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Post by beetlehorn on Jul 14, 2014 4:45:39 GMT -8
A few nights ago I collected a female Citheronia regalis, the Regal moth. Instead of dispatching her, I placed her in a glassine envelope where she oviposited all her eggs in two nights. I would like to rear this species again, but remember having difficulty during pupation. Is there anyone that has reared this species to full maturity? Can the pupae be overwintered successfully? Any help would be appreciated.
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Post by nathanjboob on Jul 17, 2014 20:50:08 GMT -8
I collect wandering regalis larvae from sleeves every day. They are then submerged in a mixture of 5 parts Clorox bleach to 10 parts water for three minuets and then rinsed off with fresh water. I then roll them around on paper towels to dry them. After that they are placed in airtight plastic storage containers(10-15 larvae at a time)that have been filled with about 4 inches of moistened sphagnum peat moss that had been lightly tamped down. I obtain the correct moisture level in the peat by mixing it with the water in a large bucket until I can squeeze about 2 or 3 drops of water from a hand full. The containers are approximately 8" deep x 30" long x 15" wide. They are plenty large enough to handle 10-15 larvae without crowding them. The right amount of moisture during this stage will give you healthy and very nice looking pupae.
Larvae are left undisturbed for 2 weeks to pupate and then dug up and placed in another airtight container(size not crucial) that has about 1 inch of dry peat moss in it. I have used vermiculite with equal success in place of the peat for overwintering.
At the beginning of October the containers can be placed in cold storage. I have used the fridge with good results, but I now keep them in a root cellar until the first of May. If kept in the fridge I'd keep a very light mist of water droplets on the inside of the lid. It seems to be a bad idea to have water on the pupae. Coming out of cold storage, pupae are placed in large screen cages indoors and left there until they emerge.
I have tried other methods over the years, but this is the one that works best for me. I only occasionally loose a pupae over the winter.
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Post by beetlehorn on Jul 21, 2014 12:47:13 GMT -8
Wow! That is quite a process. I would have never thought of the bleach/water mixture. What does this process actually do for the larvae, and do I totally submerge them for the whole three minutes?
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Post by joee30 on Aug 30, 2014 20:38:55 GMT -8
Many of mine are already in the wandering phase. I put some in Tupperware containers with paper towels and put them in my closet. Some stiffened up overnight, so I hope they pupate.
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Post by joee30 on Sept 2, 2014 23:23:41 GMT -8
Well, I have had some decent luck so far as I have some that have pupated today. I have some larvae still eating and gaining weight, but most are prepupae larvae. Here are some pics of what has happened.  This was a couple of days before he started wandering the cage I have for them,and then....  A handful of them started to wander and chill on the bottom of the cage under the paper towel I put under the hostplant. The shrivel up a little, and then stiffen up, eventually becoming yellowish, and then....  They get put in a tupperware with paper towel on the bottom, a sheet on top, and they then get put into a dark rucksack to finish their transformation. I read about keeping them in a dark area from the Bill Oehke site. So far, it has worked. I have 10 more in the pre pupa stage waiting to become pupae soon. |
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