Best way to extract hornworm eggs

[jrtader]

I have managed to breed some hawk moths that have laid the eggs on the host plant (Tomato Plant). My question is what is the best way to extract the eggs from the plant. I want to remove the eggs from the plant before they hatch. Would tweezers be ok? Are the eggs every delicate. Any advice is appreciated. I've read the manduca sexta project website but didn't see any directions on how to remove the eggs from the plant.

 

[Khammy87]

Hornworm Egg Removal

I just got done with this process myself. I found that just gently rolling the egg off the leaf between your fingers is best. The shells are pretty hardy, so you should be fine with that also! Just be gentle!

 

[EC22]

You can also remove the whole leaf with the eggs on it and put that in the incubator (if that's needed). Just make sure you remove the plant matter so they don't feed on it when they hatch.

I got 15 hawk moths still in their pupae. They'll be hatching real soon. I hope I'll get tons of eggs

Good luck

 

[jrtader]

Thank you!