Elephant hawk moth

[Curly green finger's]

Our hawk moth has emerged its raining out side and we were going to put it down on the willow herb will he be OK untill Friday Saturday when the weather is better, advice or thoughts pls.
Just taken some more pictures of her.

The guys are trying to feed her honey

 

[Apple]

Pot up some plants and put her in the greenhouse!
Well done

 

[Curly green finger's]

Pot up some plants and put her in the greenhouse!
Well done

35ft tunnel be OK. What can we feed him/her with? Is it male or female?

 

[user 819]

You.could temporary use sugar syrup as a food source, place in shed or somewhere sheltered and dry.

 

[Apple]

35ft tunnel be OK. What can we feed him/her with? Is it male or female?

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=870
Seems to have a liking for fucias... have some flowering in our garden at the moment.
Could also try weak sugary water?
Polly would be ideal.. I think they are frost hardy!!
I seem to remember finding one hibernating in a beehive roof?

Chons da

 

[Curly green finger's]

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=870
Seems to have a liking for fucias... have some flowering in our garden at the moment.
Could also try weak sugary water?
Polly would be ideal.. I think they are frost hardy!!
I seem to remember finding one hibernating in a beehive roof?

Chons da

Your LINK says may for it to emerge we have read as early as February.
I don't have fushia up here.
We were amazed at even having them up here, but there is so much rosebay around its not surprising.
The children are going to put it in the tunnel shortly there is shrubs and a few perennials still in leaf on the shelves.

The chickens have eaten all the lettuce and kale and winter greens.

 

[Curly green finger's]

You.could temporary use sugar syrup as a food source, place in shed or somewhere sheltered and dry.

Cheers hemo I was almost thinking of letting it fly around in a cage we have in the house.. In the house.
We will try and feed it some sugar syrup on a cotton bud... Honey??
I will put it in the tunnel its got pipe heaters in there and its dry.
Or the bee shed.

 

[user 819]

They have a long probuscus I believe, try a bit of folded kitchen towel draped over a covered saucer edge to act as a wick to feed off.

 

[Swn58]

35ft tunnel be OK. What can we feed him/her with? Is it male or female?

Do they feed at all at their final stage?

 

[The Poot]

Cheers hemo I was almost thinking of letting it fly around in a cage we have in the house.. In the house.
We will try and feed it some sugar syrup on a cotton bud... Honey??
I will put it in the tunnel its got pipe heaters in there and its dry.
Or the bee shed.

Well done Curly, she’s lovely.
I found a couple of these as caterpillars a few years ago - very strange looking things!

 

[The Poot]

Do they feed at all at their final stage?

Only nectar I would think. Or perhaps over ripe fruit?

 

[rolande]

At the the risk of lowering the tone of such a nice thread, I've got a couple of photos of what was probably a deaths head hawkmoth that visited one of our apiaries.

 

[Pembroke]

At the the risk of lowering the tone of such a nice thread, I've got a couple of photos of what was probably a deaths head hawkmoth that visited one of our apiaries.

View attachment 23946View attachment 23947

Not sure what that is. It doesn't have the characteristic marking that gives the Deaths head it's name:

http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/british-moths/deaths-head-hawkmoth-and-caterpillar-acherontia-atropos
Although the article does say that they will enter beehives to feed and give off a chemical that fools the bees into not attacking it.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Just to let everyone know she has been released at a nursery locally

 

[rolande]

@Pembroke, the reason that the marking is absent is that the bees have stripped it clean and varnished it over with propolis

 

[Swarm]

Yep, they clocked her.

 

[rolande]

Forgot I had this one, think it was an elephant in the wild:
View attachment TRIM_20200919_094203.mp4