# Hornworms in the uk - a warning



## SnakeBreeder

HORNWORMS IN THE UK - A WARNING.
As one or two people know I like working with various live foods. I had seen good reports on Hornworms (Manduca sexta) in USA and Canada and thought there could be a market for them here in the reptile feeder market. I could not get any supplier to post them from USA or Canada to me but bought 10 live pupae via a UK based butterfly collector. Price for 10 pupae with delivery just under £70 !!
I then heard there could be some restrictions on having or selling these in the UK so approached a couple of government departments for clarification. 
After several weeks of hearing nothing today I got this email from DEFRA, 
"Thank you for notifying us of this. Manduca sexta is a prohibited organism and should not be kept without a plant health licence. A plant health inspector will be in touch on the next steps. Until then, please ensure the pupae are contained securely and do not sell, exchange or give away the pupae. " 
So my next step is likely going to be destroying them ;(
But I'll wait and see what the plant health inspector has to say first.


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## ZOO CENTRE

It is very bad,they are great feeders.


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## Iulia

wow bad luck mate


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## Arcadiajohn

Yes, you wont get much luck

The various trade livefood farms have been trying to get an exemption for years and years for feeders but they are a total no no at DEFRA

Quite wrongly I think,

I Know this has been bought up again in the last few months, a blanket NO was the answer.

The Hornworm or Tobacco worm is viewed as being potentially highly invasive.

I would think that the butterworm would live over here being from Chile, but they let those in??

BIG shame.

John


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## ZOO CENTRE

Arcadiajohn said:


> Yes, you wont get much luck
> 
> The various trade livefood farms have been trying to get an exemption for years and years for feeders but they are a total no no at DEFRA
> 
> Quite wrongly I think,
> 
> I Know this has been bought up again in the last few months, a blanket NO was the answer.
> 
> The Hornworm or Tobacco worm is viewed as being potentially highly invasive.
> 
> I would think that the butterworm would live over here being from Chile, but they let those in??
> 
> BIG shame.
> 
> John


John,

butterworms (larvae of Chilean moth - Chilecomadia moorei) can survive without food a lot of time .... and only irradiated!! worms are allowed for exporting from Chile.
In this case they are not able to breed in other countries....

It is not possible to do it with hornworms...


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## SnakeBreeder

Well I was right. 
The authorities (Plant health inspector) had me destroy the Hornworm pupae.:devil:
Well they were fun to work with while it lasted.


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## Tarron

SnakeBreeder said:


> Well I was right.
> The authorities (Plant health inspector) had me destroy the Hornworm pupae.:devil:
> Well they were fun to work with while it lasted.


Thats a shame, but at least you did the right thing and checked. I'm sure many would have ignored it.


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## wilkinss77

I wonder if it would be possible for livefood breeders to produce UK native hawkmoth hornworms? Wouldn't they be exempt from the DEFRA ban?


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## pirminiamac

Pretty unlikely you would have been caught if you had just gone about your business though. (Braces self for dogooder outrage😏) who contacts the authorities to ask if what they’ve already started doing is illegal? Did they not ask you to give the name of the butterfly dealer you got them from?


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## wilkinss77

I wonder why the British equivalent aren't bred as livefood? We have several native hawkmoths.


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