Hornworms lay eggs without a tomato plant?

[ZacharyLeesWife]

My hornworms are growing WAY faster than I expected, I already have 5 burrowing in to pupate! But I don't think the tomato plants I'm growing will be much bigger than seedlings when these guys emerge. Will the smell of the seedlings be enough to stimulate the moths to lay eggs? I can put a different plant in for them to lay on, I just don't think I'll have much in the way of tomato plants in time.

 

[Decadancin]

I know I have hornworms in the bushes near my house, and no tomato plants nearby, so I don't know if it is necessary to have them to stimulate egg laying. Not that I have ever attempted this, but just sayin...

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

I have 4 very successful colonies going, and I'm working on 2 more. I'm just simply a sucker for punishment. And my scaley little babies.

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Also, Decadancin I just noticed that I put this post and one about superworms in the wrong thread! I'm sorry, since you are a moderator is there anyway you could move them?

 

[Decadancin]

Post #3? If you want to post it correctly, I can delete these posts when you are done. Let me know and I will take care of it.

 

[Andee]

Supposedly it is possible to put a tomato plants or the seedling on the outside of their cage, I would assume would do the same. And the hornworms will lay eggs on something else.

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

That's what I was planning to do. Everything I've read said it's safe to put the tomato plants in the cage with the moths, but I'd rather be sage that sorry!