Macroglossum stellatarum on ligustrum

Hi,

This was already seen by a few others and there is a thread about it.

Beitrag

RE: Fressen Taubenschwänzchen jetzt auch Liguster?

So Leute,
nun ist es endlich so weit. Nach dem alle anderen Schwärmer bereits seit mindestens einem Monat geschlüpft sind hatte ich nicht mehr damit gerechnet dass der Labkrautschwärmer dieses Jahr noch kommt. Die Puppe war wieder im Überwinterungsbehälter, aber vorsichtshalber so eingepackt, dass ein Schlupf noch klappen kann. So ist es auch gekommen und der Labkrautschwärmer ist heute am 30.07.2020 nach mehr als 10 Monaten Puppenruhe endlich geschlüpft. Es handelt sich um ein Männchen. Das…

David.S

30. Juli 2020 um 15:27

Hello,

to summarize what happened. I saw a M. stellatarum laying eggs in L. vulgare. I collected them and tried to raise them with this plant but the caterpillars didn't eat it. So they died because of this. I won't recommend trying this as well. Better use a regular foodplant. Surprisingly I also found an egg of Hyles gallii in the same plant which also is not a "correct" foodplant. The caterpillar ate it without any problems and gave a beautiful butterfly the following year.

Best regards, David

I have had exactly the same experience I saw a macroglossum stellatarum flying up and down my privet hedge I thought was strange behaviour so I filmed it the moth laid two eggs on the privet which I collected up I hatched them out they both started to take tiny notches out of the privet but then died the following day I wonder if this behaviour is the start of the moth trying to expand the variety of food plants it can eat as the choices only seem to be different species of bedstraw which soon dried out in hot weather