What's eating my black cherry tomato?

Black Cherry Tomato's dark, sweet fruit is a magnet for birds, wasps, and slugs once it ripens. Aphids and whiteflies commonly infest plants through summer, and tomato hornworm can defoliate rapidly. Net ripening clusters, scout for hornworm eggs weekly, and manage aphids early to protect fruit set.

Dense colonies on growing tips and leaf undersides; causes curled, yellowed leaves and sooty mould coating. Insecticidal soap spray; introduce ladybirds and lacewing larvae; remove heavily infested shoot tips by hand.

Rapid foliage stripping leaving bare stems; large dark-green caterpillars hide along stems and large dark droppings betray their location. Hand-pick and destroy; Bt spray applied to foliage; allow parasitic wasps to complete life cycle on parasitised caterpillars.

Pecking holes in ripe and near-ripe fruit, particularly targeting the dark-coloured skin; damage invites secondary fungal rot. Fine mesh netting over trusses once fruit colours; visual deterrents such as hanging CDs or reflective tape.

Holes eaten into ripe fruit resting close to soil; silvery mucus trails on soil and lower leaves. Harvest ripe fruit promptly; iron phosphate pellets around plant base; beer traps nearby; remove leaf litter shelter.