Horn worms?

[Docility]

my question is has anyone attempted to breed these? how did you do it? whats the general growth time? How many did you use? Is it worth it once its started?

im very interested in doing these worms for their high nutritional values. any information on this is highly appreciated

 

[BMXICAN]

my question is has anyone attempted to breed these? how did you do it? whats the general growth time? How many did you use? Is it worth it once its started?

im very interested in doing these worms for their high nutritional values. any information on this is highly appreciated

I tried and didn't have much luck. My cocoon's never opened up.

I didn't do much research though and probably could have done better. I couldn't find much info and breeding them.

That would be cool if someone successful pitched in.

 

[Docility]

That would be cool if someone successful pitched in.

thats what im hoping for

 

[Docility]

bump! anyone? anyone?

PS: is it just me or are the forums moving kinda slow?

 

[Docility]

ok so i found this through a website, and a link lol, but seems to make sense, and im pretty sure you can sub out their diet with that commercial sawdust looking stuff they eat. btw what is that saw dust looking stuff they come packed in?

it appears in order to get a healthy reproductive culture or brood of these things will take around 2 months! so order extra if you want to feed in the down time on horn worms

 

[laurie]

This was posted a few weeks back. I don't remember who gave the instructions. Do a search on breeding hornworms, if no luck ask in the post who has the instructions.

 

[summoner12]

If you get the HWs to cocoon put them in a delicup no lid and allow them to have a light cycle... mine always hatch out that way... it takes a few weeks and then they hatch out.

 

[nick barta]

That sawdust stuff is Mulberry "Chow" It is their food, not a packing material.

ok so i found this through a website, and a link lol, but seems to make sense, and im pretty sure you can sub out their diet with that commercial sawdust looking stuff they eat. btw what is that saw dust looking stuff they come packed in?

it appears in order to get a healthy reproductive culture or brood of these things will take around 2 months! so order extra if you want to feed in the down time on horn worms

 

[Docility]

That sawdust stuff is Mulberry "Chow" It is their food, not a packing material.

what the chow made out of, and can it be used as a food for them in the worm stage? i did a search, and turned up dito

 

[fear742]

have no idea where it is and i may be thinking of silkworms when i say this but there is a website out there that outlines every stage of the worms life from tiny baby to full grown adult that is run by a university. try googling it and see what you come up with because i looked at it a long time ago and deemed it to intense for me to try but maybe youre up for the task

 

[Docility]

have no idea where it is and i may be thinking of silkworms when i say this but there is a website out there that outlines every stage of the worms life from tiny baby to full grown adult that is run by a university. try googling it and see what you come up with because i looked at it a long time ago and deemed it to intense for me to try but maybe youre up for the task

i posted a link for a way to raise them that a school did.

 

[dodolah]

www.manducaproject.com

 

[nick barta]

what the chow made out of, and can it be used as a food for them in the worm stage? i did a search, and turned up dito

Go to Mullberyfarms.com, you will get a better idea of what you are trying to understand.

Nick

 

[blackbetty]

Q about hornworms...

I got an order from Mulberry Farms.. I requested SMALL since the jacksons are not big chams.. Well, they friggen grew fast in the last week and now I have horns fit for a panther and my chams wont go near them!

Is there a way to keep them from growing so fast? Im afraid if I remove the food source, they will die.. I tried keeping them in the frog tank but they managed to fall into the only bowl of water I have and drown..

So now I have 6 horns that I cant do anything with!!!

 

[ChrisnLisa]

Betty- The higher the temps, the faster they grow. They can grow double, even triple their size in a day I would let the large ones cocoon, then you can feed them off as moths.

 

[blackbetty]

Hmm..they stay in their container int he bedroom which has the lowest temps to be comfortable for the jacksons..

I went ahead and gave them to someone who has bearded dragons..I took out the smallest and put them free roam into the chams cage..

One was spazzing out when I misted..like jerking back and forth..funniest thing ever!

Thanks though for the info..thats nuts! Next time Ill let them cocoon.. Do they need to be removed from the container they come in to do that?

 

[summoner12]

Hmm..they stay in their container int he bedroom which has the lowest temps to be comfortable for the jacksons..

I went ahead and gave them to someone who has bearded dragons..I took out the smallest and put them free roam into the chams cage..

One was spazzing out when I misted..like jerking back and forth..funniest thing ever!

Thanks though for the info..thats nuts! Next time Ill let them cocoon.. Do they need to be removed from the container they come in to do that?

Dave Weldon has good luck chilling the HWs in the fridge. I wouldn't leave them in there for more than 12-16 hours at a time. give them about 12 hours to warm up and eat again then back into the fridge. Try to put them in a warm place in the fridge.

And yes... in a week they can go from egg to full size mofo.

 

[summoner12]

what the chow made out of, and can it be used as a food for them in the worm stage? i did a search, and turned up dito

There is HW chow at Mulberryfarms.com. If you were in a pickle you could feed the HWs tomato plant or if ya had a tobacco plant that could work too. A local keeper told me he has never had an issue feeding HWs to chams that were raised on tomato plants.... But others say its not a good idea.... you decide

 

[nick barta]

Betty,

Go to greatlakeshornworm.com and they lay out how to slow the growth rate.

Nick

 

[CallumsCreatures]

I know that it has been a long time since this thread has been posted on, but I have been successful in breeding horn worms. If you buy them in the caterpillar stage, I had a 0 mortality rate when I separated them into individual deli cups. I fed them chow until they were about 3.5 inches and stopped eating and their tubs became mucky (i think some final poop the excrete when they are ready to pupate) they loose some of their color and you can see the blood vessel pumping along their back. throughout this time I had them in my dubia room which is kept at 32 degrees Celsius (remember to have some light on them to stimulate quick growth) and they went through their entire caterpillar stage in 1.5 - 2 weeks! when I saw they were ready to pupate I put moist dirt into their deli cups and set them beside a heat bulb, every caterpillar pupated that was in moist dirt (with lid on to keep in moisture) sadly I tried putting half of my caterpillars together in a shoe box of dirt with a heat pad under it but none from there pupated I then put the pupae (aprox 25) in my moth enclosure which is 1.5 ft wide x 2 ft tall x 1 ft deep, alongside two baby tomato plants, a hummingbird feeder, and a grow/heat light. 20 moths hatched in the next week and over the course of another week laid over 2,000 eggs on the tomato leaves and feeder and walls and floor etc, I then just restarted the process. hope this helps any one trying to breed these guys! (sorry but the moths only live long enough to breed/lay eggs