Where should I 'release' moth eggs?

[djeyewater]

I caught this moth

in a jar last night, and this morning it had laid a load of eggs (presume that's what they must be anyway)

They're not attached to the paper, just loose.

Where should I put these moth eggs, can anyone id the moth as well?

Thanks

Dave

[Jason Green]

Morning Dave,

Your moth is an Meal Moth Pyralis farinalis, a pest species of dry or powdered food. I suggest you put the moth, and egg (...under a leaf or some-such) outside - they should be OK

Take care,

Jason

[djeyewater]

Thanks for the info, I found that actually some of the eggs were attached to the paper (maybe about half of the eggs), so I cut out the bit of paper with the attached eggs and put it under a bush in my garden.

I thought I'd try and take some better photos of the moth before releasing it, but then this happened:

This bit would come out of the moth's abdomen


Create a ball of brown fluid


Suck the fluid back in again


The bit would go back inside the moth's abdomen


Then it would come out and repeat the same process


I took the moth outside, but by the time I had got there (probably only took 30secs), it looked like it was dead and it had a trail of brown liquid on the paper behind it. Any insight on what was happening here?

Thanks

Dave

[Jason Green]

Odd! Well, I can only really assume, that the liquid was either a dropping if moths pass in that way - or the white thing was an egg, and the liquid perhaps glue to stick it? Not sure, but what great photos

[djeyewater]

Thanks, I'm pretty sure the white thing was an egg, it looked like it had just got stuck to the moth's abdomen for some reason.

I didn't think that it might just be the moth going to the loo, but you might well be right there. I've never seen a moth actually pass waste fluids, but I've seen the waste fluids on the sides of jars/containers I've had moths in before, and it is normally an orange or brown colour, which would match with what this moth was excreting.

I came back later to the bit of paper the moth had been on, and the moth wasn't on the paper, but had moved onto the soil (where it was quite well camouflaged), so I don't think it had died.

Dave

[Lance Morgan]

Yes, many moths (gravid females) will 'ditch' their eggs if under stress. Sometimes even if they have not been mated. Many moth'ers have eggs laid inside their traps by gravid females.