Post by trehopr1 on Feb 12, 2021 0:05:23 GMT -8
Most every season a collector/friend of mine has always
managed to "dabble" in raising different species of Saturniid
moths just for the fun of it.
He nearly always begins with the capture of a gravid female
which lays eggs usually within the next day or two (in a paper bag).
Over the years which I have known him he has raised Cecropia, Luna,
Polyphemus, Promethea, Tulip Tree and lately Io silkmoths. Some of
these he has raised several times such as Luna + Polyphemus.
He has a photo album featuring all of the various instars of each
given species as well as pictures of eggs and cocoons. Rather interesting
in its own right.
Anyway, he has "bounced" a few pic's my way of some of his endeavors and
I must say that some are indeed challenges !
So here are a few featured pic's of some of the more "prickly" life cycles
which he has immersed himself in...
Automeris io -- He raised a batch of these in 2019. Had pretty darn good success with them
but, remarked that they are indeed uncomfortable to get stung by !
So, lets see if any of our Saturniid folks out there know just what kind of "sparkies"
are being shown in the two pictures below. See if YOU may know the genus...
Alright, if you guessed, surmised, or actually knew HEMILEUCA than your far better than me...
I just would have called them "forget me knots" because when one of these little honey's decides
to rub-up on you and get personal ---- well, let's just say you won't forget their everlasting presence !
*These are the larvae of the Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia) --- for those who need the full answer...
My friend remarked they were THE most difficult to handle larvae he has encountered. He said every
change-over (cleaning) of the cage was fraught with personal pain (despite trying to be watchful). He
also said the stings from these fellows was far and again worse than those of the Io's.
Our next two photo's are of a species many of you are familiar with and maybe raised yourself !
Hyalophora cecropia -- My friend has raised these twice with (as you can see) great
success. However, he remarked that they are quite the handful to feed and just keep up
with at the 4th + 5th instars. They just go through whole 6-7 ft. tree branches full of
leaves in a couple 2-3 days...
My friend "bags" entire branches at a time when he raises these and Polyphemus.
So, that's what I have for now...
For those of you who enjoy breeding things I hope this article re-kindles the desire for you
to also grow something from scratch this summer AND have a measure of fun whilst your at it !
managed to "dabble" in raising different species of Saturniid
moths just for the fun of it.
He nearly always begins with the capture of a gravid female
which lays eggs usually within the next day or two (in a paper bag).
Over the years which I have known him he has raised Cecropia, Luna,
Polyphemus, Promethea, Tulip Tree and lately Io silkmoths. Some of
these he has raised several times such as Luna + Polyphemus.
He has a photo album featuring all of the various instars of each
given species as well as pictures of eggs and cocoons. Rather interesting
in its own right.
Anyway, he has "bounced" a few pic's my way of some of his endeavors and
I must say that some are indeed challenges !
So here are a few featured pic's of some of the more "prickly" life cycles
which he has immersed himself in...
Automeris io -- He raised a batch of these in 2019. Had pretty darn good success with them
but, remarked that they are indeed uncomfortable to get stung by !
So, lets see if any of our Saturniid folks out there know just what kind of "sparkies"
are being shown in the two pictures below. See if YOU may know the genus...
Alright, if you guessed, surmised, or actually knew HEMILEUCA than your far better than me...
I just would have called them "forget me knots" because when one of these little honey's decides
to rub-up on you and get personal ---- well, let's just say you won't forget their everlasting presence !
*These are the larvae of the Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia) --- for those who need the full answer...
My friend remarked they were THE most difficult to handle larvae he has encountered. He said every
change-over (cleaning) of the cage was fraught with personal pain (despite trying to be watchful). He
also said the stings from these fellows was far and again worse than those of the Io's.
Our next two photo's are of a species many of you are familiar with and maybe raised yourself !
Hyalophora cecropia -- My friend has raised these twice with (as you can see) great
success. However, he remarked that they are quite the handful to feed and just keep up
with at the 4th + 5th instars. They just go through whole 6-7 ft. tree branches full of
leaves in a couple 2-3 days...
My friend "bags" entire branches at a time when he raises these and Polyphemus.
So, that's what I have for now...
For those of you who enjoy breeding things I hope this article re-kindles the desire for you
to also grow something from scratch this summer AND have a measure of fun whilst your at it !