What are these caterpillars?

Question

I have a bunch of caterpillars in my garden, specifically in my tomato plants. I want to know what type of caterpillar they are, and what can I do to stop them (if they're bad). I live in North Carolina, United States. Here are some of the pictures: green caterpillar

This worm/caterpillar is different but I want to know if what damage it does.

Look up "tomato hornworms." Pick them off and drop in soapy water. Spray with soapy alcohol. They turn into moths. — Yosef Baskin, Jul 23 '23 at 02:19
Those things look terrifying. I hope they’re small. But I’m going to have nightmares anyway. — bubba, Jul 25 '23 at 13:06

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 23 '23 at 03:01

The first two and last one are hornworms, and appear to be un-parasitized (no sign of wasp larvae) so you should pick them off and dispose of them. Growing marigolds nearby will repel the moth that lays the eggs that become those ravenous caterpillars. I had one set of tomatoes with none, and there was a nearby set (1/4 mile or so) with an infestation (but parasitized) and the set with hornworms had no marigolds, but the set without had marigolds.

What are these caterpillars?

1 Answers1