Things You'll Need
- 10-gallon fish tank or large, transparent plastic box
- Paper towels
- Large cherry or apple twig
- Piece of cheesecloth
- Large elastic band
Instructions
Lay paper towels in the bottom of an empty fish tank or plastic box. These collect the caterpillar droppings.
Place a large, leafy twig from the tree you found the caterpillars on or a cherry or apple twig in the fish tank. This gives them a place to make their tent and, eventually, to pupate.
Transfer the caterpillars to the tank. Place a piece of cheesecloth on top of the tank and secure with a large elastic band.
Feed the caterpillars on more leaves from a suitable tree. This species feeds on the leaves of several types of ornamental fruit trees, including apple, plum, peach and crab apple, although they seem to prefer cherry. Add new leaves as required, removing old, small twigs. Leave the large twig in the tank. Caterpillars need a lot of food, so let them have as much as they can eat.
Replace the paper towels once a week to keep the tank clean and prevent mold.