My question is, is it worth trying to rear it on, in the hope that I might get an adult moth later in the year?
Steve Trigg, Cookham
A Blog for moth recorders in Bucks, Berks and Oxon
Saturday, 6 February 2016
Bagworm larva question
I found this bagworm larval case in my house today. While looking at it, it started moving along and I realised there was a live larva inside - it pokes its head out every so often.
My question is, is it worth trying to rear it on, in the hope that I might get an adult moth later in the year?
Steve Trigg, Cookham
My question is, is it worth trying to rear it on, in the hope that I might get an adult moth later in the year?
Steve Trigg, Cookham
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Certainly worth trying, Steve. It is probably (but not certainly) Psyche casta. Maitland Emmet's "Field Guide to the Smaller British Lepidoptera" gives the food-plants as grasses, lichens and decaying vegetation and those with similar cases use the same kind of things, so try offering it a selection and see if it starts to feed. Outdoors they'd be at the larval stage from August through to May, pupate (within the case) in June and then emerge as an adult later that month or in July, but kept indoors things would probably happen more quickly. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your advice, Dave. I will give it a try.
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