DISTRIBUTION:

The Buck moth, Hemileuca maia (wingspan 55-80 mm, females larger than males), erroneously so named (originally thought to reproduce in the heads of male deer), flies from southern Maine to northern Florida and westward to the Great Plains, but only as far north as middle Missouri at its western limits.

Hemileuca maia male, Williston Road, Alachua County, Florida,
Nov, 1972, 51mm, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Hemileuca maia male, 2 E Norwood, San Augustine County, Texas,
4 Dec 1995, 53mm, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Visit Hemileuca maia ?? from coastal Texas. This may be an undescribed/unpublished subspecies or a new species, courtesy Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Visit Hemileuca maia males, New Orleans, Louisiana, November, 2008, courtesy of Ryan St. Laurent.

Visit Hemileuca maia series showing variability regarding white banding, Hayes Ridge Road, Stewart County, Tennessee, November 10, 2013, courtesy of Tom Payne.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Hemileuca maia flies from September to November in oak woodlands. In the far south, specimens have been taken into December and the early new year.

Vernon A. Brou (Louisiana) reports the peak flight is in early December, with moths on the wing from November into January. Oaks are the favorite host plants of the larvae which often occur in sufficient numbers to be regarded as pests.

Hemileuca maia female, Warren County, Virginia,
26 Oct 1986, 64mm, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Eclosions take place in the morning and females call from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm. Pairing with the slightly smaller males is very brief, usually from 30 minutes to two hours. Females make their ovipositing flights from 2:00 to 5:00 pm and usually deposit from 50-250 eggs in one, two or occasionally three egg rings.

Brou reports this day flier can be quite often taken at ultraviolet lights at night.

Hemileuca maia female, egg ring, Louisiana, courtesy of Ryan St. Laurent.

Visit Hemileuca maia females, depositing egg rings, October 15, 2009, courtesy of Mark Lasko.

Thomas Payne of Tennessee writes, "When I encountered H. maia last November, I captured a few females, which usually fly later in the afternoon in my experience. Here is one of them ovipositing. This photo was taken right after an egg was deposited. The eggs change color shortly after being attached to the branch, then again from a white/cream color to olive.

Hemiluca maia ovipositing, Tennessee,
November, 2013, courtesy of Thomas Payne.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

First instar larvae are black and they are highly gregarious. Oak is a popular food

Eggs begin development shortly after deposition, but cold weather halts the process and emergence of rings takes place the following spring from March until June depending upon latitude and spring temperatures. Leroy Simon photo. (Ohio)

Larvae are highly gregarious in the first four of six instars, becoming solitary feeders in the final stages. Pupation is on the surface in a chamber fashioned under loose debris. Outline of the male antennae is visible on this pupa casing. Photo courtesy of L.L. Hyche, Associate Professor Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University.

Tee Tarleton sent me this picture from St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. I have seen the same kind of behaviour in larval sleeves where the larva actually leave the host and begin crawling around on the inside of the sleeve. I think they do this when they are preparing to moult.

Don Reed writes, "You may be interested to know that we are seeing some use of Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) by Buck moth larvae (Hemileuca maia) in the Scuppernong Wildlife Area (SWA) [Jefferson County]. This generally happens when available willow (Salix exigue, S. bebbiana, S. discolor, S. nigra) and cottonwood (Populus deltoides) food plants are used up. The SWA is located in southeastern Wisconsin. The habitat largely consists of sedge meadow and wet to dry mesic prairie, with stands of Oak savanna and shrub carr (willow thicket). Blocks of these habitat areas -- particularilly the prairies and sedge meadows -- are frequently burned to control shrubs and exotic species. We’ve noticed a substantial increase Buck moth numbers over the years in areas where prescription burning has occurred. We intentionally burn patchy to preserve prairie invertebrates, but variable soil moisture levels compound the patchiness of our burns."