-
Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
-
Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!
Hanging on leaves & stems: Seed pods? Larvae? Or . . .?
- Thread starter lalstalls
- Start date
xxPeacePipexx
Member
Looks like a insects cocoon of some sort.
Cocoon-ish indeed (thanks, 'larvae' isn't probably right!).
Yep it's a cocoon. There's a chance it's a beneficial insect or friendly potential pet but I'd say the chance is much higher it's a voracious leaf munching worm or caterpillar.
If you want to be a nice guy you could remove them and set them on a tree or shrub's leaf at least 50 feet from your patch. If you want to be cruelly indifferent you could toss it on the ground. If you want to be a bad guy you could stomp on it after you toss it on the ground or burn it. I'd certainly consider each option, especially after doing a little more internet research to figure out what the hell it is.
If you want to be a nice guy you could remove them and set them on a tree or shrub's leaf at least 50 feet from your patch. If you want to be cruelly indifferent you could toss it on the ground. If you want to be a bad guy you could stomp on it after you toss it on the ground or burn it. I'd certainly consider each option, especially after doing a little more internet research to figure out what the hell it is.
Hookahhead
Active member
I respectfully disagree. Larvae such as caterpillars and worms enter a cocoon BEFORE metamorphosis. The adult insects tend to be much less damaging than the larval form. I would still probably remove them just to be safe. Probably move it to a tank like you would do when raising monarchs or other butterflies. For something this small, i think a glass jar and coffee filter would suffice. This way here you know what type of creature it is when you see it again.
You're right. Egg to worm to cocoon to adult is the usual order. I like the jar idea.
Hookahhead
Active member
The creature with eyes is a species of fly. Adult flies emerge from a cocoon from the larva stage (maggots). It’s hard to tell from the picture, but the brown thing could be a cocoon. It kind of looks like a scale insect to me too, but this could just be the photo.
