# Rumors and facts about Butterworms



## bugmankeith (Jul 26, 2009)

I've been hearing rumors and myths about butterworms, and I think it would make a great discussion here.

1- Butterworms are just waxworms dyed red.
2- Butterworms turn into beetles. - False, they are moth larvae
3- Butterworms cannot turn into moths in captivity- False, instances have occured with this so it can happen, but without a food source impossible to breed.

And then here's my discussion. The larvae feed on the Trevo tree (not sure if it's the roots,wood,or leaves?) I looked up and the Buckthorn is closely related to the Trevo tree, so, has anyone tried feeding this to butterworms?


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## blazetown (Jul 27, 2009)

I would say that, being moth larvae, they would likely eat foliage.


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## rustym3talh3ad (Jul 27, 2009)

is what they eat in the wild something we would wanna try to mimic without knowing the toxicity of said plant or tree? in the wild we know that Tomato Horned Worms are HIGHLY toxic due to their eating habits but we can breed and keep them in captivity and use them for food due to a mash or culture that we feed. just a thought perhaps we instead of trying to figure out what they eat in the wild figure out what they will live and breed off of in captivity to avoid any possible poisonings of our animals.


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## Digby Rigby (Jul 27, 2009)

The trevo or trebo they eat is not toxic.

They are all irradiated before importation into the USA and elsewhere for the purpose of preventing breeding.

it would be interesting to know of these that turned into moths if they were irradiated or not and where it happenned.  Larva are eating machines they eat crap and grow until its time to pupate.  So I do not see how a larva could turn into a moth without food.  After all if some didnt turn into moths they couldnt be reproduced.

An interesting note received from personal communications is of ones that have died that have actually turned the plastic container they were in black and warped the blackened area.

Digby Rigby balboa28279@mypacks.net


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## pavel (Jul 27, 2009)

rustym3talh3ad said:


> in the wild we know that Tomato Horned Worms are HIGHLY toxic due to their eating habits .


Hmmm, I would have to disagree.  Friends of mine used to raise a few chickens for eggs.  They always had lots of tom plants & used to feed the hornworms to the chickens regularly.  Never a problem with the chickens or chicks becoming ill.


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## bugmankeith (Jul 27, 2009)

I contacted someone who sells them and they said they eat the wood of the tree like their relative the carpenter worm. I highly doubt they eat the leaves butterworms are so clumsy and I tried seeing if they could climb they cant, but if you put in a piece of rotted wood with holes you can see they clearly are more suited at living inside trees and eating the wood.

I'm sure it's possible some of them arent irradiated, seems like too much work to do before being shipped but even so unless you have a Trevo bush you cant feed them and they will die, unless there are other hosts they eat we dont know of yet... My worms pooed multiple times so they obviously were eating something beforehand and still "digesting".


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## blazetown (Jul 29, 2009)

I think almost every organic is irradiated before it's imported. I'm sure they would irradiate feeder insects if they do it to the grain crops and food thats imported. Tomato horn worms also eat tobacco. So wild caught worms should only be used from tomatoes. Nicotine is a very powerful pesticide and will kill whatever eats the worms if they eat enough of them.


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