Pest identification
What's eating my common tobacco?
Tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta)
Signs: Rapid, wholesale stripping of leaves; large green caterpillars with white stripes and a red tail-horn.
Control: Hand-pick daily; apply Bt spray; till soil after season to destroy pupae; leave parasitised hornworms in place.
Aphids (green peach aphid, Myzus persicae)
Signs: Dense colonies on leaf undersides; leaf curl; virus transmission (aphids vector mosaic viruses in tobacco).
Control: Spray insecticidal soap or neem oil; use reflective mulch early in season; remove infested shoot tips.
Whiteflies
Signs: Yellowing and wilting leaves; sooty mould; large numbers cloud up when leaves are brushed.
Control: Apply neem oil or insecticidal soap to undersides; use yellow sticky traps; introduce Encarsia parasitic wasps.
Flea beetles
Signs: Numerous shot-holes across leaves; seedlings and young plants suffer most; adults jump when disturbed.
Control: Row covers over transplants; apply kaolin clay; delay planting to reduce early-season pressure.
Keep common tobacco pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Common tobacco pests — FAQ
What is eating my common tobacco?
Common tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is a magnet for pests it shares its family with: tobacco hornworm and budworm caterpillars cause severe defoliation, aphids and whiteflies colonise sticky foliage, and flea beetles riddle leaves with holes. Spider mites attack in dry weather. The tobacco hornworm is the most damaging single pest.
How do I get rid of tobacco hornworm (manduca sexta) on common tobacco?
Rapid, wholesale stripping of leaves; large green caterpillars with white stripes and a red tail-horn. Hand-pick daily; apply Bt spray; till soil after season to destroy pupae; leave parasitised hornworms in place.
How do I get rid of aphids (green peach aphid, myzus persicae) on common tobacco?
Dense colonies on leaf undersides; leaf curl; virus transmission (aphids vector mosaic viruses in tobacco). Spray insecticidal soap or neem oil; use reflective mulch early in season; remove infested shoot tips.
How do I get rid of whiteflies on common tobacco?
Yellowing and wilting leaves; sooty mould; large numbers cloud up when leaves are brushed. Apply neem oil or insecticidal soap to undersides; use yellow sticky traps; introduce Encarsia parasitic wasps.
How do I get rid of flea beetles on common tobacco?
Numerous shot-holes across leaves; seedlings and young plants suffer most; adults jump when disturbed. Row covers over transplants; apply kaolin clay; delay planting to reduce early-season pressure.