What is a Hummingbird Moth ?
Answers:
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How to rear these hummingbird moth caterpillars:
don't keep them in a cold room or too cool a house - use the porch
you will need to feed them from whatever larval plant you find them on
any container will do but I like a transparent container
you probably don't need a screen or ventilated lid until they pupate and you only need a lid if you want a chance to see the emerging moths before they fly away
add leaves from larval plant daily for the caterpillars
remove spent leaves or withered ones and keep fresh ones available
damp paper towels will provide moisture - keep them moist - remove them when they become soiled
clean away waste daily - these caterpillars produce a lot of waste (called frass)
once they are maturing, add several inches of dirt to container
these caterpillars pupate underground
obviously, stop adding leaves once they dig in
check the box daily but don't expect moths for two weeks or so
After releasing them, my moths have usually not flown away for 12 hours or so but the time can vary. I take a few photographs and then let the moths crawl out of the container and onto the leaves of their larval plants.
If you have more questions, please use the links below which will open a new window and take you to another web site.
Rearing Butterflies and Moths
Rearing Caterpillars
Can I help you identify your moths? Probably not unless they are one of these hummingbird moths that I'm personally familiar with. Here is a link to the USGS comprehensive site. You can click on your state to find a list of all moths.
Go to USGS website: Moths of North America
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