American Dagger Moth Life Cycle at Life

American Dagger Moth Life Cycle. My son, thomas, found the dagger moth in our yard sept 26th 2008. They overwinter as pupae under loose bark, in a crevice or in rotten wood.

The larva stage varies, some last between 2 months while strange cases such as clothes moths can remain at this stage up to 30 months. Life begins as a tiny egg, which the adult female moth typically attaches to a host plant. Eggs are laid on the larval foodplant and hatch within 7 days.

MObugs 5th Tennessee ArthropodAmerican Dagger Moth

When the eggs hatch, the unfortunate victim provides a plentiful source of food for the ichneumon wasp’s young! The catterpillar crawled allover the place and then. “woodlands and forests, especially mesic to swampy bottomlands” and “the caterpillar’s hairs can cause skin irritation.” The american dagger moth is a moth that you don’t have to worry about too much once it becomes a moth (though they can be quite scary when they are on lights) but when they are still in the caterpillar form, you might want to encourage children to stay away.