Okay, since my last moth/butterfly question, I still need help figuring out what to do with this cocoon.
The question is, where should I keep it? I read in several articles that I should keep the cocoon in a warm place. I also read in many articles that I should the cocoon in a colder area. I don't know what to do! So help a friend out. Any links are appreciated...
2007-08-08 01:45:49 · 4 answers · asked by ZomToad 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Okay, the cocoon is fuzzy and lodged onto a peice of wood. So I guess it's a moth. Now where do I keep the moth until it "hatches". And if it's any help, I found the caterpillar sometime around late July to early August. The next day it was in a cocoon.
2007-08-08 02:33:41 · update #1
Okay, I got some new info I forgot to put. I found him in my backyard, on the ground, just walking around. When I caught him, I had to find out what he eats. Incidently, we have a peach tree in our backyard, so he ate those. Also the caterpillar itself was completely green and fuzzy, apart from the head, which was black. It's "fur" had long, slender stripes. Anyone know what kind of moth this is?
2007-08-08 05:48:31 · update #2
That's a very difficult question to answer. Some survive the winter in the cocoon and hatch in the spring. Others go through their life cycle in one spring-fall and will hatch in the late summer or early fall. It would help to know which one you have. I would keep it in a shaded area outdoors since you do not know what species you have--and see what happens.
2007-08-08 02:03:51 · answer #1 · answered by lightening rod 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should replicate as accurately as possible the conditions where you found it and what those conditions would be over time. If it is interior area, then you can keep it inside. But, if it is outside, or in an exposed area or uninsulated area, you need to keep it where the effects of winter will still reach it.
If you don't duplicate "normal" conditions for this cocoon, it will not develop properly, or it may hatch out WAY too early (if too warm) or too late (if cold). This will mean that if it is a moth that eats (some do), there will not be food available. And, it will be out of synch with the rest of its species, so it will not be able to find a mate once it emerges.
2007-08-08 04:59:57 · answer #2 · answered by Yahzmin ♥♥ 4ever 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the species. Thats why some people suggested buying the kits in which they start as eggs. They hatch and you feed them until the pupate and turn into butterflies.
2007-08-08 02:18:33 · answer #3 · answered by Jeff Sadler 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is a tough question
2007-08-08 03:07:22 · answer #4 · answered by m_d_cro 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋