickly – but it is possible to save your plants.

In this complete guide, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about controlling hornworms organically. You’ll learn about their life cycle, diet, and the damage they cause. Plus discover 5 safe and natural ways to eliminate them from your garden.

I’ll also share my simple prevention tips to help keep hornworms away from your plants so you can avoid them in the future.

Table of Contents

Hornworms are a group of caterpillars from the Sphingidae family, and they eventually turn into large moths.

There are 2 species: the tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata), and the closely related tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta).

Both tomato and tobacco hornworms (the larvae) are large caterpillars that can be up to 5 inches long, and have a horn at their rear end, hence their name.

They look very similar – both are green and have white markings on their bodies. But there are two easy ways to tell them apart for a positive ID:

The larvae eventually develop into adult sphinx moths, also called hawk or hummingbird moths. They’re brown or gray with striking patterns, and a wingspan of 4-5 inches.

The eggs are hard to spot, but you can find them on the undersides of the leaves of host plants. They’re smooth, spherical, and pearly white. Once they hatch, the tiny larvae are pale green in color.

The hornworm life cycle has 4 main stages: eggs, larvae (caterpillar), pupa, and adult moths. The larva is the only stage that feeds on the plants, and the adult moths are actually beneficial pollinators.

Adult females lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves