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Post by beetlehorn on Apr 30, 2012 14:14:52 GMT -8
OK, going to try this again, maybe it will load up this time. Attachments:
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Post by beetlehorn on Apr 29, 2012 15:34:08 GMT -8
Those photos of larvae and cocoons are great bugboy. I just wanted to include a photo of a fresh pair of these beautiful moths I reared to illustrate the quality of specimens you can obtain by hand rearing them. Of course you also have the option to release them as well, further boosting the population, as long as they are indigenous to the area. You might do as I do, release most and keep a few for your collection.
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Post by beetlehorn on Apr 27, 2012 20:12:59 GMT -8
You may actually get another chance at rearing a Promethia, since the flight isn't over yet, and another brood is on the way in July. Both Promethias and Cecropia moths rear quite easily on wild cherry. I have reared several broods of both, and have lots of perfect A1 specimens from my rearing endeavors. I make my own rearing sleeves complete with a drawstring and zipper for easy access to my stock. Next time just take the female and put her into a paper bag like a lunch bag, close the top and let her oviposit. Then cut out each section or cluster of eggs and keep them in a plastic container away from direct sunlight. After ten days you'll get lots of little larvae that will grow quickly when placed on the foodplant. Rearing sleeves are in my opinion the best way to raise these moths, so place them in the sleeve and keep an eye out so they don't run out of food. The effort is worth it because you'll have many more perfect specimens, and you won't be disturbing the wild population.
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Post by beetlehorn on Apr 14, 2012 7:52:50 GMT -8
So from what I can logically conclude from the forms I have read here, I need to declare any specimens that cross the US border, but any specimen I bought from a foreign insect dealer would require a permit(import/export), no matter the cost, even if it is intended for my personal private collection because it was actually purchased and money exchanged hands? However if I were to trade some specimens from the US, for some specimens from a private collector in another country (non protected), then I don't need a permit, just to declare them? Or is all this subject to some agent's interpretation of the regulations?
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Post by beetlehorn on Feb 11, 2012 7:32:39 GMT -8
Thanks for all the encouragement guys. I also appreciate the insight to your own experiences. Now I know Im' not alone, because your descriptions are very similar to mine. I guess this hobby/activity has it's cycles in every collector's experience. There are those that lose interest to the extent of leaving and never coming back to it. I think I will take a little break, (not totally), and just slow down a bit. Maybe then I can step back and find what really appealed to me in the first place. Tom
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Post by beetlehorn on Feb 8, 2012 19:29:43 GMT -8
Perhaps it's a waste of time for me to open this topic, but I feel somehow compelled to bring it up. As of late I have experienced a gradual loss of interest in entomology. I have collected off and on ever since I can remember. I really got back "into it" about six years ago. I even made a special collecting trip across country this past August (Arizona), to collect Dynastes granti and whatever else I encountered. Although I was excited at making the trip, I just couldn't find the kind of enthusiasm I once had. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. I hope it isn't an ongoing thing, because I truly enjoyed this hobby. Tom
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Post by beetlehorn on Dec 31, 2011 12:28:58 GMT -8
To answer your question, all I can say is....smell it. The smell of fermented fruit is distinctive, it has somewhat of an alcoholic odor, sort of like aged wine. Also you can tell whenever you place it outside and it attracts other insects, well then it should be ready. Collecting insects with bait is just like all other aspects of this hobby/activity, experience is the best teacher. I have aged bait for two months, and let me tell you, it is really potent then!! Give it a try, you might be surprized. Tom
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Post by beetlehorn on Dec 31, 2011 8:59:45 GMT -8
After reviewing some of the threads in this forum, I have concluded that there are some of you collectors out there that are interested in baiting, but are yet unclear of what to use. So I thought it would be interesting to see what kinds of bait other collectors use. I am sure everyone has their own "special recipe"! My favorite concoction for Lepidoptera would be the fermented fruit slop I came up with in conjunction with Bill Garthe's recipe for Catocala's. I use overripe bananas, peaches, and/or apples. I cut up the fruit into pieces, and place them in a plastic storage container for several days, sometimes two weeks depending on the temperature. Warmer temps speed up the fermentation process, so less time is required. After the fruit ferments I add two pounds of dark brown sugar, and two bottles (24oz.) of dark beer to every three gallons of slop. I close the container and let it sit for a few hours, usually just before I go sugaring. When I open the container the odor is somewhat overwhelming, I think the beer is what really gives it a boost. On a good day or night, leps will come right in even before I start applying the bait. This stuff draws in many noctuids, and also sphingids. During the day, I get lots of Nymphalidae, and Satyridae, sometimes even Lycaenidae. I apply the bait with an old paintbrush to treetrunks, old posts, and on old lumber boards. I also use this stuff in my bait traps. You can use your imagination to come up with new ideas as you get into sugaring. It would be interesting to see what other collectors use as bait, and how they use them. So feel free to add your comments and suggestions. Tom Attachments:
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Post by beetlehorn on Dec 28, 2011 21:13:42 GMT -8
Thank you for the detailed information, I really appreciate it. I am hopeful in regards to encountering this species. If everything goes ok, I will be returning to Arizona the first week of July. It seems like a long way to go from Tennessee, but I also plan on collecting several other local species. I have included a living photo of Asterocampa clyton. Although they fly at approximately the same time as A. celtis, they are not nearly as numerous, generally speaking. Tom Attachments:
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Post by beetlehorn on Dec 20, 2011 21:04:24 GMT -8
One of the species you mentioned (Asterocampa idyja) has eluded me. I wonder where would be a good place to look, and at what time of year. I am planning another trip to do some photography, and collecting. Is A. idyja a regular stray, or could there possibly be some local breeding occurring in the Southern Arizona area? I assume they also rear on Hackberry trees like other American Emperors. Below is a "borrowed" photo of this species. Credit should be given to Jerome Albre and Oscar Dorado-(photographers). Tom Attachments:
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Post by beetlehorn on Dec 16, 2011 20:24:50 GMT -8
Well Im' glad to see Im' not the only one that finds this genus so fascinating. I realize they are not on the same level in regards to monetary value or prized status as say Agrias, Ornthoptera or certain Parnassius species, but as for a collector they can be quite interesting and definately deserve a place in any butterfly collection, especially for the Nymphalid collector. In my opinion no matter how inexpensive a group of specimens might be, they deserve just as much regard, and are just as important in terms of collectible status as the more popular and costly ones. In one way they are more desirable to me because quite often they tend to be somewhat overlooked and or absent in many collections. I always tend to go for the more or less obscure Nymphalid examples such as Doxocopa, Epiphile, Apatura, Euthalia, Eunica, etc. To me they are just as fascinating as Charaxes, Prepona or Agrias butterflies. Tom
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Post by beetlehorn on Oct 6, 2011 18:41:57 GMT -8
These specimens are rather special to me because I spent several hours in the desert one August morning collecting and photographing them. This is probably my favorite species of the American Emperor butterflies, Asterocampa leilia. Tom
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Post by beetlehorn on Oct 6, 2011 18:38:16 GMT -8
Next in line are a few specimens of Asterocampa antonia. In my opinion the most handsome of the genus. Attachments:
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Post by beetlehorn on Oct 6, 2011 18:36:35 GMT -8
This is a series of Asterocampa clyton females. Most are considerably larger than the males. Attachments:
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Post by beetlehorn on Oct 6, 2011 18:34:54 GMT -8
Next is a series of Asterocampa clyton. Notice the degree of variation in these males. Some have well defined ocelli in the hindwings, others are completely black! Tom Attachments:
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