Tobacco Hornworm

[MandellaMandy123]

Hi everyone!

So lately my mom has been noticing that some of her underripe tomatoes were partially eaten. We thought it was a squirrel and so we put some netting on the plants. Well, today I discovered that is was not a squirrel but in fact a tobacco hornworm. So I've decided that I'm going to keep it. Unfortunately, my mom won't give up her tomato leaves for it to eat. I read that they eat potato leaves, but we only have one potato plant, so... I will be able to give it the two underripe tomatoes that it didn't completely eat, but after that could anyone tell me what else these eat? I know of one tomato plant from which I can use the leaves if I'm desperate, but I'd rather have something else to feed it. Anything is an option, I can always go to the garden center and buy something.

Thanks,

Wolfie

 

[agent A]

do your neighbors have tomato plants??

 

[D_Hemptress]

i had a thing with those when i was a little girl, i would put them into the fingers of my dads work gloves.... then later he would find them.

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Lol. :lol: Unfortunately, my neighbors don't have tomato plants. I wonder if I could get my mom to buy some of those ten-million-dollars-per-package organic heirloom tomatoes that they are selling at Costco?! :shifty: Doubtful.

 

[hibiscusmile]

It is a tomato hornworm, not tobacco. Your mother should know that the tomato plant has sucker leaves on it, that is leaves that suck all the goody out of the producing limbs, so ask her to show them to you. If she does not know what that is, it is any limb that does not have started tomatoes on it, they are easy to see, then cut those off for feeding it.

 

[agent A]

i had 2 male moths of the tobacco hornworm eclose today

 

[Sticky]

I have thought about buying some in a cup with food for my mantids. Are the moths ok to feed to mantids? We of course dont have moths in the winter up here in ME. My bigger girls love big sphinx moths.

 

[MandellaMandy123]

It is a tomato hornworm, not tobacco. Your mother should know that the tomato plant has sucker leaves on it, that is leaves that suck all the goody out of the producing limbs, so ask her to show them to you. If she does not know what that is, it is any limb that does not have started tomatoes on it, they are easy to see, then cut those off for feeding it.

Thanks Rebecca! That is a really good idea. It just might work!