Raising Horn worm eggs?

[Andie]

Hey, does anyone here have experience with raising horn worms from eggs?

Is it easier than silks?

I've tried hatching/raising silk eggs and, out of 250 eggs, only about 10-12 worms have survived. And this was my 2nd attempt! The first batch all died after hatching.

 

[Andee]

Hornworms from eggs are super easy. I have found it easier raising them to healthy adult worms with the chow specifically made for them when they are fresh from the eggs.

 

[Gavinsons]

I breed my own hornworms. Eggs are super easy, I put about 50 in 1 cup with hornworm chow and takes about a week for them to start hatching. Once they get about 1/4" long I seperate them and put 25 in each cup. They grow fast even at room temperature. 2 weeks from the time the eggs are laid they will be 1"-1 1/2". I usually keep 24 to pupae. They will start turning a dirty green color and will be able to see the vein pulse along their back. I put them in a small tupperware container with damp eco earth and let them bury themselves. I then put the container in my hornworm cage and wait a month for them to turn into moths. I mist the soil every other day. The moths will hatch out around 4 weeks. I put a tomato plant in the cage for them to lay their eggs on and I collect the eggs every evening. Last summer I had over 1000 eggs from one batch. Only about half hatched but still more than I could use on 4 chams and a bearded dragon. It's a little work but cheaper than buying them.

 

[Andee]

The only thing I do different when I raise hornworms (though I don't pupate them unless to feed the moths off) is that I keep them in rubbermaid containers, like small shoebox size ones. I don't believe worms either silk or horn do well in cups past a certain stage. I would say as soon as they are 1/4 to 1/2 an inch long I move them into the bin. In my opinion they do better there then they ever have when I've kept them in the cups.

 

[Andie]

I breed my own hornworms. Eggs are super easy, I put about 50 in 1 cup with hornworm chow and takes about a week for them to start hatching. Once they get about 1/4" long I seperate them and put 25 in each cup. They grow fast even at room temperature. 2 weeks from the time the eggs are laid they will be 1"-1 1/2". I usually keep 24 to pupae. They will start turning a dirty green color and will be able to see the vein pulse along their back. I put them in a small tupperware container with damp eco earth and let them bury themselves. I then put the container in my hornworm cage and wait a month for them to turn into moths. I mist the soil every other day. The moths will hatch out around 4 weeks. I put a tomato plant in the cage for them to lay their eggs on and I collect the eggs every evening. Last summer I had over 1000 eggs from one batch. Only about half hatched but still more than I could use on 4 chams and a bearded dragon. It's a little work but cheaper than buying them.

Wow. That's pretty impressive. I wonder if my chickens could eat them.....

 

[Andee]

I am pretty sure certain members feed them to their chickens when they get too big for their chams. But it can be a hit or miss from what I understand.