Actias dubernardi eggs

[Fernando]

Dear people.

I have just received a bunch of A. dubernardi eggs by mail. They do look healthy, but they were posted on may 2nd, so they are approximately 20 days old. I don't know about this species' hatching time, so my question is: should they have already hatched by now? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Oh, curse the chilean post for being so inefficient

PS: Any help about the temperature they like would be appreciated as well.

[bluemoth]

They should hatch by 14 days at max time. I think yours are not alive.

[Fernando]

I supposed so Thanks for the answer.

[Fernando]

Believe it or not, but 24 days after the eggs were deposited, the caterpillars have just begun to hatch!!

I'm giving them Salix babylonica and Pinus radiata, I hope they accept any of them.

[bobw]

They certainly won't take the Salix; they don't take all species of Pinus so hopefully yours is one they will take.

One tip - the small larvae need a lot of humidity, otherwise they dry out.

Bob

[Fernando]

Thanks for the tip about humidity. I'm spraying them with water often.

As for Salix, I found this info in the A. dubernardi section on WLSS:

David Mohn indicates "reported larval foodplants are Pinus massoniana, Quercus, Salix, Betula, Malus, Pyrus, Castanea, Juglans, Populus, and Cinnamonum camphora."

[Fernando]

PS: I'm wondering: how long after they hatch they should start eating? About 2 hours have passed since the first one hatched, and it is not eating Pinus yet.

[bobw]

I don't understand that, I've never heard of them eating anything other than pine and maybe some other coniferous trees. I've found with other species that many foodplants are listed that they won't eat. Some of these larvae will go a long time after hatching before starting to feed, sometimes several days, although a few hours is more usual.

I find that pine feeders do best in a plastic box with rather damp tissue in the bottom, a sprig of cut pine can then be placed on this. The cut pine will last a week in a closed plastic box, just occasionally drip water onto the tissue to ensure it stays damp. I used to have 100% mortality from desiccation before I started using this methiod. Cover any cut ends of pine with tissue as they leak resin and if the larvae wander over this they will get stuck! I use boxes of increasing size as they grow but they tend not to wander off the foodplant. Open the box for a few minutes a couple of times a day to air it.

Once they reach L3 they no longer need the humidity and should no longer be kept in plastic boxes. I sleeve them on growing trees althought cut pine will last several days; on no account should it be put in water as this will kill the larvae.

Bob

[Fernando]

Thanks Bob, I really appreciate the very comprehensive advices! I'll keep you informed about the breeding.

[nomihoudai]

David Mohn indicates "reported larval foodplants are Pinus massoniana, Quercus, Salix, Betula, Malus, Pyrus, Castanea, Juglans, Populus, and Cinnamonum camphora."

This man deserves a nobel prize !!!!

Actias dubernardi has been discussed in lenght in the German breeder forum, it always was pine that they feed and the most incredible thing somebody came up was Abies nordmanniana which worked,... but maybe it was because the German live stock had been domesticated to some degree after so many generations they breed.

[Fernando]

I see. I'll stick with Pinus radiata then.

I'm not sure whether they have eaten something so far. They start eating by the tip of the needles, don't they?

By the way, any possible explanation for the considerable delay in the hatchings?

[obewan]

Use white pine...it works!
obe

[Fernando]

Sadly, Pinus radiata is the only coniferous tree I have in the surroundings.

I'm still not sure whether they have eaten. I believe I have seen little bites in the tip of some needles, but I could be wrong.

[bobw]

You'll soon know if they're feeding as there will be frass.

Bob

[Fernando]

No frass yet, but I definitely spotted some bites in the needles. Besides, a whole day has passed and no one of the caterpillars has died. I guess that's a good sign.