It is easy to damage the young larvae by handling, so do not remove them from the hatching chamber until they are at least 2 cm long. Once the delicate larvae hatch and eat the leaf, use a small, clean brush to transfer them to additional leaves in petri dishes or directly onto plants. Replace any material that becomes visibly moldy.

Place a leaf on a piece of damp filter paper in a petri dish and place the eggs on the leaf. If you choose to hatch larvae on a suitable plant, you will need a plentiful supply of that plant before beginning your work. Larvae imprint on the first species of plant they feed upon and are voracious eaters. Once hornworm larvae have fed on plants, few will accept an artificial diet. Suitable plants include tomato, eggplant, tobacco, and jimsonweed. The eggs should hatch in about 3 days.Įggs will also hatch on members of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family of plants. Place the hatching chamber in a warm location at approximately 27° C (81° F) with a relative humidity of 40 to 50%. This will allow air to circulate through the holes in the lid. Place the hatching chamber, lid down, on a wire rack or use spacers (pennies) to elevate the lid slightly above a solid surface. Take care not to invert the cup so the eggs remain on the paper. Gently work the lid back onto the chamber. Put the eggs on the paper and reposition the cup (containing the solidified food and netting) over the lid. Invert the lid-inside facing up-on a table and line it with 2 sheets of tissue paper, filter paper, or paper towels. Use a paper hole punch or other instrument to punch 4 holes through the lid. The netting helps support the food when the cup is inverted and allows a surface for the larvae to climb to reach the food. Place plastic netting in the cup with one end extended into the food. Allow liquid diet to solidify in the cup before continuing. Whether liquid or solid, the layer of food should be no deeper than 7 to 10 mm (about ¼ to ⅜') deep. Pack down the solid diet until it creates a good seal in the bottom of the cup.

Either pour liquid diet into the bottom of the cup or use a spoon to add a layer of solid diet to the bottom of the cup. You can easily construct a hatching chamber for 30 to 50 eggs using a plastic cup with a lid. It is best to hatch eggs on an artificial diet. Your hornworm eggs will arrive in a small, plastic vial.

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