JungleDragon is a nature and wildlife community for photographers, travellers and anyone who loves nature. We're genuine, free, ad-free and beautiful.

Join

Evergreen Bagworm (Eggs Bursting out of Female) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis I frequently find tons of bagworm cases hanging on arborvitae, buildings, and trees in my neighborhood. Today, I was examining some and noticed that many of them did not have openings in them (meaning that the larvae hadn&#039;t hatched out). I took three home and dissected them to find that they contained dead females, two of which had viable eggs).<br /> <br /> *In this photo, all I did was poke the female&#039;s dead body with my forceps and she literally burst open. I was shocked to see how many eggs were inside! I&#039;m going to try to rear them.<br /> <br /> Here&#039;s how it works: Female bagworms never leave their cocoon. They require a male to mate with her through her case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can&#039;t even eat! After mating, she dies, and her body contains hundreds to thousand of eggs. The eggs overwinter, and then hatch, chewing their way through her body and case to emerge and start their own cases.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Rural area<br /> <br /> Here&#039;s the female that I extracted these eggs from:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87166/evergreen_bagworm_dead_female_full_of_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html" title="Evergreen Bagworm (dead female, full of eggs) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/87166_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=Rxs9s0U8eJeCKxN%2Bh0kzCNDbVlU%3D" width="200" height="160" alt="Evergreen Bagworm (dead female, full of eggs) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis I frequently find tons of these bagworm cases hanging on arborvitae, buildings, and trees in my neighborhood. Today, I was examining some and noticed that many of them did not have openings in them (meaning that the larvae hadn&#039;t hatched out). I took three home and dissected them to find that they contained dead females, two of which had viable eggs). <br /> <br /> Here&#039;s how it works: Female bagworms never leave their cocoon. They require a male to mate with her through her case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can&#039;t even eat! After mating, she dies, and her body contains hundreds to thousand of eggs. The eggs overwinter, and then hatch, chewing their way through her body and case to emerge and start their own cases.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Rural area<br /> <br /> Eggs:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87170/evergreen_bagworm_eggs_bursting_out_of_female_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87168/evergreen_bagworm_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Female:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87169/evergreen_bagworm_dead_female_containing_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Check out my other bagworm spottings:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64192/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64188/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/65151/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/76356/evergreen_bagworm_case_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Evergreen bagworm,Fall,Geotagged,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,female bagworm" /></a></figure><br /> <br /> Eggs:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87168/evergreen_bagworm_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html" title="Evergreen Bagworm (Eggs) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/87168_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=8b4oL4CDGHyrDzcEvpqqoITF2s0%3D" width="200" height="166" alt="Evergreen Bagworm (Eggs) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis I frequently find tons of these bagworm cases hanging on arborvitae, buildings, and trees in my neighborhood. Today, I was examining some and noticed that many of them did not have openings in them (meaning that the larvae hadn&#039;t hatched out). I took three home and dissected them to find that they contained dead females, two of which had viable eggs).<br /> <br /> Here&#039;s how it works: Female bagworms never leave their cocoon. They require a male to mate with her through her case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can&#039;t even eat! After mating, she dies, and her body contains hundreds to thousand of eggs. The eggs overwinter, and then hatch, chewing their way through her body and case to emerge and start their own cases.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Rural area<br /> <br /> Here&#039;s the female that I extracted these eggs from:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87166/evergreen_bagworm_dead_female_full_of_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> <br /> Check out my other bagworm spottings:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64192/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64188/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/65151/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/76356/evergreen_bagworm_case_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Evergreen bagworm,Fall,Geotagged,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm eggs,eggs" /></a></figure><br /> <br /> Check out my other bagworm spottings:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64192/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html" title="Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/64192_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=YFTeQCXdnpiXeNnzNhX6kkM7TSU%3D" width="116" height="152" alt="Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They&#039;re called &quot;bagworms&quot; because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. <br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can&#039;t eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. <br /> <br /> There are many of these bagworms on an arborvitae where I live. I never see the caterpillars during the day, so I decided to check at night, and actually found one peeking its head out! This is the case that it is living in. This case was 5 cm long. <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64188/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64191/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64189/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html Evergreen Bagworm Moth,Evergreen bagworm,Geotagged,Summer,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64188/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html" title="Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/64188_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=3s51kxzorZAWiOUFygxoipyXkqA%3D" width="200" height="176" alt="Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They&#039;re called &quot;bagworms&quot; because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. <br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can&#039;t eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. <br /> <br /> There are many of these bagworms on an arborvitae where I live. I never see the caterpillars during the day, so I decided to check at night, and actually found one peeking its head out! This case was 5 cm long. <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64192/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64191/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64189/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html Evergreen Bagworm,Geotagged,Summer,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/65151/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html" title="Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/65151_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=3uG3U4KfXbmum3E8%2Bua6KLngoFw%3D" width="200" height="172" alt="Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis I went to check on the evergreen bagworms that I have been photographing this summer, and found the caterpillars to be pretty active today! This one was pooping when I took this shot. I felt a bit bad intruding on a private moment, but not bad enough to stop myself from capturing this moment! And, now we know that arborvitae needles come out the same color that they go in.<br /> <br /> Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They&#039;re called &quot;bagworms&quot; because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. <br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can&#039;t eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. <br /> Evergreen bagworm,Geotagged,Summer,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm,caterpillar,frass,larva" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/76356/evergreen_bagworm_case_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html" title="Evergreen Bagworm Case - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/76356_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=EcZyqYJjV%2FEsVaBQOXXQHSJZog0%3D" width="114" height="152" alt="Evergreen Bagworm Case - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They&#039;re called &quot;bagworms&quot; because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. This case had a big hole in the top, and I&#039;m not sure if it was made by a caterpillar/moth or parasitoid.<br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can&#039;t eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. Evergreen bagworm,Fall,Geotagged,Thyridopteryx,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm moth" /></a></figure><br /> <br /> Evergreen bagworm,Fall,Geotagged,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm eggs,eggs Click/tap to enlarge

Evergreen Bagworm (Eggs Bursting out of Female) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis

I frequently find tons of bagworm cases hanging on arborvitae, buildings, and trees in my neighborhood. Today, I was examining some and noticed that many of them did not have openings in them (meaning that the larvae hadn't hatched out). I took three home and dissected them to find that they contained dead females, two of which had viable eggs).

*In this photo, all I did was poke the female's dead body with my forceps and she literally burst open. I was shocked to see how many eggs were inside! I'm going to try to rear them.

Here's how it works: Female bagworms never leave their cocoon. They require a male to mate with her through her case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can't even eat! After mating, she dies, and her body contains hundreds to thousand of eggs. The eggs overwinter, and then hatch, chewing their way through her body and case to emerge and start their own cases.

Habitat: Rural area

Here's the female that I extracted these eggs from:

Evergreen Bagworm (dead female, full of eggs) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis I frequently find tons of these bagworm cases hanging on arborvitae, buildings, and trees in my neighborhood. Today, I was examining some and noticed that many of them did not have openings in them (meaning that the larvae hadn't hatched out). I took three home and dissected them to find that they contained dead females, two of which had viable eggs). <br /> <br /> Here's how it works: Female bagworms never leave their cocoon. They require a male to mate with her through her case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can't even eat! After mating, she dies, and her body contains hundreds to thousand of eggs. The eggs overwinter, and then hatch, chewing their way through her body and case to emerge and start their own cases.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Rural area<br /> <br /> Eggs:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87170/evergreen_bagworm_eggs_bursting_out_of_female_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87168/evergreen_bagworm_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Female:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87169/evergreen_bagworm_dead_female_containing_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Check out my other bagworm spottings:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64192/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64188/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/65151/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/76356/evergreen_bagworm_case_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Evergreen bagworm,Fall,Geotagged,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,female bagworm


Eggs:
Evergreen Bagworm (Eggs) - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis I frequently find tons of these bagworm cases hanging on arborvitae, buildings, and trees in my neighborhood. Today, I was examining some and noticed that many of them did not have openings in them (meaning that the larvae hadn't hatched out). I took three home and dissected them to find that they contained dead females, two of which had viable eggs).<br /> <br /> Here's how it works: Female bagworms never leave their cocoon. They require a male to mate with her through her case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can't even eat! After mating, she dies, and her body contains hundreds to thousand of eggs. The eggs overwinter, and then hatch, chewing their way through her body and case to emerge and start their own cases.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Rural area<br /> <br /> Here's the female that I extracted these eggs from:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/87166/evergreen_bagworm_dead_female_full_of_eggs_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> <br /> Check out my other bagworm spottings:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64192/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64188/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/65151/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/76356/evergreen_bagworm_case_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> <br /> Evergreen bagworm,Fall,Geotagged,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm eggs,eggs


Check out my other bagworm spottings:
Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They're called "bagworms" because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. <br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can't eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. <br /> <br /> There are many of these bagworms on an arborvitae where I live. I never see the caterpillars during the day, so I decided to check at night, and actually found one peeking its head out! This is the case that it is living in. This case was 5 cm long. <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64188/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64191/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64189/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html Evergreen Bagworm Moth,Evergreen bagworm,Geotagged,Summer,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm

Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They're called "bagworms" because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. <br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can't eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. <br /> <br /> There are many of these bagworms on an arborvitae where I live. I never see the caterpillars during the day, so I decided to check at night, and actually found one peeking its head out! This case was 5 cm long. <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64192/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64191/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64189/evergreen_bagworm_moth_-_thyridopteryx_ephemeraeformis.html Evergreen Bagworm,Geotagged,Summer,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm

Evergreen Bagworm Moth - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis I went to check on the evergreen bagworms that I have been photographing this summer, and found the caterpillars to be pretty active today! This one was pooping when I took this shot. I felt a bit bad intruding on a private moment, but not bad enough to stop myself from capturing this moment! And, now we know that arborvitae needles come out the same color that they go in.<br /> <br /> Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They're called "bagworms" because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. <br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can't eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. <br /> Evergreen bagworm,Geotagged,Summer,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm,caterpillar,frass,larva

Evergreen Bagworm Case - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They're called "bagworms" because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves. This case had a big hole in the top, and I'm not sure if it was made by a caterpillar/moth or parasitoid.<br /> <br /> In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can't eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leave the case. Evergreen bagworm,Fall,Geotagged,Thyridopteryx,Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis,United States,bagworm moth


    comments (2)

  1. View Patomarazul's profile
    Patomarazul
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Very interesting! can they still hatch? Let us know if they do :-) Posted 5 years ago
    1. View Christine Young's profile
      Christine Young
      Lion
      View Lion class
      I'm going to try to rear them. I put them back in the case and will keep them in a cool, safe spot for awhile before trying to hatch them. I hope they make it. Posted 5 years ago

Sign in or Join in order to comment.

The Evergreen bagworm

The evergreen bagworm, commonly known as bagworm, eastern bagworm, common bagworm, common basket worm, or North American bagworm, is a moth that spins its cocoon in its larval life, decorating it with bits of plant material from the trees on which it feeds.

Info 18 0
Similar species: Moths And Butterflies
Species identified by Christine Young
View Christine Young's profile

By Christine Young

All rights reserved
Uploaded Dec 1, 2019. Captured Dec 1, 2019 10:55 in 5 East St, New Milford, CT 06776, USA.
country flag of United States of America Explore United States of America 39,925 9,640 8
  • Canon EOS 80D
  • f/3.5
  • 1/64s
  • ISO400
  • 100mm
Captured in the fall. More fall photos.

This photo also appears in

Discover more photo collections