frass expulsion

[Bill Cornelius]

The plan is to see if (prove?) that popping poops is a protective device to
misdirect whatever predators focus on the first instar, (assuming that the
predatot is locating by something in the poops that isn't there in the later
stages). my bet is that vit. B is toxic to whatever it is: so feed them extra
vit. B (&/or garlic if they'll eat it), probably paint some on the leaves, then
count the bloody splotches vs how many make it to pupa.

Bill


"Grkovich, Alex" wrote:

> Eating fresh garlic before going out also keeps the bugs away for awhile.
> Keeps a lot of things away as well.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Bill Cornelius [SMTP:billcor at mail.mcn.org]
> > Sent: Monday, August 06, 2001 2:12 PM
> > To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> > Subject: Re: frass expulsion
> >
> > Maybe larvae grow bacteria in their gut & the early instars don't have the
> > right kind yet? sounds sort of lame, how'bout parasites locate early
> > larvae by
> > the vitamin B content of their poop? I know ticks & fleas don't bite me if
> > I've eaten Vit B. Somebody else do the test.
> >
> > Bill
> >
> > Liz Day wrote:
> >
> > > >As for the projectile frass thing, could it be that the caterpillars
> > > >simply want to get the frass of the leaves they're on? Big
> > caterpillars
> > > >would have no problem with this as their frass is heavy and drops
> > > >easily, where as small caterpillars' frass does not.
> > >
> > > It could be. It seems the few kinds of larvae I've watched, they
> > either
> > > shoot the frass or they don't, from the time they're tiny until they're
> > > large. As we talk about this, and the advantages of making sure your
> > > frass doesn't fall to rest on a nearby leaf, I'm wondering why ALL
> > larvae
> > > don't shoot it out. Saturniids just let it fall. Even if you are
> > > hanging on the underside of a leaf, it might come to rest on the leaf
> > below
> > > you. And they have plenty of parasitoids. Mysterious.
> > >
> > > Liz
> > >
> > > -------------------------------------------------------------
> > > Liz Day
> > > Indianapolis, Indiana, central USA (40 N, ~86 W)
> > > Home of budgerigar Tweeter and the beautiful pink inchworm (Eupithecia
> > > miserulata).
> > > USDA zone 5b. Winters ~20F, summers ~85F. Formerly temperate deciduous
> > > forest.
> > > daylight at kiva.net
> > > www.kiva.net/~daylight
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