Hornworm Breeding/ Hawk Moths

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Roemeida

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]Hello!

Brief intro: I just joined the Beardie site so if I don't post according to rules let me know! My boyfriend got a beardie a little bit back, (probably 7-8 months old or so), and I have taken a VERY keen liking to the bug side of having a beardie :). Not surprising as I've always loved bugs, and love in an area where I got lucky enough to hold 7 year Cicidas as they emerged!!!

Now onto the questions! I have managed to get myself into a deboggle, I've managed to have several of my teal wriggles pupate and now I've got about 2-4 weeks before they hatch to find out what the moths need to eat to survive. I've tried looking around but have not had great luck at finding something on feeders in particular. Most of what I find is about the Sphingidae family as a group, and I want to make sure the process is done right for not so little George!

I'm at the understanding that tomato plants are great for the laying process, but to make sure the larvae do NOT hatch and eat them. Ive also seen ideas for using hummingbird feeders for the Moths, but not much on how to keep them going.

Also tips on keeping Moths happy and how to safely 'decorate' their captive environment to encourage breeding are welcome! I have an 'old' vine from when we had a chameleon, cleaned off and such, would this make a nice hangout for them? Some images below!

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What I did with my Hawk Moths was get one of those very large butterfly net cages, and hang a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water. I got at least 1000 eggs. All I had was a tomato plant inside. And a few flowers.
 

Roemeida

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DragoTheDragonII":2mcjaszt said:
What I did with my Hawk Moths was get one of those very large butterfly net cages, and hang a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water. I got at least 1000 eggs. All I had was a tomato plant inside. And a few flowers.

How long did the eggs take to hatch? What conditions did you keep them in to grow well? I am going to use the babies as feeders, so I imagine I should make the Moths don't consume anything that can make the eggs/larvae toxic. Would sugar water fall under this?
 

Roemeida

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Original Poster
Roemeida":2sgj6gt6 said:
DragoTheDragonII":2sgj6gt6 said:
What I did with my Hawk Moths was get one of those very large butterfly net cages, and hang a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water. I got at least 1000 eggs. All I had was a tomato plant inside. And a few flowers.

How long did the eggs take to hatch? What conditions did you keep them in to grow well? I am going to use the babies as feeders, so I imagine I should make the Moths don't consume anything that can make the eggs/larvae toxic. Would sugar water fall under this?


I'm not entirely sure. Since this post one of them has hatched and as I am unprepared I am searching (in panic haha) for the answer. So far I am seeing honey/water mixes (1/5 and 1/10). No specific answers to if that keeps them alright for breeding and feeding yet. If I manage to make them accidentally toxic I suppose these guys can be for my own entertainment!
 

Roemeida

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Original Poster
Roemeida":2xoyii21 said:
Roemeida":2xoyii21 said:
DragoTheDragonII":2xoyii21 said:
What I did with my Hawk Moths was get one of those very large butterfly net cages, and hang a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water. I got at least 1000 eggs. All I had was a tomato plant inside. And a few flowers.

How long did the eggs take to hatch? What conditions did you keep them in to grow well? I am going to use the babies as feeders, so I imagine I should make the Moths don't consume anything that can make the eggs/larvae toxic. Would sugar water fall under this?


I'm not entirely sure. Since this post one of them has hatched and as I am unprepared I am searching (in panic haha) for the answer. So far I am seeing honey/water mixes (1/5 and 1/10). No specific answers to if that keeps them alright for breeding and feeding yet. If I manage to make them accidentally toxic I suppose these guys can be for my own entertainment!

94631-9861452779.jpg

In the 20 mins since this image his wings have expanded (I estimate I caught him within an hour or two of hatching). I will upload more soon!
 

w8n4vacay

Member
I cant afford the monthly cost of hornworms. Does anyone know if i can breed them by buying the worms already in the cup and start there or do i have to start with eggs. I read somewhere that you can do this and put them in a bin with one-half dirt and the other half of the bin clean with just their food. Will this work. What happens if they do mate? What else do i need to do in the bin if they do. I see posts on hummingbird feeders, putting a tomatoe plant by them but not in the bin???(im confused on that).. please help.
Thank you.
 

Roemeida

Member
Original Poster
You can most definatley start with the cup! A lot of how you get to the cocoons/Emerging/egg laying/hatching depends on what you are comfortable with. I've hatched three moths by now and am pretty sure I have disdiguised the male from my two females. They will have thicker antennae (you may need to have both genders present to figure this out). I will upload a picture later, but my set up for the Moths in particular is like this; several soft fake plants for them to land on, a reptile vine, hummingbird feeder (between 1:7 and 1:10 honey water ratio) and a soft felt(?) .40 cent square that I placed on the wall of a tall Chameleon cage for them to lay eggs on. As for the placement they are on top of my Beardies cage next to the bathroom. No drafts but possibly a higher humidity then if elsewhere (my beardies cage has good venting and is enclosed so he's good don't worry :) ).

As for the eggs I haven't found much myself. Unlike cricket eggs they seem fine without being sprayed or in dirt. I can see the little worm dots growing in them in my Tupperware lid. I have dry Hornworm Chow at home already, which I've ordered from etsy. The guy shipped very fast and has decently priced cups as well.

I feel the best/easiest beginning would be to buy locally for hornworms. Put them somewhere warmer and let them grow and eat. Once they are ready to pupate they will have a visible pulsing vein(?) on their back. They will stop eating at some point and run around sort of crazy. They WILL cocoon without dirt, but I think they are happier with it. And what is better then happy good bug food for your Beardie? They will then take up to a month or two to emerge. Keep the soil damp. Not too dry but not watery (the cocoons have small vents and they can drown if you spray them directly). I would take out and re dampen the soil as well as keep damp paper towel over the cup. I kept them half surfaced (individual condiment tupperwares to avoid any Issues with contamination through death). If you poke them you'll know if they are still living.


There seems to be a few 'stages' as a cocoon. Or at least visual changes to give you an idea of where they are in their process. The first color (once the green has gone) is a medium brown. After awhile there will be a sort of 'transparent' stage where it lightens enough to see the wings through the cocoon. Then it will darken and at some point will become softer. That's when I made sure to start buying things to entertain and feed them.

As for egg laying it was very quick. So I read the females can only mate once, males however long. It seems like they lay in bursts over the course of a few days. Mostly at night while hovering. It doesn't take long for them to begin laying from my experience. And they will lay PLENTY.


I will update later and answer any questions as well as show photos!
 
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