I look for them from the bottom up since they seem to tend to the undersides and insides of the plants- at least while I'm looking for them. I always killed them, dropped them into water then tossed them out for the birds.

Knock on wood, I haven't had them for a couple years now. I always plant in for brachnoid wasps, and I haven't really had problems with hornworms since.

One of the Youtube channels I watch (Roots and Reguge) swears by going out at night with a black light. I haven't seen them where I am, but have had them in past gardens.

Thanks beesneeds.........what do you plant for braconid wasps?

Thanks cooper.........Funny, just this morning read that they usually active from dusk 'til dawn. I never knew that. I hadn't had them for a few years, so they took me by surprise this year. We were in a moderate drought until a few days ago, so maybe that somehow plays into things.

Thanks again!

I don't always get them here thank goodness, but had some last year.

Sometimes, looking for fresh poop (which is greener than old poop which is brown), then looking at the leaves directly above it will locate the perp! Good luck!

Linda

I mostly plant dill around the processing tomatoes out in the garden beds, and sometimes I tuck in some cilantro. I also have pink buckwheat adjacent to the tomatoes. I grow one tomato for snacking on in the kitchen garden- it's in a container. I plant dill around it, and I also have planters of parsley and sometimes cilantro around it. I tend to let some mustards and carrots go to bloom through the year, and have a lot of bronze fennel too.

Thanks everyone. I have another question..........have any of you ever found small/young hornworms on your maters? I have never seen any.

When I use a blacklight I find small/young ones and large ones.

Fortunately, I haven't found any new poop. In case someone is interested in seeing what fresh hornworm poop looks like, here's a pic I took of it. (Does that make me weird??) haha I always found the structure of them interesting.

That must be a big one! I have seen both large and small, usually by looking in the area right between the frass (poop), and the underside of leaves with holes.

I once read you should bob your head up and down, like a bird would! Didn't work for me, but who knows?

nanelle.......yes, if it's from the one that I relocated, it was about 3 and 1/2" long! I think it's the biggest one I've ever seen.