We found a moth, found out it is a Polyphemus Moth, I have some questions?
Question:My fiance and I found a big (I mean HUGE) moth inside our apartment mailbox room. It didn't move for 2 days and the last day after we found it we took some pictures and I guess started bothering it trying to get it to move. We sent the pictures to someone online that knows about moths and when we got the email back he said that it was a Polyphemus Moth but didn't give us info. When we bothered it, a redish brown liquid came out of it. Was that poison or something to tell us to leave it alone? Any kind of info about the moth would be helpful. I have looked online and couldn't find anything about this substance that came out of it. Does anyone know what it might have been?
Answers:
Some moths excrete a repellent liquid, this is a means of defence against predator attack, and is often a bitter or acrid fluid, unpleasant to EAT. Your Moth is a famous Alberta resident, and looks similar to the UK`s Emperor Moth. Polyphemus likes wooded areas with mixed tree plantings, and although its caterpillar may OCCASIONALLY eat garden shrubs , it is most definitely NOT a garden pest, but one of Natures wonders. If you do a web search for `polyphemus moth`, you should find USA sites giving more info.
There is a good chance that it was emitting a type of pheremone. Female Polys will emit a chemical substance to attract males to fertilize their eggs after they emerge from their cocoon. She might have thought you were a male Poly investigating her!
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