Last summer, my husband, my kids and I raised 180 cecropia caterpillars in cages in our basement. I was cleaning the cages one day when I found that one of the previously very healthy 5th instar caterpillars had drowned. I was so sad and disappointed. After weeks of feeding them, these caterpillars had become my “pets”. I was also mad at myself for not properly packing the opening of the vase I had used to hold cherry tree branches with plastic wrap.
Don’t ask me why, but the caterpillars don’t seem to be repulsed by the water, but just march down into it. I had lost six or seven third instar caterpillars to a similar fate and I thought I had remedied the vase/water barrier.
I am a veterinary pathologist, so I have a pretty good idea of what dead things look like and this caterpillar looked deader than dead when I pulled it out of the water. It was a creature that had ceased to be: limp as a wet noodle, an eerie pale greenish blue and very cold. While I cleaned out the cage, I placed it to one side with a bunch of twigs.
After I finished cleaning the cage, perhaps ten minutes later, I picked it up with a bunch of twigs to dispose of in my compost pile. That’s when I decided, perhaps out of guilt, to try and revive it. I remembered that things that live slowly (cold blooded animals) tend to die slowly. Caterpillars can be raised in sealed Tupperware containers and therefore have low oxygen requirements –so why not give it a try.
I cupped the “dead” caterpillar in both hands and began to blow my hot breath on it for a couple of minutes. I would alternate this with messaging its limp body for 10-20 seconds. After about five minutes of this routine and feeling pretty foolish, I looked at the caterpillar and I swore I saw one of the true legs move ever so slightly.
I kept up the “CPR” and the caterpillar started to regain its bright blue-green color and body tone. Then after another couple of minutes I was certain I saw the prolegs move. After another five minutes, its entire body was moving. I continued blowing hot air on it for another few minutes then put it in a container by itself with leaves. After another few minutes of resting quietly, it began to crawl around. In about 20 minutes it began to eat cherry leaves. Then put it back into the larger cage with all the rest.
I didn’t lose a single caterpillar thereafter, so I know it spun a cocoon. Whether it will hatch and have any ill effects is anyone’s guess. So don’t give up on those drowned caterpillars till you do CPR!
Thanks, Kathleen. The biggest chuckles will come from those of us who have taken similar measures to rescue a drowned "pillar". Patting with a dry paper towel will remove water faster and the gentle pushing may help stimulate life processes.
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