# beeyard visitor



## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

beemandan,

I had to check out Luna moths as I have never seen one. I pasted some info about them below for others like me that didn't know anything about them. since they only live for 1 week it sounds like a very rare find. Thanks for posting the picture. 


The Egg (12 to 14 days) Adult female moths lay up to 200 eggs in small groups on the leaves of walnut trees. These eggs are as small as the top of a pin. Ten days later, small caterpillars eat their way out of the eggs. 

The Larva (3 1/2 to 4 weeks) The newborn caterpillar eats constantly - several leaves every day - growing quickly. Soon the caterpillar's skin is so tight, it starts to split. The caterpillar wriggles out of its old skin, having formed a fresh, new skin underneath. 
The Cocoon-metamorphosis begins (2 to 3 weeks) At 21/2 inches long, the caterpillar is now fully grown. It stops eating, and looks for a safe place to make a cocoon. Making sticky thread from a hole near its mouth, the caterpillar begins winding the thread round and round its body. The caterpillar pulls a leaf around the cocoon, securing it with the sticky thread. Changing from caterpillar to pupa. One week later, while the caterpillar is still encased in the cocoon, the caterpillar's skin splits open. What's inside? A pupa, with a moth growing inside. 

In three weeks the moth is ready to come out. The moth pushes from inside until the skin of the pupa splits. Next, the moth makes a special juice and softens the cocoon, so it can push its way out! The Moth (1 week) At first, the Luna Moth's wings are soft and crumpled. In 20 minutes, the wings are full size, and almost dry. But wait, the moth can't fly yet! Once the moth's wings are dry, it opens them out, and then rests until nighttime. Once it gets dark, the moth will fly away to find a mate. Luna Moths only live for about 1 week.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

The adults do not have a mouth, thus the short life span.
Nice shot. My kids found a cocoon once and we put it in a jar and watched it hatch!! Very cool.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Nice photo.


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

Oooo....my 9 yo son would give his left arm for that in his bug collection!!!

I don't know what anybody do with a left arm, though...


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

ScadsOBees said:


> I don't know what anybody do with a left arm, though...


I'da gladly put it into a jar and sent it to you but ****ed if I know what I'd do with a 9 year old's left arm.


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## NorthALABeeKeep (Nov 10, 2004)

*9 year old's left arm*



beemandan said:


> I'da gladly put it into a jar and sent it to you but ****ed if I know what I'd do with a 9 year old's left arm.


EBAY!!!!


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## papa bear (Nov 1, 2005)

unfortunately, it is one of the things that we are losing. like june bugs and lighting bugs (firefly). i can remember as a teen (just a couple of years ago) we would see these great moths nightly. june bugs buzzing all over the yard. so many lighting bugs the trees looked like christmas trees. and if you walked barefoot (which we did all the time) across the yard you probably would step on a bee............


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## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

That is sooo cooool!


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## Grandpa Jim (Apr 20, 2007)

When my son was 10 or so we would raise these on our trees in the yard. Neighbors would ask 'why the nets on your trees, are you keeping bugs from eating the trees' Our answer was 'no we are protecting the catipillers that are eating our trees from being eaten by the birds.' Would get some very strange looks.

That looks like a female. If you put her in a brown paper bag she will lay her eggs on the inside of the bag. You than can watch some grow, I believe they feed on Maple.

It is amazing to put a freshly hatched (virgin) female out in a cage and seeing 3 or 4 males fly in during the night and hanging on the cage in the morning(if the birds don't get up before you and eat them) They only fly during the night so we do not often see them.

Papa Bear, I have to say that we had more June bugs this year than I have ever seen. They were everywhere, the feild below my office was just loaded with them for about 2 weeks.
Jim


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Thank you for the info. Very interesting.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Hey Papa Bear, I will send all the june bugs you want.....if not for the toads, my front poarch would be covered every morning in the spring.


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## papa bear (Nov 1, 2005)

now there's some evening entertainment, watching a toad wrestle with a june bug. don't ferget the string


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