Name: Christine K.
Status: other
Age: 50s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2000-2001
Question:
Please help! My 82 year old mother has a wooly bear caterpillar
in a jar that has just yesterday turned itself into a silky cocoon.
She is worried that when it turns into the Isabella tiger moth, it
will starve in the jar since she has no idea what to feed it until
it is warm enough to set it free in Spring! I have searched the
net for two hours and can find nothing on the tiger moth food source.
Can you help?
Replies:
Many adult moths of this type do not eat at all or very little, some visit
flowers for nectar. It is very unlikely you would be able to keep an adult
moth alive until spring. Your mother should put the cocoon in a cool place,
such as an unheated garage, in the hope that it will not "hatch" until warm
weather when the moth could be released.
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