What kind of moth does a tomato worm turn into. Manduca quinquemaculata the five spotted hawkmoth is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family sphingidae. They are called sphinx moths hawk moths or hummingbird moths. The moth is gray or grayish brown in color with five orange yellow spots on both sides of the abdomen. Seeing these moths at our garden flowers late in the day is.
Adult moths are identified by examining the hind wing which has two separate wavy bands next to the border on the tomato hornworm that are fused with the tobacco hornworm. Nondescript brown moths lay pearl like eggs on your tomato pepper or eggplant from which the big green monsters will hatch and start to eat voraciously. Tomato hornworms are really big green alien like caterpillars that can munch through and devastate your vegetable garden. The adult is commonly called a hummingbird moth since it is often mistaken for the bird.
A moth emerges from its cocoon most often in the spring. Fortunately there are options. The caterpillar often referred to as the tomato hornworm can be a major pest in gardens. She will lay eggs at night on the leaves and most often on the underside.
Update article was updated sep. The white marks on the abdomen of the tomato hornworm are also more angularly marked. Hormworm munching a tomato leaf. Most prefer to feed in the evening but some feed in the day.
25 2017 correction september 25 2017. The tomato hornworm turns into the five spotted hawk or sphinx moth not the beautiful hummingbird moth shown in the. We are fascinated by sphinx moths but want to destroy every tomato worm we can find. How many eggs does a tomato hornworm moth lay.
A tomato hornworm will finally turn into a five spotted hawk or sphinx moth. Each moth can have a wingspan of about 100 millimeters. Both caterpillars turn into large moths with four to six inch wingspans in colors ranging from brown and gold to pink and grey. Manduca sexta the tobacco hornworm closely resembles its tomato preferring cousin but shows seven diagonal white lines on its sides and a curved horn.