I am actually going to buy a beating tray/net tomorrow and some wine to try 'sugaring'. Maybe I'll get to see some more Crimson Underwings!
I have about 50 Poplar Hawk-moth larvae and they all are in the first or second instar.
I have never used the beating method before, do you have tips or tricks to get a Puss Moth larvae in the net?
I know you have told me before that it is pointless to hit the branch twice as they take a harder grip of the twig that they are sitting on. Do you know where exactly the caterpillars sit in the bushes? Is it near the leaves or closer to the stem?
Hello Kalle & Kenm,
The ova I obtained were from my County Recorder for moths, these were laid between the 5th and the 10th of May and the first ova hatched on the 15th and the last on the 20th May
The larva are very voracious indeed and when they're full grown they're BIG. The first started to spin cocoons on the 10th June and the last on the 15th of June, more or less matching their hatching dates.
So from hatching ova to pupating larvae about 4-5 weeks. This may vary in the wild of course and the larval life may be a week or 10 days longer depending on the weather.
Most of the Puss Moths I have bred over many years came from ova, but I have found wild larvae, usually when I was looking for something else. I wouldn't mind a Pound Coin for every time that's happened in 50+ years.
I invariably found them on the edge of a Sallow leaf where the purple saddle on the back of the caterpillar makes it look like a partially dead and curled leaf. Their markings actually make you think it's something else. Most I have found have been between 3 to 5 feet from the ground, but I haven't really looked any higher.
Puss Moths are attracted to light, but seldom enter the trap, preferring to alight on a surface where they can just sit in the glow of the bulb, as do a number of species. Often moths doing this will be eaten by the early bird looking for his worm. lol.
When using the beating tray hold it about a foot or eighteen inches below the branch you intend to strike. This allows for some movement of the branch bur will allow larva to drop free. Hit the branch once only and don't hit it hard enough to damage the bark. The larva grip or hold on just tightly enough so they won't fall off. Once you have hit the branch they hang on like they were Superglued in place. Any larva you don't require tap them off the tray onto the base of the trunk so they can climb back up to feed.
I have found Puss Moth Larvae on most of the varieties of Sallow, Poplar, Willow and Aspen. I haven't seen them feeding on anything else.
These Puss Moth larvae shouldn't be too difficult to find provided they do occur in your area.
Harry
