Where hand picking is impractical, there are numerous insecticides that may be used for hornworm control. Both adult weevils and larvae feed on numerous vegetable crops and weeds. Larvae have long been a minor pest of tobacco, feeding in the plant beds. In both 1981 and 1982, adult weevils have been damaging to young tobacco transplants in the field. Only females are known, they being parthenogenetic.
Females commonly live up to two years.
Eggs are laid in the crowns of host plants, on leaf petioles, or in the soil near the base of plants from September to March. A female may lay 300-1500 eggs. Larvae feed on foliage and roots, then pupate in earthen cells. There is but 1 generation per year. In the field, adult weevils can be controlled using Penncap-M or parathion dust, according to label instructions.