Sun Vue, Fresno James Vang, Fresno Ku Vang, Fresno Pao Phag, Fresno King Thao, Fresno Introduction Tomato pinworm, Keiferia lycopersicella , is an important larval pest of commercially grown tomatoes in the United States and Mexico. Although tomato pinworm larva mine tomato foliage, the most serious economic damage occurs when they feed on fruit.
Tomato pinworm is endemic to tomato.
Unlike beet armyworm and cabbage looper, which have developed relatively recent adaptation to tomato, the tomato pinworm has evolved simultaneously with wild tomato species over a much longer period. Therefore, it is the least affected by the tomato plant's natural resistance. Tomato pinworm survival rate was high across all commercial varieties and wild species. Beet armyworm survival rate was significantly lower on commercial varieties and extremely low on wild species. Because of its coevolution with tomatoes and because its leaf mining nature TPW is more difficult to manage with conventional insecticides than other larval pests.