This “small shell” = Bagworm Case: a mobile home for an insect

Scientific Fact – Entomology: This isn’t a seed or dirt. This is called a “bagworm case” or “case-bearing moth.” 1. What exactly is it? This is the larva of a type of moth called Psychidae. As soon as the larva hatches from the egg, it starts building itself a “mobile home.” How does it build it? Bioengineering: It secretes silk from its mouth. It sticks anything it finds to it: paper scraps, dirt, hair, threads, tree bark. It only sticks its head and six legs out of the opening to walk and eat. Its rear end is always hidden inside the case. If it senses danger, it closes the opening and becomes like a dry seed. It’s impossible to tell if it’s alive or dead. 2. Is it dangerous? To humans: No. They don’t bite, they’re not poisonous, and they don’t transmit diseases. They’re just a little disgusting. On plants: Yes, a little. If they multiply a lot on one tree, the caterpillars eat the leaves and can dry out the young tree. Older trees aren’t affected much. 3. Why did you find them in the house? When the caterpillar grows up, it looks for a safe place to transform into a pupa. So it sticks its