08/18/2026
Let’s ID our common pests for 𝕋𝕚𝕡 𝕋𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪.
As a gardener for most of my life, most of these are easily recognizable as caterpillars for a butterfly/moth.
The reason they’re pests?
Simply they keep the plant from developing produce to pick and eat.
While Swallowtails are pretty to look at, your garden herbs and carrots might be the perfect spot to make more.
As a pollinator and flower lovers, keep a caterpillar or two around and pluck the rest.
Ohhh the hornworm. The ubiquitous tomato muncher. There are two common ones, tomato and to***co, but I’ve only ever seen to***co hornworms.
Bad agricultural pests. One caterpillar can do major damage. Look for the top leaves to be gone from one day to the next. Disposal is the key.
The spring and early summer staple. Cabbage whites. Eats anything in the cabbage family (brassica) - broccoli, collards, and nasturtiums included.
Wash off the black specks {eggs} and then keep an eye out for stems and undersides of leaves for caterpillars. Once holes form, it might be time to pull the plants and try again in the fall.
Squash vine borers are caterpillar for a daytime flying moth. It’s got clear wings and a bright red orange body.
Favorites are summer and crookneck varieties as well as pumpkins that eat the plant from the inside out. Digging the caterpillars out at clumps of yellow frass or burying vine to force it to root help to save the plant.
