How to Make Tomato Hornworm Feed

The tomato hornworm loves to eat the leaves of tomato plants.

The tomato hornworm is the larva of the five-spotted hawkmoth. The hawkmoth is large -- about the size of a hummingbird. The moths have yellow and black bodies with large gray wings. The tomato hornworm is considered a pest by most gardeners because a large crop of them can destroy a garden. However, the worms and moths can have other uses, such as fishing bait. They can also be studied for school science projects. If you want to keep hornworms alive, the best way is to make a feed mix using their favorite plants.

Things You'll Need

• Leaves from tomato, eggplant and bell pepper plants
• Garden shrub leaves

Instructions

1. Gather leaves from tomato, eggplant and/or bell pepper plants, along with leaves from other garden shrubs.

2. Tear the leaves into mulch-size pieces. This can be done by hand, or by using hedge clippers, or by mowing over the leaves with a lawn mower.

3. Mix the leaves together. Place the leaves in the container with the worms. Give each worm about 1 cup of cut leaves per day.

4. Remove leftover leaves daily and replace them with fresh leaves. Adjust the amount of leaves you give the worms based on how much they consume.

5. Continue feeding the worms until they form pupas in late summer. The five-spotted hawkmoths will emerge from the pupas in the spring.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your hornworms contained. Your neighbors will not be happy if the worms get loose in their gardens.

References

• Green Thumb Articles: What Do Hornworms Eat?
• Organic Garden Site: Tomato Hornworms