RAISING DEATHSHEAD HAWK MOTHS

Deathshead Hawkmoths are probably one of (if not the) most iconic moths in the world. Their bold colours, iconic skull markings and their rise to fame on the cover of The Silence of the Lambs its no wonder they are a firm favourite.

In early 2024 I decided these would be the first moths I would try to raise, after doing some research, I placed an order for some eggs in March and waited, and waited and waited… they didn’t arrive until August. In the mean time I was impatient and got hold of some Atlas Moth eggs and Luna Moth eggs and raised them - when my Deathshead Moth eggs did eventually arrive they hatched pretty quickly, grew well and it wasn’t long until they pupated and I had moths around November time. However it was cold, I was still learning - my moths did well, but none of the eggs laid hatched. I’ve put this down to my house being too cold possibly (I live in an old cottage and it gets really cold in winter!).

Anyway, fast forward to 2025 and an amazing friend gifted me with a lot of tiny Deathshead caterpillars.

They ate. They grew. They pupated. They emerged!

Adult Deathshead Hawkmoths need to feed on a honey/water mixture, however will not feed alone and need to be hand fed!

I was back at the point I had made it to successfully in 2024. The weather was on my side. It was warm. My moths got busy and egg laying started within a week or so, and boy can they lay! I’ve been getting new eggs every day for the last couple of weeks now.

Things are starting to slow down now, I only have 3 moths left and its only a handful of eggs each night now. The girls are old, and their wings are torn. I will miss them when they are gone!

But I have over 1000 eggs which are all starting to hatch!

And so, the cycle starts again!

Deathsheads are an amazing moth, they are an absolute pleasure to raise and care for.

There is a lot to learn with raising caterpillars. You might think “Oh it can’t be that difficult” - but really it can. You need to ensure you have the correct host plants available. Caterpillars won’t just eat anything. Each species has its own preferences and needs. They eat a lot too, so you need to make sure you have access to a lot of host plant.

They are messy - but like to be clean. They poo more than you can imagine. You need to make sure you have the time to clean them every day and provide them with fresh food.

Don’t over crowd them, as this can lead to further complications like to spread of illness or in some species even cannibalism. On the other hand, don’t provide them with a space that’s too large. They may wander off and then struggle to locate food.

Too warm. Too cold. Too humid. Too dry. These are all things you need to be aware of when it comes to raising caterpillars - however if you make a mistake it’s all part of learning. Sometimes they die for no known reason. It just happens!

Deathsheads also have the added need that adult moths need to be handfed. Yep! That’s right. You need to pick up every single one of your adult moths and uncurl their proboscis and place it in to a honey/water mixture to get them to feed. It takes some practice, they will put up a fight the first few times, but eventually they get used to it. However bare in mind this can be time consuming. Especially if you have a large number of moths.

But the important thing is too do your research and make sure you can provide your caterpillars and moths with the best care you can!