How long does it take a tomato worm to pupate?

Question

I found a tomato worm in my garden and decided to keep it so it wouldn't eat all my tomatos. He seems to be free of parasites and disease.

He was already about 3" lond when I found him and it has only been about a 5 days since I put him in a container (which is about 18" wide x 10" high) He stopped eating about 2 days ago and started wondering around. I looked up online why that is and it said he was searching for moist dirt to pupate in. So I put some in his container and in less then a minute he dug himself under the dirt.

Now I am just wondering how long will it take for my little friend to turn into a moth...?

Answer 1

It depends.  If conditions are "right", you could have a moth in 2-4 weeks after he formed the pupal stage.  But, tomato hornworms can also stay in the pupal stage until spring.  If you're keeping it indoors where it stays warm, he'll probably emerge in a few weeks though.