Life Cycle of Moth

Moths are oviparous which means they lay eggs to give birth to their offspring. The lifecycle of a moth is very simple and divided into four different stages as mentioned below.

Stage 1: Egg 

After the mating period, the female moth lays eggs after 4 to 7 days and it happens once a year. Female moths lay eggs in a safe place with a good food source mostly on the leaves of a tree. A female moth can lay up to 50 eggs one at a time and the embryo develops after 30 days inside the eggs. 

Depending on the species, the amount of eggs laid by the female moth may change. Female moths generally lay eggs during the spring when the air becomes warm.  It takes around 30 days to develop the larva inside the egg and after 7 to 10 days they grow up as larvae. Humid weather is needed to increase the growth of the embryo of the caterpillar.

Read More: Difference Between Butterfly and Caterpillar

Stage 2: The Larvae or Caterpillar

After hatching, the larva comes out in search of their food. They start to eat the nearby plant leaves as female moths lay their eggs on the plant leaves. When the larva hatch and comes out for the very first time, it is known as the first instar. After every instar, the caterpillar starts to grow.

At this time the main work of the caterpillars is to eat more and grow. Caterpillars have exoskeletons in their body and they need to shed their whole body to grow more. Generally, they shed their body 4-5 times in total at this stage which is known as molting. The molting process continues until the caterpillar enters the pupa stage. 

Read More: Wasp Life Cycle Explained: Diagram and Stages

Stage 3: Pupa

Before entering the pupa stage, the caterpillar starts to find a new place to pupate. The caterpillars can produce silk material with their proteins. After some days, the caterpillar starts to spin that silk around its body in a safe place which is known as cacoon. Inside this cacoon shell, the caterpillar transforms into a pupa.

At this stage, the pupa fully develops into a moth. After this stage the moth gets wings and it also breaks down the tissues which is known as histolysis. At this time the caterpillar avoids eating and they do not move. After 4 to 5 months the fully developed moth hatch from their cocoon.

Read More: Developmental Biology

Stage 4: Adult Moth

After the pupa stage the fully developed moth hatch from their cocoon. The process takes 4 to 5 months or sometimes 6 months. This is known as the imago and it breaks out from the cacoon. When the cacoon breaks after 4 to 5 months, it becomes a moth with a swollen abdomen and shriveled wings. When the fragile wings of the new moth become more hard, they take their first flight to find food and mating purposes. The adult moth lives for a month to three months which also depends on the species of the moth.

Read More: Evolution Of Life Forms – A Theory

Moth Life Cycle: Moths belong to the Lepidoptera order that looks like a butterfly but is not a butterfly. Moths are one of the key pollinators that play a major role in maintaining a healthy and balanced ecosystem. In short, moths are one type of insect that have multi-coloured wings with a furry body, large eyes, and threadlike antennae.

There are around 1,60,000 different moth species present most of which are harmless to humans. Moth life cycle stages involve Egg, Larvae, Pupa and Adulthood. In this article, we are going to discuss the Moth Life Cycle in detail.