Tomato hornworms

[AFH]

I have a friend at work who has a ton of hornworms that are eating her tomato plants. She'd be happy to collect some for me, but somewhere in the back of my mind I remember that you can't use hornworms that eat tomato plants because the plants are toxic.

Can someone confirm this?

 

[Dual]

There is a wasp that lays its eggs inside hornworms and the larvae eat it alive from the inside. If the tomatoes and hornworms are outside where these wasps get to them they definitely won't be good for your chameleon. Below is a link with more info. Hope this helps.



http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Galveston/beneficials/beneficial-04_braconid_wasp_on_hornworm.htm

 

[nick barta]

Horn worms that eat tomato plants ARE toxic.

Nick

 

[sandrachameleon]

I echo Nick
Its the tomatoe plant that makes them toxic.
If youre a risk taker, you could collect the hornworms, feed them an alternate, safe food for a week or two, then give them to your chameleons. I've not done this myself, nor do I plan to, but I understand it can be done. see here: http://web.archive.org/web/20060503233712/www.chameleonjournals.com/husbandry/

 

[Redeye]

in "a week or two" most hornworms will be moths

 

[ohiohousewife]

There is a wasp that lays its eggs inside hornworms and the larvae eat it alive from the inside. If the tomatoes and hornworms are outside where these wasps get to them they definitely won't be good for your chameleon. Below is a link with more info. Hope this helps.



http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Galveston/beneficials/beneficial-04_braconid_wasp_on_hornworm.htm

that is the grossest thing I have ever seen.

 

[Syn]

If you have the patience, find the moths, breed them, save the eggs, etc. (?????, Profit!)

 

[jadeaudio]

Yeah I bought hornworms to try out. They came pretty skinny and shorter than a superworm. After a week the 5 that I had left were gigantic. Literally only a big 1+ year Panther male could eat it and probably only if your guy can be hand fed. I thought they were pretty expensive paying $10 for 10 of them, but they come in their own habitat with their own food. They are very cool. So soft and juicy as hell. They double in size almost everyday. You would never be able to feed them your own food because they wouldn't live long enough in the worm stage. I never seen them change to moth, but that would be one gigantic moth. They get thicker than a huge night crawler.

 

[sandrachameleon]

in "a week or two" most hornworms will be moths

Depends what size they were to start with, how much they are fed, how warm it is.

 

[Ryan123]

they are toxic dont feed them to your animals