If you've ever struggled to keep hornworms away from your tomatoes and don't want to hand-pick them, you can use a spicy kitchen staple to create a DIY spray.

A tomato hornworm can grow up to 5 inches long and as fat as your index finger. They have V-shaped, yellowish-white markings and a black 'horn' or spur on their posterior segment.

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 ...