Large Elephant Hawk-moth: Care & Information

Background

The Large Elephant Hawk-moth, Deilephila elpenor, is one of the most widely-recognised moth species native to the UK. These large, pink moths and their snake-like caterpillars are instantly recognisable! The moth is distributed widely around the country and its range has even increased over recent years as a warmer climate makes more regions suitable for this summer moth.

This makes fascinating lifecycle makes it one of our more popular native species and we sell many every season. We recommend following the guide below to achieve the best results with your livestock.

Eggs

Eggs should be kept in closed plastic containers to prevent them drying out. They are pale green in colour. When the eggs start hatching, add some sprigs of host plant to the container - the hatchling caterpillars will find their way onto these. Normally, we recommend moving the hatchlings to a new container, but these benefit from not being handled in early stages, so allow them to begin feeding, then move the sprigs with caterpillars on them. Do not add any foliage before the eggs hatch as the excess moisture can cause mould to grow.

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Young Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillars

All larvae of Deilephila elpenor are green in the early stages. Most in the last two instars are brown or grey, but some remain green.

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Caterpillars

The best host plants for Elephant Hawk Moths include Willowherb, Fuchsia, Bedstraw, Himalayan Basam and Grapevine. We find exceptionally fast growth on Willowherb, which is essentially a weed and grows almost everywhere. It is a tall, narrow-leaved plant in summer with spikes of Pink Flowers, which the caterpillars rapidly consume.

Rear young larvae in plastic containers to avoid them drying out. Then when they reach the third or fourth instar, caterpillars can be reared in mesh enclosures as this provides better air flow and minimises disease transfer between larvae, particularly in high density. Growth is rapid, with caterpillars reaching maturity at around 3 weeks after hatching, typically pupating one week later.

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Third instar elpenor larva

This is the stage before caterpillars typically become darker in colour.

Pupation

When caterpillars are mature and fully-grown, they will begin to search for somewhere to pupate. In nature, they burrow underground or among leaflitter and construct a small chamber within which they pupate. In captivity, you can provide a tray of compost for the caterpillars to pupate among, or move them to another container full of paper towel when they reach this wandering stage. The latter is my preferred method, as it is simpler and cleaner.

Pupae typically overwinter for a period of at least six months. After the caterpillars have burrowed, wait two weeks before removing the pupae from the substrate as they need time to form and harden. Handling them too quickly can cause damage to the soft, newly formed chrysalis. Once collected, lay the pupae out in a tupperware container with some paper towel, seal the container and refrigerate until the following May. Sometimes the moths can be encouraged to emerge sooner by keeping them at room temperature, however this can also damage the pupae if maintained for too long.

Live butterflies and moths for sale online UK. Order eggs, caterpillars, pupae, and cocoons. Watch the lifecycle unfold with insects to rear at home!

Mature elpenor caterpillars

Larvae reach maturity at about 3-4 weeks before wandering for a few days then burrowing down to pupate.

Adults

The adult moths are a beautiful pink colour with green markings.

Adult moths require feeding - offer cut flowers for them to drink nectar from at night, however hand feeding with sugar solution will produce far better results in terms of breeding and egg production. A 60cm mesh cage would be ample size for several adults, whilst a 90cm cage could accommodate larger numbers. Honeysuckle, Red Valerian and Jasmine are favourite nectar sources for our Elephant Hawk-moths in the butterfly house.

The moths are native to the UK and therefore can be released, however it is essential to consider the time of year when doing so, as they typically only fly in late spring to mid summer when food sources are plentiful.

  • Live moth eggs for sale online UK
  • Live moth eggs for sale online UK