What is the green, shiny thing on this eggplant?
This is the egg of a tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). If you’ve ever grown tomatoes or eggplant, you’ve probably seen these large, green worms with a long horn on their rear end. Hornworms are a common pest of crops in the Solanaceae family. Because of their size, they can consume a significant amount of foliage. Their green color and white stripes camoflauge them pretty well, so frass (droppings) on the ground around the plants and stems stripped of leaves are the first thing many people notice. For small and home gardens, hornworms are easy to hand-pick from the plants. For larger plantings, insecticides may be necessary when populations warrant treatment.
This week’s question is from Tom Bilbo, Extension Entomologist.
The South Carolina Grower 