Tomato: Bloom: Identifying Fruitworm Eggs and Potato Aphids

Identifying Fruitworm Eggs and Potato Aphids

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Tomato fruitworm egg
Potato aphid

Healthy and parasitized tomato fruitworm eggs
Potato aphid parasitized

Use the photos below to identify both healthy and parasitized fruitworm eggs and potato aphids before you monitor leaf samples during bloom. Names link to more information on identification and management.

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Fruitworm eggs

Potato aphid

Tomato fruitworm egg
Identification tip: Cabbage looper eggs (right), sometimes confused with fruitworm eggs (left) are similar in shape but have finer ridges.

Potato aphid
Identification tip: The potato aphid has both a pink (top)–and a green (below)–color biotype. This aphid is much bigger than the green peach aphid; it has a more elongate body shape and is generally found on the terminals of tomato plants later in the season than green peach aphids.

Healthy and parasitized tomato fruitworm eggs
Identification tip: Healthy (white) and parasitized (black) eggs of tomato fruitworm.

Potato aphid (parasitized)
Identification tip: Different parasites leave potato aphid mummies in varying colors. The parasitized aphid above is black.

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