TheBeesKnees
Well-known member
So, a few weeks back, my very sweet and mega thoughtful housekeeper (who doesn't speak a lick of english; and I still don't know enough thai to hold a functional conversation with) dropped off these very fat, green caterpillars on my doorstep one day. She knows I raise insects (she's brave enough to enter my Room of Bug several times a week; so she's got chops), and had recently heard that I had become rather enthused with millipedes.
And so, while I was out one day, she left a stash of these guys by my front door (because they look close enough to millipedes, right?):
Well, I was never really interested in raising moths, and had never tried it--so I had no idea how to go about dealing with these guys. I had planned to release them onto their appropriate tree in the morning, since it was too late and I was too tired to do so before collapsing into bed that evening. So I placed them into one of my large, vacant mantis terrariums with the leafy branches that accompanied them. Just for the night.
I failed to remember that these guys buried themselves into the dirt when they were ready to pupate... and the substrate in my empty terrarium was...you guess it! Dirt and coco husks.
By the time I woke up in the morning, all the caterpillars were gone...and the fact that they had began to pupate was only evident in the way they had all stitched the coco husks together to form one big coco mat over the bottom of the terrarium. SIGH.
I didn't know what else to do...so I lightly misted the terrarium full of unwanted squatters, dubious that anything would come of it because...well, I've never tried to incubate moth pupae!
Fast forward to today: I came home this evening to find this magnificent beast chillin near the top of the terrarium!
I mean, damn son! Puberty treated you well!! What a gorgeous animal. It's hard to believe those fatassed caterpillars crawl out of the dirt looking like freakin' military aircraft! Unbelievable.
Species is Sphingidae Daphnis nerii for the fellow nerds who care to know
If I'm lucky, there should be four more to follow this guy. I'll keep y'all posted if more do emerge over the next few days!
And so, while I was out one day, she left a stash of these guys by my front door (because they look close enough to millipedes, right?):
Well, I was never really interested in raising moths, and had never tried it--so I had no idea how to go about dealing with these guys. I had planned to release them onto their appropriate tree in the morning, since it was too late and I was too tired to do so before collapsing into bed that evening. So I placed them into one of my large, vacant mantis terrariums with the leafy branches that accompanied them. Just for the night.
I failed to remember that these guys buried themselves into the dirt when they were ready to pupate... and the substrate in my empty terrarium was...you guess it! Dirt and coco husks.
By the time I woke up in the morning, all the caterpillars were gone...and the fact that they had began to pupate was only evident in the way they had all stitched the coco husks together to form one big coco mat over the bottom of the terrarium. SIGH.
I didn't know what else to do...so I lightly misted the terrarium full of unwanted squatters, dubious that anything would come of it because...well, I've never tried to incubate moth pupae!
Fast forward to today: I came home this evening to find this magnificent beast chillin near the top of the terrarium!
I mean, damn son! Puberty treated you well!! What a gorgeous animal. It's hard to believe those fatassed caterpillars crawl out of the dirt looking like freakin' military aircraft! Unbelievable.
Species is Sphingidae Daphnis nerii for the fellow nerds who care to know
If I'm lucky, there should be four more to follow this guy. I'll keep y'all posted if more do emerge over the next few days!
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