How to spot it

Striped caterpillars up to 1 1/2 inches long, green, brown, or pink. You find them in the tips of corn ears and inside tomatoes.

What it does

They eat the silks and kernels at the tip of the ear, leaving droppings, and bore into tomatoes, peppers, and bean pods.

What to do now

• Cut off the damaged tip of the ear; the rest is fine to eat.
• Put a few drops of mineral oil (with Bt if you like) on the silks 3 to 7 days after they appear.
• Pick and throw away damaged tomatoes.

Keep it away next time

• Plant corn early: later plantings get hit hardest.
• Grow varieties with long, tight husks.
• Turn the soil in fall to kill pupae.

Helpful supplies

Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Plants it affects

See also