Hornworm Breeding Journey PICTURES

[SJRG95]

So for those of you guys who know I have been trying to breed my hornworms to save money.
Its been a pretty interesting couple of months. I got a batch around valentines day (yes by man loves me and my chams that much!) and 4 of them got too huge to be fed off so I just let them be, then I noticed that they weren't eating.
I researched and decided to out them into some organic dirt, i checked one them after about 1 week and they were still worms, after another week they had cocooned. I dug them out and out them into another container, and then onto paper towels (moist).

I left them alone for 3-4 weeks and sprayed them 3-6 times a day, and left them by the window.
I came home one day and one had hatched and was running around on the floor, so we grabbed him and put him/her and put him in the cage. His wings never developed all the way, so he couldnt fly . Thats when i decided to up the spraying.
They hatched at night, so around 6pm i began spraying them more, the next 3 hatched 1 day apart from each other around 9pm.
1 hatched back wards...so my boyfriend cut it out. The others hatched normally.
After hatching- about 30 minutes later, their wings opened fully and started to dry (its awesome).
They wouldnt eat from the humming bird feeder- and uncoiling their long hose was not working either, so i got a hibiscus and they sucked it dry.
I had a tomato plant near the cage to promote reproduction (first night they reproduced!!!). 3 days later I had eggs all over the cage.
We spent about 30 minutes collecting them all and broke 1 (pretty good odds, if you ask me).
At night you can hear them flying around, its neat.

Now we have about 100 eggs and waiting for them to hatch, I want to continue breeding them, it seems like a really neat thing. I learned a lot through this experience and i suggest anyone who has a little bit of time tries it.
I had 3 out of 4 moths that were healthy, they don't live long (the first one only lived 6 days),but it was totally worth it.
They are the nicest creatures ever, and i hope i can continue to learn more about them!

I attatched pictures!

 

[PatsyB]

I did this last summer, it was so fun! Three times a day I was checking my plant and cage for eggs. Im going to try again now that the weather is getting nicer. We have to keep them in the basement and it's warm down there but not warm enough. Plus I need to get a proper light for the tomato plant.

 

[SJRG95]

I keep the tomato plant by the window but it still seems to look sad a lot, sometime i just cover it with the UV light i have for my chams.

By boyfriend says next go around we are keeping them outside haha.

 

[Brando Calrissian]

What are you going to be feeding the hornworms as they grow up? I'm thinking about starting a similar project

 

[SJRG95]

I got hornworm chow and cups that i will be putting together myself.
I got the empty cups and chow from rainbow mealworms and i got the netting from lowes for 3 bucks, so i will be doing that tonight.

So when they hatch they will get chow- but i usually try to take a few of the ones i will be feeding to my chams and give them carrots (they seem to like those), i honestly havent tried any other veggies or fruits yet.

 

[PatsyB]

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box that I got from the dollar store. I cut a hole in the top of it and covered it with mesh for ventilation and I bought a roll of gutter guard from Menards so they can climb on it when they hatch. I had extra cups and chow that I got from Great Lakes Hornworm.

SJRG95- I fed my hornworms dandelion and collards once right before feeding them off and when my bearded dragons bit into them, pitch black goo shot out!

 

[Brando Calrissian]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[SJRG95]

I just made my cups and the food. Both are in the fridge hardening. Tomorrow the eggs will go in it! I'm excited.
I have to try that. Usually I just get green or blue liquid that always happens to hit me in the eye. Always!!!!
Haha it's been a great experience so far! Although I've lost 2 moths know and I miss them already!

 

[SycoSquirl]

did you find your breeding info online? Ive bred my silkworms, and right now have eggs, but I dont know much about hornworms. Also how did you collect the eggs? My silkworm eggs are pretty stuck to the paper towel they were placed on. Also how long do eggs take to hatch? Ive heard you need to put them in the freezer first then they will hatch but i cant collect my eggs to do that so I dont know how my eggs are going to do >.< I even bought a mulberry tree ( a very small one im growing in my apt) as a way to not have to buy the chow for them haha

 

[PatsyB]

Hornworm eggs can't be frozen. The moths lay their eggs everywhere you just pick them off and put them in your container. They are pretty hard, like those little white balls on candy and baked goods. If you use a tomato plant you want to pick them out before they hatch because once the worms start eating the tomato leaves they can't be fed to you animals.

The only info I could find was something called the Manduca project.

 

[SJRG95]

I found almost no information... so i just kinda went with it.
I read that they eggs can be handled- i had my moths in a small reptifreeze cage and i had 1 hibiscus plant in it- my female moth laid eggs all over the cage, and I just pulled them off. now they are on a paper plate- once i get home i will put about 30 in a pod that i made and once they hatch they can climb up and eat the food!

the internet says the eggs take about 3-5 days to hatch...im on day 3 and no hatching yet! Dont freeze them- silkworms unlike hornworms dont do good in anything remotely cold!

I used a rubbed own toothpick to push the eggs through the holes in the cage- no damage to any eggs!

 

[SJRG95]

I just got 16 more eggs!
But that means my moths are going to die soon so i hope my eggs will hatch soon!!

 

[PatsyB]

I actually started my moths in a kids butterfly keeper. It's round and all mesh and about 2 feet tall. I put a tomato plant in it and a bowl of nectar. I hung it from the ceiling in the basement with a shower curtain around it because the only useful information I read was the moths are very messy. Now I have a reptibreeze for the next time I try it.

I hope your eggs hatch soon!

 

[SJRG95]

The moths are messy- they spew a orange red liquid when they hatch, but its easy to clean up.
i had my moths in a 1.5 inch tubber ware container, and just pulled up the paper towels to about 2 inches and no mess after that!

 

[SJRG95]

Eggs hatched last night at 1030pm - not fun for me since i had to be up at 4, but i had to watch!!!

 

[SycoSquirl]

Hornworm eggs can't be frozen. The moths lay their eggs everywhere you just pick them off and put them in your container. They are pretty hard, like those little white balls on candy and baked goods. If you use a tomato plant you want to pick them out before they hatch because once the worms start eating the tomato leaves they can't be fed to you animals.

The only info I could find was something called the Manduca project.

Do you know if you HAVE TO have a live tomato plant for the moths to lay their eggs on? because I know if I want to feed the worms off I cant plant a tomato plant in their same enclosure. Right now their enclosure has an ivy plant in it from when it house stick bugs, and i was hoping they could just lay their eggs on that?

 

[SJRG95]

I put the plant next to the cage touching the screen but not in it. And they mated, so no you dont.
My female laid a few eggs on the hibiscus plant- but most of them on the screen cage.

 

[ridgebax1]

Pigglett79 has a blog dedicated to the care and raising of both silkworms and hornworms; I do not think that the hornworm moths need a tomato plant exclusively to lay eggs and I believe this is covered in the blog.

 

[SJRG95]

I removed mine after the first time they breed.

 

[Gavinsons]

I'm attempting this right now. I have 14 worms that pupated early this week. Also building a large screen cage to house the moths in my garage. Should I dig the worms out of the dirt now and lay them on paper towels in the cage or wait and let the hatch out and dig themselves out?