Tomato Insects

A
Lecture To ToT trainees ( FFS)
By
Mr. Allah Dad Khan
Provincial Coordinator IPM KPK
MINFAL Pakistan
 1.Tomato Fruit Worm
The tomato fruitworm (Helicoverpa zea).
Symptoms and signs: Also known as
the corn earworm and cotton
bollworm. Two-inch yellow to gray
worms with lengthwise stripes tunnel
into fruit. They also feed on tomato
leaves. Brown pupae are about 3/4-
in. long and found three to four
inches deep in the soil. The
fruitworm moth lays eggs on the
leaves; the eggs are white at first
then develop a brown ring.
Controls: Handpicking of the larvae or
eggs is one control. Another is to till
the soil in the fall which exposes the
pupae to predators and cold. Bacillus
thuringiensis, Rotenone andgarlic
sprays are effective chemical
controls.
 2. Tomato Wire worm
• Symptoms and signs: These light
brown hard-bodied 1/2-in. to 1-
1/2-in. worms are the larval stage
of the click beetle, which gets its
name from the sound they make
when they flip over when laid on
their back. They feed on
underground stems and small
roots, causing stunting of plants
and reduced yields.
• Controls: Tilling the soil
frequently kills wireworms or
exposes them to predators such
as birds. Apply beneficial
nematodes. Rotate crops by not
planting in the same spot each
year.
 3.Tomato Leaf miner
• For control of tomato leaf
miner, chemical insecticides
have been applied and
biological control strategies
have been evaluated.
However, Tuta
absolutaalready shows
resistance to many chemical
insecticides. Tomato leaf
miner is currently controlled
by spraying specific
synthetic insecticides.
 4. Tomato Silver Leaf White Fly
• Silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii)
Chiefly a greenhouse and houseplant pest in
the northern hemisphere. They are tiny
yellowish insects with white wings which
cause damage to leaves by feeding, which
causes leaves to yellow and curl. Usually rest
on the underside of leaves. They are active
flyers and move from plant to plant.

• Controls: Spray foliage with water (early in

the day so it can dry before evening) to
disrupt feeding and dislodge eggs, nymphs
and pupae of the whitefly. Lowered
temperatures also decreases activity. A small
wasp, the encarsia formosa, which is
available from suppliers, is a natural predator
that can be introduced into the environment
to control the whitefly population.
 5.Tomato Cut Worm
• Symptoms and signs: Smooth one-
inch caterpillars found curled in a C-
shape in the soil feed at or just below
soil level. They can cut off young
plants evenly at the surface of the
soil. Colors vary from gray, black,
brownish, to green.
• Controls: 1) Cutworm collars: put a
collar around seedlings made from
bottomless paper cups or 2-inches of
a toilet paper tube. Push the tube
into the soil. Shallow tin cans with
bottoms removed also work. 2)
Scatter bloodmeal around the plants.
3) Scatter moth balls around the
plants. 4) Dig up the garden in early
spring to expose and kill cutworms by
freezing or starvation
 6. Tomato Horn Worm
• Tomato hornworm
(Manduca
quinquemaculata),
Symptoms, signs and
controls: Read detailed
information about
hornworms in the
article Tomato Worms -
Tobacco and Tomato
Hornworms
 7.Tomato flea beetles
• Symptoms and signs: Small
(1/8-in.) dark brown metallic-
colored jumping beetles make
tiny "shot-holes" in leaves. The
damage can stunt or kill small
plants.
• Controls: Keep weeds under
control where the flea beetles
nest (a good practice for
controlling many tomato
bugs). Plant basil nearby,
which repels them. Sprinkle
plants with an insecticidal
 8.Tomato Aphids
• Symptoms and
signs: Colonies of small (less
than 1/8-in.) green insects
found on new stems and
undersides of leaves
• Treatment: A strong stream
of water can wash off
insects. You can encourage
natural predators like
ladybugs or lacewings. Also
effective for many tomato
bugs is the use of
repellant garlic oil spray
Tomato Psyllids
 9.Tomato Psyllids( Leaf Hopper)
• Symptoms and signs: Small (1/8-
in.) wedge-shaped pale-green/tan
hopping insects which feed on
sap and cause curled leaves with
dark tips. They rarely cause
significant damage but they can
transmit plant pathogens that
cause plant diseases such as curly
top.
• Controls: Blast with water spray
(in the mornings so leaves dry by
nightfall). Cover plants with
floating row covers. Spray with
insecticidal soap or other organic
pesticides or dust with sulfur.
Avoid planting tomatoes near
beet
Tomato plant damaged by psyllids
 10. Two Spotted Spider Mite
• Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus
urticae) Symptoms and
signs: Includes tomato erinose and
spider mites. Mites are tiny insects
that cause the leaves to look like
they're covered with a white mold
because of the webbing
they produce. They attack leaf tips
and blossom buds. They puncture
leaves and feed on the sap.
• Controls: Avoid dry, dusty conditions
by having a consistenttomato
watering program. Also avoid
nitrogen fertilization. Predator mites
are an effective control. Prune and
discard heavily infested branches.
Wash off with a mild detergent and
water rinse.
 11.Stink Bug
• Symptoms and signs: While
not one of the most
damaging tomato bugs,
stink bugs pierce fruit and
cause dimpling and sunken
spots on fruit.
• Controls: Since they
congregate on weeds, the
best control is to keep the
garden weeded and
handpick insects when
found. Drop into soapy
water to kill them
 12. Leaf footed Bug
• Leaf-footed bug
(Leptoglossus
phyllopus).
 13. Tomato Blister Bettle
• Symptoms and signs: Medium size
(3/4-in.) black, red, gray, or striped
adult beetles chew on leaves. Large
numbers of them can defoliate the
plant rapidly before moving on. You
may see dark fecal spots on leaves
and stems.
• Treatment: Blister beetles beneficial
aspect is their diet of grasshopper
eggs. To eliminate handpick and
dispose (use gloves, they can blister
your skin with their secretion of
canthara-dine, but most of those
found in gardens have relatively low
amounts so aren't much of a threat).
Drop into soapy water to kill them --
this works for most tomato bugs.
 14. Ear wigs
• Symptoms and signs: One- to
two-inch black insects with a
pincer-like tail damage the leaves
of young tomato plants.
• Controls: 1) Lay boards on the soil
then destroy the earwigs that
congregate overnight. 2) Let your
chickens make a meal of them. 3)
Make an earwig trap by rolling up
a single sheet of newspaper into
a cylinder and securing it with
tape or rubber bands. Dampen
the paper, lay it in the garden
overnight. Earwigs will hide in the
paper; dispose of it in the
morning.
 15. Nematodes
• Symptoms and signs: These are microscopic
wormlike creatures; the best known is the
root-knot nematode. They cause yellow
foliage, wilting, and stunted plants; they can
be diagnosed by observing irregular swellings
on roots.
• Controls: Nematodes are easily spread by
garden tools and soil on gardener's boots.
Sanitize by removing and destroying all
infested plants after harvest. Sterilize tools at
a minimum with soap and water. Don't add
affected plants to compost pile. Remove as
much of the root system as possible,
including much of the surrounding soil. Clean
pots with 10% bleach/water solution before
reusing. Grow nematode resistant tomato
varieties which will have and "N" listed after
the plant name. An effective soil treatment
for these tomato bugs is to grow marigolds
to maturity then plow under -- nematodes
can't tolerate the chemicals released.
 16.Slugs
• Symptoms and signs: Slimy, dark soft-bodied
creatures up to 4-in. long feed at night and
on cloudy, damp days. They feast on tomato
foliage and fruit on or near the soil surface.
Both slugs and snails lay masses of white,
oval to round eggs.
• Controls: 1) Handpick daily, then weekly,
when their numbers decrease. 2) You can
make a trap from a 1-ft. square board with 1-
in. x 1-in. runners on the four sides. Snails
and slugs will congregate underneath where
they can be disposed of in the morning. 3)
Place shallow pans of beer near plants. The
slugs will crawl in and drown. An alternative
to beer is one tablespoon of flour and 1/8
teaspoon of yeast mixed with a cup of water.
4) Mulching your tomato plants with coarse
mulches like hay or placing rough rocks
around the plant stems will also discourage
slugs. 5) Commercial baits like Slug-Geta can
also be effective.
 17. Snails
• Symptoms and signs: Slimy, dark soft-bodied
creatures up to 4-in. long feed at night and
on cloudy, damp days. They feast on tomato
foliage and fruit on or near the soil surface.
Both slugs and snails lay masses of white,
oval to round eggs.
• Controls: 1) Handpick daily, then weekly,
when their numbers decrease. 2) You can
make a trap from a 1-ft. square board with 1-
in. x 1-in. runners on the four sides. Snails
and slugs will congregate underneath where
they can be disposed of in the morning. 3)
Place shallow pans of beer near plants. The
slugs will crawl in and drown. An alternative
to beer is one tablespoon of flour and 1/8
teaspoon of yeast mixed with a cup of water.
4) Mulching your tomato plants with coarse
mulches like hay or placing rough rocks
around the plant stems will also discourage
slugs. 5) Commercial baits like Slug-Geta can
also be effective.
 18. Leaf Miner
• For control of tomato leaf
miner, chemical insecticides
have been applied and
biological control strategies
have been evaluated.
However, Tuta
absolutaalready shows
resistance to many chemical
insecticides. Tomato leaf
miner is currently controlled
by spraying specific
synthetic insecticides.
 19. Tomato Thrips
• The primary damage caused
by thrips to tomatoes is the
vectoring of Tomato spotted
wilt virus The virus can only be
acquired by the immature
stage of thrips, whereas plant-
to-plant transmission primarily
occurs by adults. The adult
thrips can transmit the virus
for the remainder of their
lives, which can last 30 to 45
days. However, the adults do
not pass the virus to their
progeny (through the egg)