Do hornworms bite or sting? Can they hurt humans, and what care should you take to handle them? Here are all the answers.
Hornworms are large insects, almost 4 inches long, and have a stinger-like horn on their backs. These two characteristics have given them a bad reputation, and many people fear having to touch them.
In this blog, we look at how dangerous hornworms really are. Do hornworms bite? Do they sting? What can happen if one bites you? We answer all of these questions.
Can Hornworms Bite?
Hornworms can bite, but the bite is hardly anything to talk about. These large worms don’t have teeth or strong mandibles.
Even though they might try to bite you, the best that they can do is to startle you. You won’t feel any pain, and neither will the bite leave behind an injury.
Pests Destroying Your Garden? Learn the secrets to eliminating pests in your yard or garden in the most earth friendly way possible.
Do Tomato Hornworms, Tobacco Hornworms, Green Hornworms Bite?
All hornworms can bite. However, neither of them can bite you hard enough to make any impression on you, apart from a slight, startling sensation.
Tobacco and Tomato hornworms are two different species of hornworms, and there are quite a few differences between the two.
They have different physical characteristics. Tobacco hornworms have a curved, red-colored horn at the back and the diagonal stripes on their body lean backward. The horn on the Tomato hornworms does not curve, and its stripes are V-shaped.
Tomato hornworms feed on only nightshade plants such as eggplant, potato, pepper, and obviously tomato plants. Tobacco hornworms also feed on the same plants but prefer tobacco plants as well. Both species chew up the leaves and sometimes even the fruits of their host plants.
‘What’s That Bug’ Product Recommendations:
Wondercide – Preventive Indoor Pest Control Spray Wondercide uses natural, plant-based essential oils to naturally repel pests. Cruelty-Free.
Dr. Killigans Non-Toxic Pest Control Specializes in non-toxic, natural products focused on removing ONLY the unwanted pests – not all insects.
Large Bat Box for Natural Mosquito Control Too many mosquitos in your yard but don’t want to spray heavy chemicals? Try natures method!
Uncle Milton’s Giant Ant Farm The perfect gift so your kids can take an even closer look at the amazing underground world of ants. It’s the original.
Anti-Predator Chicken Coop with Runs Houses 4-6 chickens while offering outstanding protection and can be attached to other chicken coops.
Raised Cedar Planter Box Cedar is the ideal wood for a planter box as its naturally rot-resistant and repels pests from your vegetables.
While we do enjoy and use the products recommended above, they are affiliate links where ‘What’s That Bug’ may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps to financial support this website from hosting to expert entomologists and writers who identify your bug requests and create the content you love.
Do Hornworms Sting?
No, hornworms do not sting. This is a common misconception because of the horns on their backs, but the horn is not strong enough to act like a stinger.
Even if the hornworm pricks against your skin, you won’t feel much because it is not hard or sharp like other bugs’ stingers.
Do you want to know the secret to transform your backyard into a haven for birds and butterflies? If so, then check this course out!
Do Hornworm Bites Hurt?
No, they don’t hurt. Like we said before, the worst that can happen is that you will get startled and might drop the hornworm from your hand.
You may feel a bit queasy, but the truth is that the hornworm does not have a strong enough jaw to cause any serious damage. As a fun fact, the hornworm’s jaws make a clicking sound that is supposed to ward off predators.
Are Hornworms Dangerous/ Poisonous to Humans?
Once again, the answer is no. Hornworms are completely harmless to humans. They don’t carry any venom or poison, and moreover, since they don’t have the wherewithal to penetrate human skin, any venom that they might have had would still have been useless.
Unfortunately, the same is not true for your pet. We talk about that in the next section.
Are Hornworms Dangerous To Pet Animals?
Yes. Hornworms store toxins in their body that can be dangerous to most pests. These toxins come from the tobacco and tomato plants these critters eat.
This means that wild hornworms are a strict no-no when it comes to your pets’ chow time. However, if you buy hornworms from a reputed breeder, those will not carry any toxins.
Moreover, you can easily identify them because they are blue-colored instead of the normal green-colored ones you find in the wild. Let’s talk more about different pets and which are safe from a hornworm:
Dogs and Cats
Both pet dogs, as well as cats, should never be given hornworms that you have plucked from the wild. These insects contain harmful toxins within them, which can be poisonous to your dog or cat.
Chickens
Chickens are much harder than dogs and cats. Chickens feed on insects all the time, so they have built defense mechanisms in their stomachs to ward off the poison from insects like hornworms.
Birds
Most birds are fine eating hornworms. Birds like downy woodpeckers, bluebirds, Baltimore orioles, sparrows, and flycatchers love a big, fat juicy hornworm any day. However, most birds prefer smaller hornworms, which are easier to digest.
Bearded Dragons
Yes, both bearded dragons and leopard dragons love hornworms! These worms don’t have any chitin in them, so they are not dangerous for your geckos, lizards, and similar animals.
Make sure that you feed only the smaller hornworms to your baby bearded dragons. For the adult ones, you can feed one to two hornworms twice a week.
Who Preys on Hornworms?
In the wild, one of the predators of the hornworm is the Braconid wasp. These beneficial insects lay their eggs on the hornworm, and when the wasp larvae come out, they eat up the poor hornworm as food. Paper wasps are also similar predators of hornworms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do hornworms have teeth?
No, hornworms do not have teeth. They do have mandibles. They can open and shut their mouths and make a clicking sound by using these mandibles (which might sound like the clicking of sharp teeth).
But they do not have any teeth, and for this reason, they cannot cause much pain while biting you.
What do hornworms turn into?
Hornworms grow into adult moths. Specifically, hornworms grow into the sphinx, hummingbird or hawk moth. There are four main stages in its life:
- Egg
- Larva
- Pupa
- Moth
Once the hornworm enters the pupa stage, its body begins to harden, it gains weight and becomes a large green caterpillar, thus readying itself to come out of its shell as a moth finally.
Do hornworms have eyes?
Yes, hornworms do have eyes. But more interestingly, they have a unique adaptation: they have a large number of fake eyes spread all across their bodies.
These fake eyes might deter and predator planning to attack the hornworm by simply looking intimidating.
The actual eyes of the hornworm are on the inside of its head, hidden away.
Can hornworms bite my bearded dragon?
No, it cannot bite your bearded dragon. The poor hornworm has no teeth to speak of, and the bearded dragon is sure to make short work of it because hornworms are typically slow movers, large in size, sweet in taste, and easy to capture.
In fact, many bearded dragon owners use hornworms as feeder insects for their beardies.
Wrap Up
Hornworms may look menacing, but that’s all a camouflage for a relatively harmless little insect that can neither bite nor sting you to protect itself.
However, if you want to use the hornworm as a feeder for your pet, make sure that it is suitable for your pet and is not toxic. Never feed your pet a hornworm from the wild because it might have toxins in it. Thank you for reading!
