Tomato Plants Infested With Small Green Maggots

Identification

• Tomatoes are susceptible to infestation from the tomato fruitworm, the maggots of medium-size, light brown, slightly green-tinged moths. Also called the corn earworm, fruitworms are potentially the most destructive of all tomato pests, according to the University of Kentucky Extension.

Description

• Newly hatching maggots are off-white in color with black heads. As the worms mature, they turn light green. The pests probably will assume reddish black or almost black shades. The body has fine white lines at the sides and is covered with microscopic bristles.The grubs have four pairs of prolegs.

Damage

• Young fruitworm maggots feed on foliage immediately after hatching, entering the fruit from the stem ends. They grow to maturity inside the fruit. Fruit that is 1 to 2 inches in diameter is targeted. As they continue feeding, the pests are likely to travel from fruit to fruit. Damage is seen in the form of watery, inner cavities filled with excrement and cast skins. Infested fruit is prone to premature ripening. The worms also infest ripe fruit later in the season. The small size of the maggots and the fact that they feed inside the fruit make detection difficult.

Control

• Control of fruitworm pests is most effective before the majority of the larvae get a chance to enter the fruit. Introduce natural predators such Trichogramma pretiosum, big-eyed bug and minute bug in infested plants. Organic pesticides include the use of Bacillus thuringiensis or spinosad. Other chemical insecticides include products containing indoxacarb, fenpropathrin or carbaryl.