Tomato Fruitworms range across the country. They are also known as corn earworms. They are small green worms that burrow deep into the tomato itself. The adult moths lay their eggs near the tomato flowers on either side of the leaves and tend to be scanttered. Use a magnifying glass to see the eggs. They are tiny, whitish, balloonlike things about the size of a pinhead with raised stripes around the middle. This worm remains in one fruit through it's caterpillar stage. Control is in the form of picking the egg ridden leaves and being ready to spray your fruits with Bt to stop any hatched worms. Parasitic wasps will probably work on these too.
Beet armyworm range mostly in the Southwest. Despite their name, they don't usually damage beets. the mother moth lays grayish green eggs in irregular groups on the undersides of tomato leaves that are near open flowers. She often tops her egg mass with a light cover of scales and body hair, giving the egg cluster a fuzzy look. This worm doesn't live in the fruit. It sticks its head into a fruit, makes a hole, comes out, and then moves on to another fruit. One worm can damage as many as 20 tomatoes. If you suspect that the little green larvae that hatch from those eggs are already feeding, go out early in the morning and lay a sheet beneath the plants, and shake hard. The worms will drop and so will blister beetles if you have those too. If you do have worms fall, spray your plants with a strain of kurstaki Bt immediately. It's brand names include Dipel, Thuricide and Safer Caterpillar Killer. These work on all of the worms above. Be sure to cover both sides of the leaves. It only affects the feeding caterpillars not the eggs or just roaming caterpillars. After beet armyworms get an inch long, they hide in the soil during the day and feed at night. so to catch the big ones, you have to go out and hunt them by moonlight. Pick them and squish them or spray the Bt on the fruit as described above.
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