OPEN THE GATES
On arrival
Check whether the order is a feeder cup, grow cup, or eggs. Confirm that food is included on the actual listing. Keep the cup closed during inspection and make sure larvae can reach the food without sitting in accumulated waste.
BUILD THE REFUGE
A secure holding setup
For a cup designed to stand with its food at the top, keep that intended orientation so waste falls away from the feeding surface. Leave the ventilation unobstructed; a lid placed flat against a shelf may need clearance. Move larvae only into a clean, suitable setup with food already prepared.
KEEP A STEADY WATCH
Temperature & placement
Keep the cup in a stable, ventilated room away from direct sun. Warmth speeds growth, so check food and prey size more frequently as the larvae develop. Do not use extreme chilling to stop growth or place a closed cup on an uncontrolled heater.
PROVISION THE COLONY
Food & hydration
Use a prepared hornworm diet suitable for feeder rearing. Do not substitute random garden leaves or wild-collected hornworms; host plants and pesticide exposure can make wild larvae unsuitable as feeders. Follow the food label for preparation, storage, and expiry rather than adding water to old chow.
Prepare with Hornworm Food, 32oz Habitat Cup with Hornworm Food. Check each product’s directions before use.
THE DAILY WATCH
Care between feedings
Remove waste and spoiled diet promptly, while minimizing handling of delicate young larvae. Check food daily; a grow cup can run out before the insects reach the size you expected. Eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult moths require different setups, so use the life stage actually purchased.
AVOID THE COMMON TRAPS
Mistakes worth preventing
- Letting a grow cup run out of food.
- Blocking all ventilation under the lid.
- Collecting hornworms from tomato or tobacco plants as a replacement feeder batch.