Nuclear Polyhedrosis

Welcome to the world of the Nuclear Polyhedrosis virus.

On the rather limited knowledge I have of this virus, I will attempt to explain what it does, and how it can be treated. Here we go.

The Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus

Not so with caterpillars. (As far as I know they have no 'immune system' as we see it.)

The Nuclear polyhedrosis virus attacks the very cell structure of the caterpillar, rearranging it at the atomic level, forming 'crystals' which are, basically, inanimate and incapable of maintaining life. The process of slowly killing the caterpillar takes close to 3 days. At the end of which the caterpillar will lose all bright coloring, and fade to a murky brown or grey/brown and die. If left alone for long, it will eventually turn black.

Treatment

This is a deadly virus!

Any infected caterpillars should be removed and destroyed immediately upon awareness of the infection. (If you only suspect infection, I would reccomend isolating the caterpillar from the general population for at least 3 days to be sure. You will know by the end of the three days if it is infected or not.

Can the virus be transmitted to humans? NO.

This virus requires an ALKALINE based cell structure in order to replicate itself. We mammals are acidic based, and are therefore unable to mass produce the virus. HOWEVER, the virus can enter our cells, where it will remain dormant until destroyed by our immune system.

How does the virus spread?

The virus creates these crystalline structures, which are present in the droppings (scree) left behind by infected caterpillars. It is also present in any regurgitated fluids and any other liquid left behind by the infected caterpillar. When another caterpillar eats anything these crystals are on, it will catch the virus and eventually die. (The reason it only happens when the virus is eaten is because the digestive tract of the caterpillar, beling alkaline based, breaks down the crystals, releasing the now-active virus.)

How can I keep the crystals away from the caterpillars?

There are a few methods which seem to work for destrying the crystals. One such method is to rinse all leaves being fed to the caterpillars with a weak (less than 10%) chlorine bleach solution followed by a water-only rinse to remove the bleach. This method is also effective for all containers and other instruments which may be used in handling or containing the caterpillars. One note: Your hands are also a means of spreading the virus. If you fear your hands have become covered in the virus, I would suggest washing them in as much bleach as you can personally stand.

According to some research done on the virus, it has been found that ultraviolet light is effective at killing the virus as well. If you suspect that rearing tanks or other instruments are possibly infected with the virus, it would be wise to expose them not only to the bleach solution (which destroys the virus), but also to strong ultraviolet light to kill any still-living virii left behind. (Or if you feel that using bleach will damage or destroy the equipment, or otherwise render it unsuitable for use with caterpillars.)

On the preventative side, it is wise to not let condensation build up on any surfaces which larva may come into contact with. A wet surface is nothing more than a means of quickly spreading any infection between larvae. I have found that any larva exposed to wet conditions for more than 1 day are 80-90% more likely to die from this disease or something similar. Drier is better as far as rearing larva goes, unless the specific species of larva actually prefers a moist environment (and I wouldnt put it past good 'ol Mother Nature to design some species which actually do.)

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