One effect of global warming may be an increase in night-time temperatures with daytime temperatures remaining largely unchanged. We examined this potential effect of global warming on the performance of tobacco hornworm larvae, Manduca sexta (Sphingidae), by manipulating night-time temperature and dietary rutin levels simultaneously under a 12 light:12 dark photoregime. All four thermal regimes (26:14, 26:18, 26:22, and 26:26Β° C) had a daytime temperature of 26Β° C, with the night-time temperature increased from 14 to 26Β° C by increments of 4Β° C. Dietary rutin levels (0, 10 and 20 ΞΌmoles g fresh weight of diet) reflected those occurring naturally in the leaves of tomato, a preferred host plant of M. sexta. With low night-time temperatures (14 and 18Β° C), rutin had a negative linear effect on developmental rate, relative growth rate and relative consumption rate of the caterpillars. However, at a night-time temperature of 22Β° C, rutin had a negative non-linear effect. At a night-time temperature of 26Β° C, rutin had a negative linear impact but less so than at the other nightime temperatures. Likewise, the negative effect of rutin on molting duration was mitigated as night-time temperature increased. Final larval weight decreased linearly with increased dietary rutin concentrations. Total amount of food ingested was not affected by either rutin or thermal regime. As expected, the caterpillars developed faster under an alternating 26:14Β° C regime than a constant 20Β° C regime (the average temperature for the alternating regime), but the effect of rutin depended on the thermal regime. Switching daytime and night-time temperatures had no statistically significant effect on caterpillar performance. Overall, the effect of rutin on rates of larval performance was greater at some levels of warmer nights but damped at another level. These results indicate that the potential effect of warmer nights on insect performance is not a simple function of temperature because there can be interactions between night-time temperature and dietary allelochemicals.