John E. Woodmansee Photo: Tobacco hornworm on a tomato plant that has been attacked by a parasitic Braconid wasp. The white capsules on its back are the pupal stage of the tiny wasp. Braconid larvae ...

The caterpillars then burrow into the soil when they are mature to enter the pupae stage, emerging as moths and starting the cycle again. The fast life cycle of a tomato hornworm means there can ...

The bug expert said the creatures were the caterpillar stage of the sweet potato hornworm. The hornworm swarms every few years, the entomologist said. The insects are not toxic and were probably ...