Io Moth Cocoon Hatching Kit (Automeris io) – York Insectarium

Reared by York Insectarium and sold through Canada Ant Colony.

A moth with a secret: the bright eyes it hides under its wings.

The io moth is small for a silk moth, about 5–8 cm across, but it’s one of the most dramatic. At rest, it looks like a dead leaf. When it’s disturbed, it pulls its forewings forward to show a huge black-and-blue eyespot on each hindwing. That’s a startle display meant to scare off birds.

Io moths are also among the few moths where males and females look completely different. Males are bright butter-yellow, and females are larger and reddish-brown to purple. You won’t know which you have until it emerges, so every hatch is a surprise.

Each kit holds a live pupa resting through the winter inside a thin, papery silk cocoon. The caterpillar spun it among fallen leaves. In spring, the moth breaks out and unfolds its wings over a few hours.

Choose your kit

• Cocoons Only: Live io moth cocoons with a care sheet. Best if you already have a mesh enclosure.
• Cocoons + Rearing Cage: Everything you need. Comes with a 12" x 12" x 12" breathable mesh cage that gives the moth room to climb and spread its wings safely.

Both come in 1 cocoon or 3 cocoons or 5 cocoons. The 3-pack and 5-pack gives you the best chance of seeing both the yellow male and the reddish female side by side.

What’s included

• 1 or 3 or 5 live io moth cocoons
• Step-by-step care sheet
• Mesh rearing cage (Cage version only)

How it works

1. Keep it cool. Until spring, store the cocoons somewhere cold, like an unheated garage or a fridge, in a container that lets air in. This mimics winter.
2. Wake it up. In spring, move the cocoons to room temperature in the cage and mist them lightly every few days.
3. Watch for emergence. Moths usually come out a few weeks after warming. Give the moth a stick or the cage wall to climb so its wings can hang down and expand.
4. Enjoy and release. Adult io moths don’t eat. Enjoy them for a day or two, then release them outdoors at dusk. Only release them within the species’ native range in eastern North America.

Good to know

• Adult moths and cocoons are completely harmless to handle. If you breed them, though, io caterpillars have stinging spines. They can cause a painful rash, like a nettle sting, so handle caterpillars with gloves only.
  
• Cocoons available October - May
• Ships within Canada only 
• A great project for classrooms, homeschoolers and nature lovers of all ages.