This should allow time for a “clean-up” spray and the harvest interval to pass before tobacco is cut and taken to the curing structure.Ī list of recommended insecticides can be found in ENT-15, Insecticide Recommendations for Tobacco Beds and Fields.Īn assessment of hornworms can be made by carefully examining groups of 20 plants at randomly selected locations over a field. If this is not practical, then plants should be checked about a week before harvest. Ideally, tobacco should be checked weekly from topping until harvest to determine if hornworm numbers justify treatment. Hornworm infestations must be handled in the field before housing. There are no registered or effective treatments to control hornworms feeding on tobacco in the curing barn. Hornworms present when the tobacco was cut will be taken to the barn where they will continue to feed until they complete their development and drop to the barn floor.

That leaves plenty of time for late-flying moths to lay eggs that lead to infestations. The residual protection from the application usually lasts for 5 to 7 days. The long flight period means that infestations can develop even if the crop was sprayed with an insecticide soon after topping. Tobacco hornworm moths fly during much of August and early September, attaching single eggs to the undersides of tobacco leaves in the upper 1/3 of the plant. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: go./goodgrowingsubscribeĪny products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.ENTFACT-151: Keeping Hornworms from the Curing Barn | Download PDF by Lee Townsend, Extension EntomologistĪnd Bob Pearce, Extension Tobacco Production Specialist These are also pollinators, so if you prefer to give them a home Ken also has got you covered!Ĭheck out the Good Growing Blog: go./goodgrowing

And in this week's Gardenbite, Ken Johnson describes the hornworm, a super neat way to find them, and how to control them. Ack! What happened to the tomato plant!? Have you ever walked out to the garden to find out a hungry hungry caterpillar has stripped the leaves off your tomato plant? These are known as tomato hornworms.

Download tomato horn worms