Question about Hornworm -- what to feed them to?

[Bobberman]

I don't like to kill everything. Maybe the moth does someth good in the garden before it lays its or does the worm turn ito the moth! Does anyone have anything good to say about the moth.! They say think green!!!

[applestar]

They turn into a moth that acts like a humming bird and are nice to look at. feed them tomato branches or bad tomatoes! Put them in a jar with a lid till they hatch.

We actually do this every year for science project/spinoff of our butterfly project. But...
Here's an adult moth that emerged from the soil after we raised last month:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/e671d0a2d1127c66a84e0fba006c99cb.jpg[/img]
...I don't see the resemblance to hummingbirds...

I [url=https://helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=149799#149799]posted photos of a moth I know of with common name of "hummingbird moth" that LOOKS like a hummingbird[/url], but it's a different species:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image7512.jpg[/img]

Hmmm... Maybe I should let the adult moth fly....
...ah, here we go: https://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05517.html

[rainbowgardener]

Your neighbors won't like you if they find out you are breeding hornworms for release!

I don't like killing things and try to keep it to a minimum. And I'm very careful about protecting the environment. If I do kill anything, it is usually by hand picking/ hand squashing (things like aphids), which I think is the most environmentally benign way to do it. But if something is really decimating my crop, I will kill some (or quit growing that crop, which seems to be how I deal with the squash vine borers).

[ReptileAddiction]

I try to kill the pests by picking them off and squashing them. I only had to get out one spray this year.