Rearing a Polyphemus Moth

[dtknow]

They are indoors. Unless the parasitic flies could fit through window screen I doubt thats it.

They could be eggs, but they aren't really uniform. Again, it looks like someone was spraypainting near the caterpillars.

 

[P.jasonius]

A few of mine have gotten this too, and made for poor photos. Not very visually pleasing. I don't suppose you have any pics of what the flies look like?

 

[Galapoheros]

I'd guess you'd be ok then if indoors. So many degrees of over-spray with spay painting, fine mist and/or big blobs, I just wasn't sure what to think. Nahhh you're right, the fly I'm talking about is way too big to go through a screen. You have some big dots and smaller ones? No, not fly eggs, not what I've seen anyway.

 

[Galapoheros]

A few of mine have gotten this too, and made for poor photos. Not very visually pleasing. I don't suppose you have any pics of what the flies look like?

From what I've seen, if the black dots are all diff sizes and right on the surface, it's nothing to do with the parasitic fly I had problems with. I used to know the name of the fly but I've forgotten and I hadn't looked it up again. But you'd swear it was just an ordinary housefly when you first saw it. I'll see if I can find it on the internet. But no, your pillars are OK, it just sounded like what happened to my pillars a few years ago at first, but it doesn't sound like that to me anymore with the more details I've got now.

 

[dtknow]

Mainly speckles...not really a fine spray though. A few of the dots are not circular and look a bit like someone dotted them(tried) with a black pen(they are oval).

 

[P.jasonius]

sick cat

Don't know what happened here, but this is the second time I've seen this:
(it's still alive)

 

[Galapoheros]

That's what mine looked like when they got infested with parasitic fly maggots. If you kept them indoors, that sure makes it less likely. But it sure does look like it. Also, I read the maggots eat around vital organs so the caterpillar stays alive so the maggots can grow and stay alive too. I put one in a plastic deli container with a top that was sick like that. I finally watched the maggots come out of the rotting caterpillar and pupate. Sounds pretty evil, right. I'd try that and see what happens, at least you'd know what happened to it if you see the maggots come out.

 

[P.jasonius]

That's what mine looked like when they got infested with parasitic fly maggots. If you kept them indoors, that sure makes it less likely. But it sure does look like it. Also, I read the maggots eat around vital organs so the caterpillar stays alive so the maggots can grow and stay alive too. I put one in a plastic deli container with a top that was sick like that. I finally watched the maggots come out of the rotting caterpillar and pupate. Sounds pretty evil, right. I'd try that and see what happens, at least you'd know what happened to it if you see the maggots come out.

Well I wasn't going to kill it, so I might as well. And on goes the saran wrap. I imagine some of them wrapped themselves up in a cocoon and came to be in this state after, if this one is infected.

 

[bugmankeith]

Could that be an infection mabye, like a disease and not a parasite? Mabye from pesticides?

 

[dtknow]

P. Jasonius:

That looks like a viral infection to me. Silkworms get a similar disease which makes them turn dark and swell up with fluid. I've destroyed these as soon as they popped up(maybe 5 or so I caught)

 

[Galapoheros]

If this is a viral infection, are there conditions people keep them in that might promote the infection? How could you help keep an infection from breaking out?

 

[Tleilaxu]

Ok this thread is way too cool to let it sink into oblivion, some one please make this a sticky.

 

[dtknow]

Well, mine have been eclosing with no problems and producing beautiful moths. I did slit open a few cocoons and one stunted caterpillar had a bad molt going into pupal stage so became T food. I also accidentally dented one of the pupae(I slit a few out of curiosity to get an idea when to emerge and to sex them). He lost a lot of hemolymph and when he emerged his wings never opened fully...picture a Chinese fan half closed and you get the idea.

I'm also raising some of another species...Hyalophora euryalus. These caterpillars are real purty now...photos soon.

 

[P.jasonius]

First Moth today, photos up soon.