JIM2,
I know the egg like things on the catapillars
are sometype of preditory wasp thing...
That lays it's eggs on the catapillar, they host the eggs until it's time to hatch,
and they use the catapillar as lunch...

But, let me see if the BUGLADY can give you a much better answer than that!!!

Welcome to The Garden Helper by the way,
we're very glad you found us!!!

Theres' lot's to do here, so don't forget to peak
back at us here... there's something going on during every season... and especially during those long cold, blustery winters!!!

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Wow, that was F~>A~>S~>T!!!
Whew!!! I barely hit the send button..

Thanks!!!!

Great pictures by the way!!!

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

well caterpillars are very susceptible to bacterial and viral diseases. with it as dry as it has been the weather has not been favoring diseases. that could be one reason. I am actually having fewer problems this year... but i have tobacco hornworms, which i suspect that most of you have. Just because they are eating tomatoes and have a horn does not make them tomato hornworms.

"The tobacco hornworm larva (Manduca sexta) is generally green with seven diagonal white lines on the sides and a curved red horn (above). The tomato hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata) have eight V-shaped marks on each side and their horn is straighter and blue-black in color" from Hornworms

Look close at them!

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

i have the tobacco ones... i need some of the tomato ones to photograph but cant seem to get them here.....

Lunas are not related to hornworms other then they are moths.. they belong to 2 different families.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

Ciao Buglady,

We have a pet tomato hornworm that our 6 yr old has named "Whalie" because he eats as much as a whale. He's got chevron stripes and a black horn. He stopped eating last Tuesday so I put 4" of pro-mix in his bug jar and he's buried himself into it, leaving tunnels so I can still see him. It's now Friday and he still looks like a caterpiller. When should we expect him to pupate? I've heard it can take as long as a month before he emerges as a Sphinx moth. I'd also like to know what to feed him once he emerges.

Grazie,
Julianna

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Ciao Buglady,

Thanks for the info. I was planning on putting normal garden soil in his bug jar, but we had a major thunderstorm the day he stopped eating. The pro-mix I used was new stuff, nothing had grown in it previously, so I'm hoping that's at least some good news. What sort of nectar do Manducas feed on, though? Would they get any from the tomato blossoms? I haven't seen any adults at all this season and I'm out in the garden at night sometimes tying up plants. We're planning on releasing him once he emerges but I'd love to observe him for a few days as an educational project for our 6 yr old.

Grazie,
Julianna

PS another FYI that I heard for anyone else who takes an interest in raising these critters instead of squishing them or otherwise killing them..whatever sort of bug container you use for a "cage"..make sure you clean it often as these guys eat a ton so they also poop a ton and I read that it's highly detrimental for their health to crawl around in their own waste..it's quite wet.

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Ciao Buglady,

Thanks again for good information. I was planning on putting him in a large terrarium once he's pupated. If I'm very careful, I figure I can do that without harming the crysalis. I planned on burying him again in about 4" of soil and this time if it hasn't rained recently, I can put garden soil in there. I know the bug jar he's in right now would be way small for a Sphinx. The other option would be to let him emerge and transfer the adult Sphinx to a larger container, but I thought moving the crysalis would be less potentially traumatic. Thoughts?

Grazie,
Julianna

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Ciao Buglady,

I moved Whalie into a 12" plastic peanut butter tub with a circle of foil punched with 7 1/4" holes in the top. I put the soil he'd been under in the smaller bug jar plus another 2" that I pre-moistened on top. Then I put a 5" bamboo stick on top of the soil at ~45 deg. angle. The pupa was so cool-looking when I gently removed it from the smaller bug jar. It's about 3" long and a maroon colour. Whenever the jar is moved or inspected, the pupa wiggles, which lets me know that Whalie is still alive and doing fine. We don't get Munchkin for another 2 weeks so I'm hoping Whalie doesn't emerge before then.

Thanks for all the info ;o)

Julianna

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no problem.. anytime...

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

you can always put the infected caterpillar back

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

nope.. sorry by the time you see them the damage is done....

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

the hornworm eggs are laid on the plants by the adult moths a moths at night. The adults are cool looking

* * * *


The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time