Hornworm eggs

[ColorCham427]

Hey all,

I was just thinking of how I can collect the eggs... I have 3 twigs in there. I now have 4 alive and well moths. 11 have already died off. 11 have each lived for atleast a week. But still can't find any eggs. Should I put wax paper under the twigs?

It's in my basement. It's usually 75-78 down there with the humidity level at 40%. I'm going to keep looking online. thanks for the help.. I need it.

-Brian

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I think this species needs to be fed as an adult.
You need lele to respond to this thread, but it is my understanding that the adults need quite a bit of space and flowers to feed off of.
Without these conditions you may not be able to trigger breeding.

-Brad

 

[ColorCham427]

thanks for the info man. you know nebody who'd be interested in buying moths? I have quite a few more pupating...

 

[lele]

Brad is right, these moths need a lot of flight room to feed. Their proboscis (mouth part/tongue) is 2 1/2 - 3x their body length and, like hummingbirds, they need to hover in order to feed. They are nothing like silkmoths (which do not feed as adults) or butterflies (which land on flowers to feed). You need a large flight cage with either fresh flowers or nectar feeders (I have links in my article on chamnews here: hornworms

The adults live for about two weeks so you need to watch for mating and supply a nectar source. if you have male and female you can sometimes hand pair them, if you are so inclined, but keep in mind that they fly at night (dusk to dawn) and are typically quiescent during the day. Offering them for sale can be risky depending where you live (sorry, didn't look) in that they may emerge during transit, unless you are sure they are in extended diapause.

Hope you get some eggs!

lele