Lime Hawk Moth pupation

Does it look like a pupa (chrysalis)? If not it must be dead.

Maybe okay then. Have you got a photo?

That certainly is a pupa, so should be okay. Hopefully an adult moth will emerge, though sometimes what comes out is something different as many get parasitised so possibly parasitic wasps or flies emerge, but fingers crossed for the moth!

Still nothing. It's at least two weeks now. I fear the worst

Hawk moths have just one brood, all except the poplar hawk moth which can have a second brood in which the caterpillars’ bury themselves about six inches into soil where they pupate normally emerging nine months later; including the first brood. In fact all hawk moths follow the same pattern, all except the Elephant hawk which just bury themselves into leaf litter. Incidentally, it doesn’t matter if the pupa is kept in the warm indoors or outside in the cold nine mouths remains the time period almost as if the pupa has a built in clock.


Alan

Hello Gascar, yes I did understand yours is a lime hawk moth it’s just my slightly different way of writing, humour, and turn of phrase, (you’ll get use to it) I know I have, but it really doesn’t matter what you do with the pupa, but unless you’re really into moths I would bury it in the garden preferable where the local cat doesn’t go as cats can be attracted to disturbed soil. Indeed some cats will catch insects and eat them such as grasshoppers believe it or not.



But as a matter of fact I have some elephant hawk pupa at the moment which I keep in the barn placed inside a small Tupperware box lined with damp tissue paper; mine is also in an insect cage (see link) for when they emerge. Not for my benefit but my grandchildren since doing this is a good starting point to get them interested in nature.



However, just in case anyone else is interested I would not advise to keep moths in the house, say in a spare room since saying too long ( hours on end) with caterpillars can irritate the lining of the lungs leading to non-stop coughing for some while. I would also advise to thoroughly wash the hands after handling both caterpillars and pupa as a precaution.





www.amazon.co.uk/UEETEK-Butterfly-Habitat-Portable-Terrarium/dp/B07KS5WKV4/ref=pd_sbs_21_3/261-0544172-8789833?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07KS5WKV4&pd_rd_r=bf747df3-6f09-4c98-9812-d2fd01696a7d&pd_rd_w=tq4H4&pd_rd_wg=Lzjas&pf_rd_p=15756fbb-4ceb-4379-9d2c-7af36daab01e&pf_rd_r=YE1MYZY71ZFDAS726AFZ&psc=1&refRID=YE1MYZY71ZFDAS726AFZ



www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/07/elephant-hawk-moths/



Keeping Moths



www.youtube.com/watch?v=43nwcQk3tCw