Bagworms with jerky movements!

I often see some tiny spindle-shaped objects move on the floor of my room near the wall. They move in jerks. If I touch them they stop and restart to move on, as I take off my hand. They have the grey flattened casing around them with the head peeping out. (Here they resemble a just born human baby encircled with clothes all around!). These are the Bagworms (larvae of Bagworm Moths, Clania crameri). They have this bag or the case made of silk, and often have leaves or sticks stuck all around it. This nest-like encasing is said to be a protective mechanism against predators or the unfavorable environment (That’s why they have moved into my room escaping the hotness of summer!).

Hatching out from the eggs these larvae feast on the leaves voraciously. Male larvae grow up and attach to the twigs of trees and remain suspended pupating till winged adult moth comes out of it. But the female larvae stay as such inside their bags throughout their lives without developing into a winged adult!

It is a wonder larva of Bagworm Moths lurking inside its bag to grow and live!