Once most or all of the food is gone, remove and wash all Tupperware. Optionally, if the plant has grown fruit, slice and place a piece on a tupperware lid on the bottom of the cage. Pluck leaves and spread along the bottom of the cage. Once it cools (cooling time varies greatly between brands), cut into smaller pieces and place a couple on the tupperware lids. Once identified, seperate the caterpillars by species into separate mesh containers.įollow the instructions on the bag and wait for your food to cool. This is not as reliable, though, so horn ID is ideal. Tobacco Hornworms have black stripes on their white ones, while Tomato Hornworms have green stripes on their white stripes, if any extra stripes. If the horn is not an option for ID, you can also tell by their white bands, though these may not be visible until later. Tomato Hornworms have a blue or black horn, while Tobacco Hornworms have a red one. If you plan to breed your moths, you will want to separate your hornworms by species, as many suppliers will not check if they are Tomato or Tobacco hornworms.

While things from outdoors can be used, make sure to clean them in disinfectant first, to kill both bacteria and pests.

(Optional) Add various things for the hornworms to climb on, such as cardboard pieces.

If using fabric, measure the size of the bottom of your cage and cut appropriately (if needed), then place at the bottom.

Take all containers and soak in disinfectant (I use odoban).

*a paper bag may also work, but I cannot yet confirm

Two extra containers, one mesh and one fully solid.

Tomato or Tobacco hornworms (DO NOT OBTAIN CATERPILLARS FROM OUTSIDE, they can be infected with NPV and infect any existing hornworms! You can buy online for as little as 13$, including shipping.).

Sawdust, Shredded Paper, or Potting Soil.

^any small, washable surface will do, these are just the most accessible in my experience. *Hornworms fed Solanaceae plants are not safe to feed to pets!

A plant of the family Solanaceae* (do not use pesticides, organic or not! This will likely kill your hornworms!) or Silkworm/Hornworm feed + Tupperware lids^.2 well ventilated cages, such as a popup cage.This guide applies to both Tomato and Tobacco hornworms. Yet another huge update, please re-read completely if using.

Download tobacco hornworm moth