Tussock Moth

Tussock Moths are not as vibrant as other moths, but their larvae look bizarre and it has a peculiar life cycle. The female can't eat or fly because she doesn't have a proboscis and her wings are very tiny. After hatching early in the morning she releases pheromones to attract the male and then lays eggs in the morning. After laying eggs she starves to death in two days.

Scientific name:

Orgyia leucostigma

Larval:

I spotted a weird, furry, caterpillar eating away the apical part of my rose branch. It was a tussock moth larvae. 

Tussock Moth larva

Tussock moth larva

The larvae seem very attractive but their fur can cause rashes if touche; it is a defense mechanism. The larva in the above photo probably moved to a different plant since I couldn't find it one day. 

After a few months, I spotted a similar larva near my building. Obviously, I brought it home to observe closely.

New tussock moth larva

This larva was already in the final instar and in a week It made a cocoon

Pupal stage:

The Tussock moth larva weaves a crafty cocoon with its hair and silk. It first makes a hard base on which it weaves soft silk. 

Tussock moth's cocoon

The moth hatches from the cocoon in 5-6 days, early in the morning. The female is like a sack of eggs; she doesn't have proboscis to feed and her wings are underdeveloped, leaving her unable to fly. 

Female moth

The female moth covers its eggs with a secretion from its abdomen to form a protective layer.

Female tussock moth with laying eggs on cocoon

She lays dozens of eggs and dies hungry. Nature is weird sometimes, just sit back and enjoy it. 

Dead female moth

Egg stage:

The eggs are white in color and are stuck to the cocoon in a dense cluster. The egg stage may last for eight days or months, until next spring.

The larvae hatch in a cluster and munch on the eggshell as well as the cocoon that the mother made. After the larvae finish eating the cocoon they shoot silk threads and move to a plant where they spend their larval stage. 

Larvae hatching

Larvae are almost done with cocoon

It was a total disaster when the larvae started dispersing. I had to catch each one I could spot and put it in a cup with a brush. 

Tussock moth larvae dispersing from the cocoon

Collecting larvae in a cup

Hundreds of larva were released on the host plant. 

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