# Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar Care?



## Eclipse (Feb 27, 2010)

For those of you who aren't familiar with them.

http://www.shawnolson.net/media/1_1170_11.jpg
http://www.thehiddenworld.net/images/insects/larvae/caterpillars/beelzebub.JPG
http://i.pbase.com/o6/01/617601/1/85779538.JVlLTCPS.HickoryHornedDevilCaterpillar2091107.jpg

Voracious looking I know, but these caterpillars do not contain any type of toxins, they do not bite, nor wriggle violently in defense like other caterpillars.
I've been searching around for them a bit and I seem that no one seems have any care sheets on them nor have them available for sale. All I know is that they can eat sweetgum leaves(that's the only available tree I have around me) and that they burrow to pupate.

If anybody knows where I can get some let me know.


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## barabootom (Feb 27, 2010)

They don't occur as far north as I am, but I used to buy the eggs every year and raise them in sleeves just for the fun of it.  As caterpillars, they are very easy.  I raised mine on sumac and they grew very large.  I'd put 3-4 ea in small sleeves and nothing much else was needed until they were ready to pupate.  I had a hard time getting the adults to emerge from the pupae though, and many would dry out and never hatch.   I tried raising them on walnut and it went well.  I tried raising them on hickory and they never grew as large.  My best food source was the sumac.


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## Eclipse (Feb 28, 2010)

As in "sleeves" do you mean clothes sleeves? Where did you buy them? If you don't mind me asking.


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## spiderfield (Feb 28, 2010)

Here are some examples of the types of sleeves used in rearing caterpillars outdoors:

http://www.leps.sk/Notes for rearing/rearing.html

And here's a good site with pretty good species descriptions:

http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/sample4.htm

As i'm sure you know, _Citheronia regalis_ are mostly found east of the Rockies.  I used to raise caterpillars for the fun of it myself and a good site I always used to look for livestock is:

www.insectnet.com

The couple times I was able to get my hands on some eggs I raised them on cut Sweetgum, but like Tom I could never get them to eclose from their pupae.  They would only dry out, even after putting some in the fridge to give them a chance to diapause.  Hope this helps.


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## Eclipse (Feb 28, 2010)

That is kind of discouraging. If it's that hard to get them to hatch out of their pupa then I don't think it's worth it then.

Thanks for the info though.


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