I was fortunate to be invited on a Hornet Hunt by the Lundy Warden when I was over there last week.
Dean Jones, the Warden, had found some empty chrysalis cases on old Willow trees in the Quarries on Lundy. He identified them as potentially Lunar Hornet Moth (Sesia bembeciformis) cases and ordered the newly released Pheronome for that species.
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| Two of the empty chrysalis cases in Willow |
Eggs are laid in the bark of Willow trees which hatch, and the larvae burrow deep into the wood. In early June or July the white grub like caterpillars, and emerge from the chrysalis which are left half in the hole they bored. The usually takes place around 8:30am early in June so we were probably a month and 5 hours too late. The cycle of mating and egg-laying then repeats.
We had hoped for a quick response to the pheronome order and, within the limitations of thrice-weekly sailings of the island's transport, MS Oldenburg it arrived before I left. But, only just. The day before I was due to leave, Dean asked if I was up for a visit with the lure to the site.
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| Dean and Rosie waiting expectantly |
Dean, Rosie the Ranger and I duly set off north from the village to the 1860s quarry workings and to the site of the emergent moths. Pheronomes are detected by male moths from at least 100 metres distant so we gave it half-an-hour but with no response.
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| Empty chrysalis extracted from Willow (0.5cm squares) |
A few hundred metres south was another stand of Willow, but there were no chrysalises there. We tried again but still with no success.
Nevertheless, we had tried and we did find at least half-a-dozen emergent cases at the original site but probably had missed the adult moths by a few days.
Maybe next year when a picture of the spectacular adult might be available.
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