Imperial Moth Eggs - Ask Extension
Hello: An Imperial Moth laid eggs on a plastic succulent on my deck. What should I do with the eggs, she has left and presumably died per the life c...
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Imperial Moth Eggs #806773
Asked August 17, 2022, 4:36 PM EDT
Hello: An Imperial Moth laid eggs on a plastic succulent on my deck. What should I do with the eggs, she has left and presumably died per the life cycle I read about. Thanks for your help!
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Saturniid (the group to which this species belongs) moth females seem to do that for some bizarre reason -- lay eggs just about anywhere. Prying them off might damage them, so maybe you can find a way to bring the eggs to a host plant, or enclose them in a container until they hatch and then let them crawl onto cut foliage from one of their host plants, and then move those leaves back onto the tree. (Caterpillars eat their eggshells first, then eventually start exploring and taste-testing foliage.) A list of accepted host plants is provided on the Maryland Biodiversity Project page for Imperial Moths; it's possible there are others in addition to those. Fortunately, it's a fairly diverse group of trees.
Miri
Miri
Thank you for the response to my question. Here is a picture of the Imperial Moth and her eggs for your collection. I've gathered them and am following the instructions. Hopefully some will hatch and I can get them to a suitable food source and keep the "family" going.
Thank you for the photo, and you're welcome.
