i dont know what to do with a caccoon?

Question

i found a caterpiller hung onto a part of my garage door and its turning into a caccoon, and its almost completely coverd in the caccoon but im afraid its goin to be knocked off. can i take it off and put him in an open bowel with leave and will it be okay? i dont know anythin about butterflys and caccoons. help!

Answer 1

That is one way of doing it. It is fun and educational. And do not forget to keep an eye on it: Life cycle is fascinating; birth and death, life force coming forth from such a silky tomb. Resurrection, and your imagination can go on and on.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

You'd do better to put it in a jar--if it's a cocoon already, just pop it off (it's attached by a little tag or something) and stick it to the lid, upside down. You can use a piece of tape to put it on the lid.

Then, punch a hole in the lid, or just hang the lid over the edge of like, a table or something. It's better to have it enclosed, though--so the jar is better (or you can use a plastic container--that's OK, too.) It should be suspended, though--don't put it on the bottom of a container. Hang it from the top.

While it's a cocoon, it won't need food or water, just a nice quiet place where it won't get broken or bothered. A garage door isn't ideal--you're right to take it off.

In a few weeks (more or less--depends on the species), it will start to break open. You'll see it start to shake and move around a little, and it'll split open and get ready to fly away.

At this point, take it outside--it'll need a little while to come out of its cocoon and pump fluid into its wings to harden them and get them up to full size (they start off all wadded up and soft.) Then, it'll fly away.

I raised baby caterpillars for my entomology class, and it was a wonderful experience. I wish every project was that much fun!

Answer 3

Once it has finished making its cocoon, you should be able to move it to a better location. Be sure to keep the same end upward as it was while hanging from the door, as gravity plays a part in the development of some insects while in their pupal stage. Sounds like you will have something interesting to see in a few weeks - good luck!