3 Tips for Growing Hornworms
18th Dec 2019
Hornworms make great feeder insects for lizards. They grow super fast, and taking care of them requires some outside-the-box thinking to keep them the perfect size to be a feeder insect. Some people aren’t the biggest fans of hornworms because they wreak havoc on gardens and plants, but they are a delicious treat for your pet dragons and lizards. Let’s take a look at some tips that can help you grow the perfect hornworms.
Tip #1: Keep It Cool
As we stated, hornworms can grow quickly, up to half an inch a day! That can spiral out of control quickly, but there is a way to keep that increasing growth to a minimum. Their maximum growth occurs when they are warm, so you want to keep temps down to about 48-53 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your fridge can run too cold or too hot and can kill your hornworms, so you want to put them in a cooler and fill it with 3 to 5 frozen water bottles to keep temperatures down. For maximum temperature control, switch the bottles out daily.
Tip #2: Keep Them in a Cup
A cup is a great environment for your hornworms to grow. You’ll want to keep the cup top-down with something under it that keeps it breathable for your hornworms and prevents anything from dripping down onto their food supply.
Tip #3: Freeze Before Disposal
If there are hornworms that you are going to get rid of without feeding them to your pets, do not release them into the wild. They are a pest and will be a threat to the environment. Your best option is to freeze them for 48 hours before disposal.
If you are looking for a great place to order your next round of hornworms, Dubia roaches, or any other feeder insect, look no further than ABDragons. We are the industry leader in customer service and reliability, and we are waiting to ship your insects today!