They cause damage by cutting plants off above, at, or below the soil surface. Several species of cutworms attack young tomato plants. They feed on the undersides of leaves on cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mustard, and turnips. The larvae are greenish or cream colored and hard to find. When disturbed, the larvae will hang suspended by a silk strand.
Flea beetles eat tiny holes the size of birdshot in the leaves.
They are general feeders and attack most plants grown by the commercial vegetable gardener. The hornworm is a large green worm with a prominent horn on its rear end. Tomato hornworms have a greenish horn and white chevron marks, while the tobacco hornworm has a reddish horn and white oblique marks on the abdominal segments. The tobacco hornworm is the most common tomato pest in the South. Worms feed on the underside of leaves, producing ragged holes, and bore into cabbage heads.