What do teddy bear caterpillars eat

Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Go out and find a Woolly Bear Caterpillar this week! Be gentle and respectful to all animals, including insects. The most well known "woolly bear" is called the B anded Woolly Bear , which has a reddish-brown middle and black ends.

The caterpillar eats and eats until it forms a cocoon. Out of the cocoon hatches the adult form, the Isabella Tiger Moth Pyrrharctia isabella.

This species is cold hardy, so it can live as far north as Alberta, Canada. You can enjoy your moth for a few days after it emerges. Observe the moth in its container and watch it feed on leaves and grass.

If you have young children, this can be a great learning experience. However, after a few days, you should release the moth outdoors near where you found it. A moth cannot comfortably live in a small container the same way a caterpillar can. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Samuel Ramsey, PhD Entomologist. Samuel Ramsey, PhD. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 9. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 9. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Don't touch the newly hatched moths, as their wings could be damaged. If they are damaged, they could easily die or become crippled. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 4. Expert Interview. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: May 6, Categories: Butterflies and Moths. Article Summary X To care for a woolly bear caterpillar, keep it in a sealable container that has holes in the lid for air circulation.

Nederlands: Rupsen van de kleine beervlinder verzorgen. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. Reader Success Stories Kathy D. Royer Jan 4, A few hours after I did this I found it clinging to a branch!

The lid is a container cover that stretches to a tight fit, I poked several holes in it and mist it daily. Seems pretty happy! Rated this article:. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you?

Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Kathy D. Mary Klimczyk Dec 27, I felt bad because its outlook was looking grim with temps dropping into the thirties.

So I took it home and put it in a gallon aquarium. I tried my best for weeks, and a friend told me to look up how to care for it. I bought fresh-cut flowers on the way home, found a small log, topsoil, grass, etc. After reading the article on wikiHow, I watered it by misting it and the leaves, and can now care for it better. So far, so good! Rebecca Kirejczyk Dec 4, My niece, whose name happens to be Isabella, wanted to keep them.

Not sure if I should spray him with water and if so what temperature should the water temp be? Was concerned about the possibility of cramping him in there with the green and dead leaves, carrot, apple slice, and 2 small oak limbs. He ate his fill and then dumped, which I cleaned out later. I have refreshed him with milkweed leaves, now he appears fed and exhausted!

Just found this totally black wooly bear climbing inside and up on the draperies. That was shocking! I am enjoying this 1st time experiment. For his emergence next spring I have put his habitat inside an unlocked cat carrier. His domain lid happens to be a domed mesh which seems to give what he needs in terms of fresh air, though I doubt drafts of air goes up and into that old wide, glass flower vase.

Question, should a towel or blanket go over the cat carrier to cover up breathe air holes? This set-up is placed at the OPEN back porch wall and seems to be a perfect place to let him hibernate. The soil I provided him may have a bit more water than is needed. Not sure if I should spray him with water; if so should the water be tepid or cool?

I would keep them both in the dark and undisturbed so that they can hibernate through the winter in peace. If your porch will drop very far below freezing, make sure they are close to a wall, and covered with a towel or blanket. Good luck and let us know if they emerge successfully in the spring time! Thank you Michele for your answer! I reside in central-east Tennessee upon a ft. BTW, is glass okay to use as well as plastic?

I am tempted to give Wooly one more cleaning and add more DRY dirt, less wet for crawling down in , then want to add more greens and grass! Thanx for the good wishes for a hopeful emergence in spring time! I wonder how he got in unless his parent laid her eggs there. Otherwise, as the folk lore goes, for black without any brown, there will be a short winter but very cold.

If I let him go, will it live? You can try keeping it for a week or so until the temperatures warm up a bit more. I have sheltered a woolly bear caterpillar for the winter and it has recently become a cocoon.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I hope she woke up again. I hope she will. I have had a wooly bear for a couple of months. I keep it in a jar with lettuce. He was doing fine then slowed down. I noticed a white patch underneath. I suspect fungus.

Is there a way to address that? Someone from the entomology department at a local university or college might be able to help you.

Hello Becky, Is it possible that it started to cover it self inside a cocoon, because I think some of them do it in spring. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Skip to content Recently, I was walking through a local park near Promega, when I spotted my first woolly bear of the season.

One thing is sure, I will never look at a woolly worm in quite the same way again. About the author Related posts. Michele Arduengo. September 10, Like this: Like Loading So glad you enjoyed the post Sylvia. I had a great time writing it. Enjoy your caterpillars! Thats sad, how many day shall I give before the funeral?

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