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Larvae

When the larvae first hatch, they are really tiny. As time progresses, they undergo molting. (from egg to the shedding of the first skin is the first instar, from the shedding of the first skin to the shedding of the second skin is the second instar, etc. etc.) Click here for photos illustrating this point

As far as caring for the tiny caterpillars, this is how I go about it. After they hatch from their eggs, I take the caterpillars and separate them from the eggs. Be sure not to throw the eggs away after you remove the first batch of hatchlings, as the eggs will continue to hatch for up to a week. I take them out by placing a sharp pencil tip under their forlegs and letting them climb on. Another method

Photo Courtesy Scott Henninger.

Then with a fine paint brush, simply brush them off into another container with food.

    To make sure your caterpillars stay healthy, simply place a wet paper towel (wring as much water as you can out, because if you don't, this could cause a bacterial disease in the young caterpillars causing them to die) and put it in the container. Then, place the leaf upon the paper towel and put your caterpillars in. By placing the wet paper-towel into the container, you are ensuring that the leaf will live longer. You are also ensuring that if a caterpillar gets off the leaf and begins the crawl around, it won't dry out and die. If you see young caterpillars crawling around on the side or the bottom of the container, don't be alarmed. This is typical behavior for young caterpillars. Simply take the paintbrush and pencil, and place them back on the leaf.

    Make sure to clean up their feces (Frass) every day and give them fresh food. This is the best method of keeping caterpillars in the house. This will also work for the older more mature caterpillars, as long as you take in to consideration their space requirements. When I first began doing this at the age of 5, I didn't have very many caterpillars to deal with. So I would keep them in the little zip-lock container until they had shed their skin twice (or they were in the third instar) and then move them to a larger container. Be sure not to crowd caterpillars as this promotes disease.

    Now because of the huge mass of caterpillars I am raising, I typically place them outside in a sleeve. A sleeve is anything that breathes well and allows for the caterpillars to move freely among the branches. Click here for illustration of a sleeve. After being in the caterpillar stage for six to eight weeks, the caterpillar will then start to form a cocoon. Remember that each instar lasts about a week except for the longer fifth instar which lasts about two weeks. The caterpillar will empty its gut (as an adult, it needs no digestive tract etc. because the adult moths cannot feed) via a loose runny stool. When you see this, you know that your caterpillar is about to spin up.