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Home » Forums » Rearing Wild Insects

Virginia Ctenucha Caterpillar Hunger Strike Leads to Death

Hello all,

I was trying to rear a wild Virginia Ctenucha moth caterpillar... but it wouldn’t eat. It had many different types of grass and iris leaves (which I read were the host plants). It didn’t even wander its cage as if it was looking for food, it just sat on a stick. It was at a young instar because of its size and coloring, and I haven’t seen any adult parasites in the cage. Is it a disorder?? It was definitely alive for some time and I tried to gently prod it into a leaf once to no avail. If you know what happened, please respond.

Thanks!!
Visnake
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Contributed by Violet K on 26 May, 2020 - 2:18pm

Sometimes they lose their appetite before parasitoids are visible; the four specimens suddenly began refusing to feed a few days before the wasp maggots came out

… C, 28 May, 2020 - 2:22pm login or register to post comments

 
Lovely
Probably, but one of my caterpillars that refused food just became a pupa! I don’t think the one mentioned in this post was so lucky :/
… Violet K, 29 May, 2020 - 12:43pm login or register to post comments

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