Shipping eggs and caterpillars

Eallin

Hi! It's my first time rearing moths and I've successfully raised the Antherina Suraka and Actias Luna so far. I also have Atlas catties who are growing very well and I don't think it will take a long time for the first to pupate.

Now, the Surakas are starting to emerge and the first mating is done. Of course I'll end up with lots of eggs and I can't keep them all. I want to keep an amount for myself and import a new batch of catties from the same instar from another bloodline so I can work on the genetic diversity of future generations. But the rest I want to sell or give away to friends, but how to do it safely? I'd love to hear the best material to use and please, show photos so I can have an idea of how your way of packing looks like.

First the eggs:

The eggs I got were mostly put in a small plastic tube, but I also see some collecting them in those coin containers? As I didn't know what those type of containers were, I got very small cube containers for beads. I don't know if they are useful if I put the batch of eggs between some paper towel or something? I'm also afraid I'll include infertile eggs as I, of course, want to offer a proper batch of good eggs. I once got a whole batch of infertile eggs (except for one), which hatched, and I definitely want to avoid that from happening.

Then the catties... There's a chance I am left with too many caterpillars eventually, so how to ship those safely? Which type of containers would be best to use? I'm so afraid that even though I prevent the container from moving in the box by using filling material, the catties will still move/are being shaken up when the box itself is being moved or turned during shipment, and I want to lower the chance of them getting hurt or die as much as possible.

Thank you in advance. Any additional information is welcome!

kevink

I live in the USA, first, nobody here ships larva, that's an EU thing.

As far as ova, I use coin containers for shipping sometimes, if I am using an envelope or bubble mailer, and no padding is

needed, other times, if I am shipping in a box, I use a small deli cup, which also lends itself to having enough room to

hold eggs laid on paper, I use tissue paper for light packing in these instances, and typically tape the cup to the bottom

of the box, surrounded by light packing material, it's probably overkill, as I have received many ova shipments with

eggs rolling around in containers, without any adverse results. I have also used old writing pens, cut into pieces,

or straws inserted into a slot cut into cardboard.

Pictures? I have never photographed an ova container before, or after shipping.

Eggs are simply too light to cause damage to themselves by bouncing about in a container, I like things locked down for

shipping, but it's a choice.

Infertile ova is a fact of life, and unless the percentage of infertile ova is over 50%, complaints are grasping at straws, most people

realize that nothing is absolute, it is a good idea to keep notes of ova , when it's laid, and keep some for fertility determinations.

glischrochilus

Hello Judith,

for sending eggs I simply cut a piece of cardboard open like shown in the photo below. To close the open ends of the compartment I press a little clump of cotton-wool in the holes. After placing the eggs in the compartment I close the paper-stripe with tape. if you want to send a lot of eggs, you just prepare more compartments.

I use 5mm cardboard, mailing is slightly more expensive, but compartments are spacy enough also for bigger eggs.

Sending caterpillars is always a lottery, depending on duration of transport.

Thomas

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