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Stick Cocoon Creature

31 May, 2009

Saunders' Case Moth caterpillar in its case
Source: Museum Victoria

Question: Today I saw a creature in a large cocoon made of sticks. Its head was black and orange, but the rest of it was inside the cocoon. Can you tell me what it was, whether it’s a native species and how it made its spectacular home?

Answer: Thank you for contacting the Discovery Centre at Melbourne Museum about the creature you saw in a cocoon of sticks. It is difficult for us to give you a definitive identification without seeing a photograph or the animal itself, but the creature you’ve described sounds very much like the native Saunders' Case Moth, Metura elongatus.

Case moths spin their cases out of silk and most species attach leaves, twigs, sand or soil to the outside for protection and camouflage. There are a number of different species and each species builds a distinctive-looking case. However, as individual case moths use whatever materials are available to them, there can be considerable variation in the appearance of cases within a species.

The Saunders' Case Moth is one of the largest species of case moths in Australia – their cases can be as large as 15cm long. Individuals of this species cover their cases with little pieces of twigs. They poke the front end of their bodies out the top of their case to feed, collect case decorations, and cling to surfaces as they move about.

As they grow, Saunders' Case Moths expand their cases from the top (head) end, adding additional twigs as they go. They do this by cutting off appropriately-sized twigs, attaching them temporarily to the top of the case and then disappearing inside to cut a slit where they plan to attach the new stick. This is no mean feat. Case moth cocoons are incredibly tough; cutting a slit for a new stick can take over an hour!

Case moths spend most of their lives in the caterpillar phase; this part of their life cycle can last 1-2 years. As caterpillars, they never leave their cases. However, they can be very mobile, dragging their large cocoons along as they move around. If they feel threatened they can seal off the end of the cocoon, cutting a new opening once the threat has passed. The females continue to live in their cases after they’ve pupated into adult moths, but the males leave their cases after pupation to fly off in search of females.

Comments (82) popular | oldest | newest

Thanks! This explains exactly what some caterpillar's we found were doing. I can tell the children all about them now.

OMG we have just found a case moth on our tent, we didnt realise what it was untill we looked it up, what is the best plan for this as we dont want it on our tent ????

Hi Caroline,

If the case moth hasn't moved on yet you could try if you have a pair of tweezers to try and gently hold the very end of the case where it meets the tent and try to apply gentle pulling pressure and see if it will let go. Don't grab the case moth anywhere but at the very end of the case as you may well squash it. Once you have it off, just place it on a nearby tree. Good Luck.

Hi there, a case moth in it's case had attached itself to my mop. I have tried to relocate it but it doesn't seem happy. The opening has been closed for 24 hours or so. How can i help it? thanks

Hi Frances. Perhaps follow the instructions for moving the case moth that we have previously posted for Caroline. Carefully move the case moth and place it in a nearby tree. Good Luck!

HI I'm 6 and found a case moth house. I can't see a moth or caterpiller, could there be something still inside?? I have had it for about a week, with no movement or anything, it came from my friends house.

Hi Royce. If the case hasn't moved for a week it's likely that its previous owner has already flown away!

Hello, my little boy (9) loves to handle case moths. He allows it to walk in its hand and sticks his finger into the cocoon and also feeds it can he get infection from doing this. recently he has had eye infection and it has happended coincidentally when he has been handling the case moth. could you please e-mail a reply please. thank you

Hi Teresa,

We are not aware of there being any serious risk of infection resulting from handling case moths. However, there are some caterpillars in other moth families which possess hairs capable of causing irritation. Your son should avoid handling any furry or hairy looking caterpillars or any cocoons that look to have a spiky or hairy appearance, see the link below.

http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/caterpillars.htm

I hope your doctor was able to confirm for you the cause of the eye infection and that your son is well.

hi, I've got a problem with these case moths. I've got literally hundreds of them taking over my front garden. And they stink!! What do you suggest I do please?

We have hundreds of these case moths hanging off everything, BBQ, washing, plants, our home. Is there anyway of moving them on, and how long will they hang around if we just leave them. Thanks, any help would be grateful. Karen.

Hi Martin and Karen,

We have never read anything or heard from anyone that these case moths actually smell. The Museum is not involved in control of insects so can't offer advice in this area. The case moths can be highly mobile, so while it sounds like you both have significant numbers at the present it is quite possible that they may move on. We haven't had reports of these caterpillars staying for long periods of time in the one place.

we have found two of them and wondered what they eat? Id like to keep them for observation for a while..do they need water? so far weve had them two weeks and put lettue and apple, mulberry leaves they dont seem interested. Als last ight one tried to get into the others sack! were they mating or fighting? do they become terrotorial and want to kill the other? thanks

Hi Faerie, Saunders Case Moth larvae feed on tea trees, eucalypts, paperbarks, silver wattle and many other plants including garden ornamentals. The female Saunders Case Moth don't leave their cocoons after pupation, whereas the males emerge from the cocoon and fly to find females to mate with. So if you had 2 caterpillars they would not have been trying to mate. I haven't heard of them being territorial either, so I am not sure what was behind the behaviour that you observed.

We have three case moths in our yard that we regularly observed emerging to eat and change position over the last few weeks. All have now moved away from food sources and onto our house walls, and have been dormant and immobile for about 2 weeks. Their cases still seem to be intact and sealed tight at both ends. Could they be pupating, and if so, how long does that stage last? Or could they be females awaiting males? Thanks!

Hi Carrie, apparently the pupation period can last from a couple of weeks to a couple of months depending on the season and weather. After this period if the insects are males the adult moths will emerge to fly off looking for females. If the individuals are females they will remain in their case, (they emerge from pupation as a wingless adult), and wait for males to find them.

Hi, We've had a case moth cocoon attached to our back step for two weeks. It has never moved, and I can't see an opening at either end. Would it be okay for my daughter to take it to school for show & tell, or would it be best left alone until, an end opens up (moth emerges)? Thanks, Bernadette

Hi Bernadette, if you take it to show and tell make sure you handle it gently and try not to squeeze it as you may damage the insect inside. If you have to apply pressure try to always do this at the very ends of the case. After show and tell you could put it back where you found it, (or nearby), and let the pupation continue.

Yesterday I carefully removed a case moth from one of my roses because I wanted to remove that branch and put it in the green bin. At the time of removal I wasn't sure if there was an insect inside and if there was whether it was alive or not. Actually it seemed to me more that the silk was attached to the stem, rather than the insect 'holding on'. Anyhow, after a couple of hours I noticed it had moved from where I had placed it on a small outdoor table. Poor thing had fallen to the ground, but I guess it wasn't badly hurt as this morning it had attached itself to another rose bush where I balanced it between the leaves last night. But my question is to do with the droppings. I noticed that he/she had left a dropping on the table. Do they do a U-turn inside the case to pick it up and bring it to the entrance to drop it out ?

Hi Helen, the pupation period can be a few weeks to a few months, depending on the season and the weather. So if it has only been a couple of days since you saw the larva it is very unlikely that it could have pupated in that time.

I have what I believe is a Saunders Case moth living on my Camelia tree now for well over 7 - 8 months. I love it and my son (3) and I check on it every morning to see were it has moved. I believe from the notes I have read that it is female as the cacoon is about 15 cm... My problem is that my camelia tree is dying and the leaves are very brittle, I have fed the tree etc to no avail. I don't want to loose my case moth as I have become very attached to it. Can I relocate it to another camelia tree I have in the front yard? Its not quite the same variety of camelia.

I have taken a photo of one of these today. Would you like me to send the photos through?It's over 15cm long.

i found one at singleton and id never seen one before so i took it to observe it and then let it out into the garden.. a few days later i found it bak up on my veranda.. it had moved about 5 metres.. how long will it stay and will it go looking for food eventualy

Hi Lisa, don't be too concerned about the case moth. These insects can be quite mobile and if it is not getting the nutrition it requires from the tree it is currently on it will move to a new food source. Enjoy watching her.

Hi Michael - our entomologist would love to see your photos. You can email them to the Discovery Centre at discoverycentre@museum.vic. Thanks!

Hi April, these caterpillars can be quite mobile and you can relax in that the caterpillar should be quite capable of moving to a suitable food source when it feels the need to. It may be ready to pupate which means it will not be moving, so don't panic if this is the case.

i have a Saunders case moth but i don't know whether it is a male or a female how can i tell the difference?

I'd just solved a mystery. It is case moth caterpillars that have been devastating my fruit trees. I initially suspected possums, and then parrots, but walking outside after dark with a torch I found literally dozens of caterpillars dragging their cocoons around an apricot tree which has barely a leaf left. I've collected about 25 - including an extremely large cocoon with an occupant as fat as my thumb - and have been feeding and observing them in a couple of jars. They are extraordinary and fascinating creatures and if I shine a torch on their jars, it seems to attract them as if responding to moonlight. However, on a practical note, would appreciate advice for protecting my orchard? They have also stripped a number of recently-planted native seedlings in my back yard. Thanks. Lucy

Hi Chris, I don't believe you can determine the sex of Saunders Case Moth in the larval form. You need to wait until after pupation at which point the winged adult male moth emerges from the cocoon while the wingless adult female remains inside.

Hi Lucy, unfortunately the Museum is not involved in control of insects so we are not well placed to provide advice on this subject. You could try an Internet search for 'control of case moths' or maybe your local nursery or garden centre may be able to assist you.

We've been fascinated watching one inch up our window. It makes a silky substance from its mouth side to side, then uses this like a rung in a ladder to climb up, then makes another & so on. I can see a super-long track up the window pane. Fascinating creatures!

We are very grateful to finally know what these case moths are called. My son (9) has a keen interest in these cocoons. We are wondering what the male moth looks like so we can identify it. Also does the female ever leave the cocoon or does she remain flightless?

I have a saunders case moth cruising around my carport. it is quite large 10-15cm, my problem is that it has hung itself of the back tire of my car. I want to relocate it but am not sure what I should do with it, if it is pupating should I try to re-hang it on a tree, or will it be right on the ground or laying flat? How can I tell if it is actually pupating? I will check if its still there in the morning but can they rest in one spot for an extended period. Also if it is a male whats the best way to catch it coming out of pupation and emerging from the cocoon?

Hi Nadina, the female does not leave the case after pupation, only the male develops wings and can fly. This website, Saunders' Case Moth will show you images of the mature male moth.

Hi Brett - It would be best to relocate the Moth by hanging it in a sheltered area (tree etc) not far from where it was found. If it isn’t pupating it can easily find its way back to the foliage where it originated. There is no easy way to know for sure if pupation is occurring short of destroying the case, so it would be best just to leave it where it is. If it doesn’t move for an extended period of time pupation may be occurring, in which case the only way to catch it if it is a male would be to place the case into a dry aerated container and check it each daily. We hope this helps!

I've been keeping about 20 case moth caterpillars in containers in the kitchen and have been feeding them regularly. However, I've noticed while none appeared to have died, their brilliant orange and black markings have faded and they are now a much duller, darker colour. Could this be a consequence of the different conditions indoors? None of them has pupated either - although the largest caterpillar is the size of my thumb.

What a great site. Thank you so much!

Hi Lucy, unfortunately we can't give a definitive answer on this one as the Live Exhibits Department have not had experience with keeping and rearing this particular species. One of the staff there has said that he is aware that some other brightly coloured caterpillars do lose colour before pupating. He has also seen some brightly coloured caterpillars lose colour before dying when kept in captivity too.

Thanks For The Help!! My Saunders Case Moth has opened up its cocoon and part of the Caterpillars body dropped off. The Caterpillar then resealed its cocoon and hasn't moved since. Is this a natural occurance or is it the Caterpillar dying??

Hi Chris, I have asked the staff in Live Exhibits regarding your case moth caterpillar and they are not sure about the behaviour you have observed. We have not raised this species at the Museum and so have not had experience in watching it progress through pupation. Sorry we couldn't be of more assistance. Maybe someone else will add a comment if they have seen similar behaviour.

Hi. My name is Gemma and i am 7 years old. I found a cocoon in my backyard and wasn't sure what it was but have learned alot from all these comments. I have a couple more questions though. How long do they grow? How long can they live without food? Do they need water? Do they have droppings like my silk worms? Mine keeps going back into its cocoon when we are noisy - can it see or is it scared of the noise?

Thankyou for telling us about our new school pet. We thought it had fallen from a tree and needed our protection for a few weeks. Now we have to rethink. Btw, is ther any interesting help you would like from our class?

Hi Boggabilla Central School Year 1 class, I am glad that the information on our website was of interest to you and helped you to learn about what you had found. As you can see we have received a large number of comments and questions about the case moth. The Museum is not currently rearing this species but other readers of this website may be interested in anything you find out about the case moths you are finding and looking after. So please feel free to post any interesting or unusual actions or behaviours that you think other readers may find useful.

Hi Gemma. The moth cases can grow to approximately 12cm long and if the moths feel threatened, by noise for example, they will seal of the end of their cocoon until the danger has passed. As to your other questions, these would largely depend on where the moth is in its lifecycle and its health, along with the availability of food and water. Unfortunately, as this isn’t a species that the Museum has raised we cannot provide definitive answers to these questions. For further reading, you might find the Queensland Museum's Factsheet on Case Moths of interest.

I plucked a number of case moth caterpillars off my fruit trees in mid May and have been keeping and feeding them ever since in a container. Surprisingly, almost all have survived, including the biggest specimen which measures approx 10cm. None has pupated and I guess the captive conditions have extended their lifespan and altered their life cycle? Can anyone shed any light on this?

I've had a coouple of these in a plastic aquarium for a few months feeding them the ornamental garden plant I found them on as well as some eucalypt leaves and other species I read they enjoy. Mum was gonna kill them so I caught them. Over Winter they have not come out at all. Do they hibernate or are they dead?

Hi Julz, I think you'll find that some others have asked similar questions, this was our response: apparently the pupation period can last from a couple of weeks to a couple of months depending on the season and weather.

I have had a cocoon for abour 2 years and just recently about last week i found 7 mini cocoon's which are the babies, when will the adult female emerge,which has been hanging over her nursery for the last one year and hasnt moved but still sticking to the top of the garage roof outside, and any more details like how many years will it take for the mini ones to grow to the size of the mum which is about 17-18 cms long .

Hi Brooke, the Saunders Case Moth can spend 1 - 2 years in the caterpillar stage. The females remain in the case even after pupation; it is only the males who emerge from the case and can fly. If you have a case that has not moved for a year it is likely that it is no longer occupied.

Hi, I have a box hedge and one of the bushes is dying. When looking up close I discovered the dying bush is absolutely covered in case moth cases - there must be 500 or more. Im pretty sure they are the culprits killing the hedge, will they move on soon and eat everything else in the garden? Do I need to go about getting rid of some of them/all of them? What is the best way to do that?

Hi Sam, if the insects are still on the bush are you able to take a couple of good quality images and email them to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au so we can attempt to see what species they are and provide some information.

Hi mt name is Isabella and i am 9. A couple of weeks ago my Dad found a Saunders Case Moth under a tree. Our grade is learning about mini beasts so i took it into class. It became the class pet. One day it woke up at 6 in the morning witch was different because it normally wakes up later in the day. It didn't wake up later that day either and it still hasn't came out since. Would you be able to tell me if it is transforming into a moth or if it is dead. Thank you

This info has been very helful We found one in our bck yard in Qsland we followd it around ..No-one seemed to know what it was ..I found your one pictured here & got very excite as this is it The Native Saunders Case Moth..Thank You for your help..Tania

Hi Isabella, they are great insects to watch. The Museum has not reared this species before but apparently the pupation period can last from a couple of weeks to a couple of months depending on the season and weather. After this period if the insects are males the adult moths will emerge to fly off looking for females. If the individuals are females they will remain in their case, (they emerge from pupation as a wingless adult), and wait for males to find them. Good Luck with your case moth.

I have been trying for 2 years to find out what these damn things are. And have just found out today their name, so I immediately googled and found this site. I loathe them. I live in Altona Meadows and have 4 beautiful mature mop top trees in my back yard. Last year they demolished half of each tree, I I had thousands of the damn things, hanging around like bats/vultures and now they are coming back. At the moment I am trampling on them to kill them. They are like a nightmare to me and I am going to a nursery today to get a killer for them.

I was delighted to see a male moth on a jacaranda tree while I was walking yesterday. It seemed out of proportion, with a long abdomen and small wings. I think they are quite fascinating creatures and I love the way they use different sticks and leaves to make their bags.

I have 2 Case Moths. One emerged without wings, just the colorful head and a dark body. I presumed it to be a female and put it out near where I found it, thinking it was looking for a male. I saw it the next daymin the same place I found it. I got its cocoon and it seemed almost as if it wanted to go back inside. Now I can not find it. I feel awful to have interfeard but I find them so interesting. I found another one on the road, it must have fallen from a tree. I put it outside near the front door. It moved at an amazing pace and was happy to have made it to the guttering. Today in Melbounre it was 40c. So I used tweezers and moved it out of the heat. Got home from work and couldn't find it. I was so upset, (recently lost an 18 yr old dog) I think the Case Moth has helped in my grieving. Anyway I could not find it. So decided it must have gone out looking???? I had a bucket with plants growing in it and frequently pour water to flush out any mozzies. Low and behold there was my case Moth, wet but not completly. Now nearly dried out. I know they sleep at night and will move generally about twice a day. My observations.. I have some fasinating photos and videos. Wish I could att. Still don't understand why mine came out. Without wings and was still the same way a few days later. Praying that my wet one will live to amaze me another day/week/month/years????

I have had a case moth living in my yard for 3 wks now and it has been immobile for 1week. Just today the caterillar came completely out of its case and it hasn't changed. Why would the caterpillar come out if its not ready yet? I am worried about my little friend.

Hi Anita - A Case Moth caterpillar will remain in its case for several weeks if not months as it feeds and grows. Sometimes they will apparently close off the case for a few days and then move on to feed elsewhere. It’s only when the caterpillar is finished feeding that it permanently seals off the case to pupate within. If it turns into a male it will, after pupating, leave through the bottom of the case and go off in search of a female. The females are wingless and so emerge from the pupa and remain within the case for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately, the caterpillars are heavily parasitised by tiny black wasps, which take a heavy toll. In order to follow the fate of this particular caterpillar you’d need to monitor its progress closely as most of the action occurs unseen within the case.

I have over (at least) 50-100 of these caterpillas on my native bushes. They have almost eaten the entire bushes- they are quickly spreading to other plants in my garden. I dont want to kill them at all- but I am sad they are killing all of my garden- can I relocate them some where safe where they will be free to eat what ever they like. I can grab them easily- just dont know what to do with so many? Can any one help.

Hi Maria, this link is to a site with a list of the plants the caterpillars feed on. If you have nuumbers of any of these plant species near you and permission to do so you could try releasing some of the caterpillars there.

hello, i have just found a case month on the stairs at my school and my friend and i have put it in a box. It fell of the stairs and has a stick over the hole i am worry!!! i was coming out though.please help!:(

I have observed alarva living in small streams in the Snowy Mountains in a case made of fragmants of mica and quarta.I know it is not a casemoth but would be grataful,if you can tell me it's name.I think it is some kind of lacewing but am not sure.Thank you.

Hi Karel, sounds like you've found a caddis fly larva. http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/caddis-flies/

Hi Ella, probably the best thing to do is release it in the school grounds somewhere protected. It has probably crawled in from outside or come in on someone's clothes, so the vegetation it was feeding on is not likely to be far away.

Hi Karel, It sounds like a caddisfly and it could be in the family Limnephilidae, which has quite large larvae and is really only seen above about 1000m. If you have an image, send it in and we get the Entomology staff to take a look.

hey i was wondering,we found Stick Cocoon Creature crawling on our front steps my kids wanna keep it in a jar as i told them it was a butterfly's cacoon, but i was wrong...they still think a butterfly is gonna come out, could they keep it or just leave it where it is?

Dale - The creature is a Case Moth (probably Oiketicus elongatus). Case Moth caterpillars build a silken case which they often line with short twigs, and they live in this case and carry it around throughout the caterpillar stage, enlarging it as they grow. The caterpillar will poke its head out to feed, and when not feeding retreats back into the case and seals up the entrance.

If you want to keep it, you can feed it cut branches from a range of plants in the garden to see which one it likes best.

When it is finished feeding and ready to pupate, it seals up the case permanently and turns into a pupa. It will stay like this for several months and emerge as an adult in the spring. Males are small brown moths and fly away as soon as they emerge, but females are wingless and remain in the case throughout their adult lives.

We have found one of these amazing, titivating cocoons. It had been attached to the clothesline and fallen off. We brought it inside and sticky taped it so it was suspended from the jar but that didn't hold. We could see it moving so figured that a moth would soon come if we kept an eye on it but to our surprize we saw a part of a large caterpillar partly emerge and climb out along the camelia branch we had put in there. OUr curiousity was aroused even more. We thought to google Gum Emporer Moth but found out that is wasn't this creature. So googled "moth chrysalis's of Australia"....At last our questions have been answered. Thanks for the website. Now we all know what it is.

In my class a child brought in a pet case moth. It has been a class pet for a couple of weeks and I think it is such an amazing creature. One day my teacher put it on a tree because she thought it was dying but during lunch we quickly discovered that our pet named quick sticks had been climbing up the tree and he was camouflaged amazingly. About a week later my friend found quick sticks had been climbing up the window . When my teacher saw him she got such a fright that she screamed. So we went outside and rescued him and now he's our class pet again.

Thank you for this very informative page about Saunder's Case Moths. I had the pleasure of observing one for the first time in my life yesterday and today and was just fascinated by what this weird and mysterious creature actually was. Thanks to some friends, I know and I was given this link to find out more. Thanks so much, what an amazing creature, the country really is full of them!

I think this page is amazing! It has explained perfectly exactly what I was looking at this morning on a wooden fence by our driveway. The Saunders Case Moth that is there is about 15cm long, (the case that is), and amazing to watch. It also explains the other, littler ones I have seen in the the past. Thank you

I have just found a Saunder's case moth and wasn't sure what it eats. I am going to give it to a parent in my school community who has a passion for them and wants the experience of keeping one for a while. This is a very informative site about these insects.

Yay Thank-you! This page has answered all our questions about this awesome exciting lovable 'stick insect' creature that we feel lucky to have in our backyard!

Finally, an answer to our pests! Last year we had 2 that were approx 10cm long hanging from our verandah roof. This year, we have approx 100 5cm long all over our Thyme plants (that no longer have foliage) they are making their cocoons from the sticks from the thyme plants once they have demolished the foliage.

We have put a cocoon in a jar hoping to see the moth emerge. Overnight little pellets have appeared - does this happen if the moth is in pupation?

Hi Chris & Jaime, if the pellets are frass, (caterpillar poo) then it doesn't sound like it is pupating yet. It sounds like it is continuing to feed or is still processing and excreting a recent meal. Once they enter the pupation stage they cease feeding.

Hi my name is rose, i have a case moth on my brick wall its been there for avery ong time and is very small (5-7) . It hasnt moved so is it dead?

Hi Rose, it is possible that the caterpillar inside may have died. But it may also be that the case moth is pupating. See replies to Carrie on 15th April 2010 and Anita on 10th February 2011 for further information.

I have about 50 of the case moth they have invaded my ground cover wattle and are eating untill there are only sticks, they are also on my house car and steps. Do not know where to remove them or not. They are getting more and more each year. Do I let them go one cause they are endangered, or they are common. Please let me know.Thankyou Maryanne Stokes.

Hi Maryanne, we don't know of any Australian species of case moths that are endangered.

I found a Saunders Case Moth on a hardenbergia plant (badly eaten). I check on him a couple of times a day to make sure he is OK. I watch him eat in the early evenings - black and gold head - chewing voraciously. Noise is a bother to him and he will dart back down into the bag and pull the 'drawstring' very tight. He isn't very mobile but has become lost once and had to be returned home. I will try to have eucalyptus leaves for him as well as the hardenbergia. He is such a delight!

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Stick Cocoon Creature

31 May, 2009

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