Hot glue gun for large silkmoth cocoons?

[Bugmankeith]

I have a few Luna moth cocoons that never attached properly to branches, is it safe to hot glue them to a new stick, and how do I position it?

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

You can use hot glue. Saturniidae pupae are free to move around inside the silk, so they are safer from the heat then a chrysalis. I personally use silicone as I do not have to worry about letting it partially cool before posting. If you can, then just hang the cocoon in the same orientation you found it. 

 

[hcarlton]

According to the sheets I have found thus far, Luna moths bury themselves in the soil oftentimes so they do not expect to be hanging from a branch somewhere. In recent (though accidental) experience there is also no issue with other species that normally hang to hatch out from cocoons resting on the ground. They'll climb up somewhere anyway to dry out their wings, so no need to anchor them to anything.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Luna moths form cocoons suspended from branches. The only silkmoths I know of that burrow are members of the Ceratocampinae subfamily. 

They'll climb up somewhere anyway to dry out their wings, so no need to anchor them to anything.

In my experience, they naturally prefer to hang from their cocoons. 

 

[hcarlton]

As quoted from the very first and one of the most reliable sources to pop up with a search on North American butterflies and moths: "Leaves and silk are used to spin papery brown cocoons in litter under the host plant." https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Actias-luna

This fits with the cocoons that I have that show no signs of having hung from anything at any point, and instead are quite littered with humus and dirt material. 

And preference other species may have to hang from the start, but if that's not an option they will climb up to a hanging position first. My Cecropia climbed quite a bit higher than the cocoon was situated to dry, same with both of the Polyphemus that  hatched out. The only one that actually just hung on the cocoon was the male Promethea, and undoubtedly he would have moved as well had the cocoon fallen beforehand.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

In captivity, I have had issues with silkmoths not finding something to climb (how hard is it to find a wall?). I stand corrected on the natural behavior of Luna moths, but I doubt hanging them would cause problems. If you keep them on the ground, then I would recommend using a smaller mesh enclosure. In a large enclosure, I have had issues with moths that cannot find the walls and end up a crumpled mess (the cocoon was even resting against the wall).

 

[sidodareohc]

Luna moths pupate in a loose silken cocoon in the leaf litter of forest understory. They never attach themselves to branches such as polyphemus and promethea, so you do not need to attach them to sticks or anything, just leave them in the fridge for the winter and then take them out in May.