AboutWalter Hintz Expertise I can answer any questions about insects and spiders
Experience I have taught science for over 50 years. I am presently teaching biology at the college level. I have done extensive graduate work in entomology.
Expert: Walter Hintz Date: 7/3/2008 Subject: catalpa worm
Question I plan to harvest my worms. How long and how do I keep them alive?
Answer Hi Joe
I assume you are talking about the larvae of the Catalpa Sphinx moth. Eventually they will pupate so if you want them to stsy in the caterpillar stage you will have to kill and preserve them. I don't know how to do this. Commercial bait sellers freeze them
Hre is an interesting story about these caterpillars. A few years ago I was camping in a Kentucky state park near the Kentucky dam at the land between the lakes whem I noticed some local peole shaiking caterpiaalrs out of a catalpa tree. AS a biologist I got curious as I had never seen this before and asked what they were doing. "Them's tappy worms" I was told and that they were the best bait in the world for fishing in the Kentucky river. I had never heard of "tappy worms" but knew they were sphinx caterpillars. This tree was loaded with them. I notices a couple were parasitized with wasps and the white pupa covered the caterpillar. They explaind to me that the tappy worms were reproducing that way. I tried to explain taht these were wasp parasites and that the worms hatched from moth eggs but they they did not believe it. I never hear about tappy worms again until I got you question. I have been a fisherman most of my life and never knew about them. What makes them such great bait and what type of fish hit them?
