Help!! Actias dubernardi

    • New

    Hello!!

    I need some help and advices about my actias dubernardi cocoons.

    This is the second time I try to rear the caterpillars of A. Dubernardi and as the first time, everything has gone well until they reached the cocoon stage. When the caterpillars tried to cocoon they failed. Some pupated half the way ,some didn’t even try. The few that reached a complete pupa seem to be deformed. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong… I keept them in a spacius box in clean conditions with pretty high humidity.

    Please give me some advice for the next time I try to rear them… thanks:loudly_crying_face:

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    • New

    I've raised dubernardi several times, the most recently, about 130 I reared indoors on Pinus contorta, for pupating,

    I place the larva in a plastic box filled with dried sterile sphagnum moos, the larva formed perfect egg shaped cocoons.

    What is that you are feeding them? It looks like fir. I have rear that dubernardi will accept fir, but I'm not trying it. Their natural food is

    pine. Actias dubernardi is one of the easiest species I have ever raised, except for pairing. Whatever happened sounds like a new issue that

    I haven't read about before, I'm waiting for someone to blame inbreeding for one of the most likely inbred species around.(eyeroll)

    • New
    Quote from Fede

    The food was always from the same area?

    I had this disgusting experience once and the origin seemed to be that the pinetrees, were treated with diflubenzuron (or a similar product) that interferes with the formation of chitin.

    Thanks, that may be the reson. Both the times I tried to rear the caterpillars, I took the pine tree form a brunch near some vines. Maybe the vines are trated with this substance. Next time I’ll try with a different tree.

    • New

    If you have the opportunity, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus mugo are the best forage plants.
    I have already bred Actias dubernardi three times without any losses.
    Inbreeding is not a problem with this species.
    My last breeding took place in November/December at temperatures of around 20 degrees during the day and around 12 degrees at night
    in the winter garden. I used large plastic boxes with little ventilation.
    The humidity was around 80 to 90 percent.

    • New
    Quote from wern

    If you have the opportunity, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus mugo are the best forage plants.
    I have already bred Actias dubernardi three times without any losses.
    Inbreeding is not a problem with this species.
    My last breeding took place in November/December at temperatures of around 20 degrees during the day and around 12 degrees at night
    in the winter garden. I used large plastic boxes with little ventilation.
    The humidity was around 80 to 90 percent.

    can you explain this: Inbreeding is not a problem with this species.?

    • New
    Quote from Kayh

    can you explain this: Inbreeding is not a problem with this species.?

    Actias dubernardi has been offered on Actias for many years. It is always the same place where it is found. My breeding was always F3/F4 or even more. The offspring from these pairings always produced flawless and strong moths. With Automeris, for example, you have problems from F2 onwards.

    • New

    Wunderbar einfach in der Zucht. Meine betone allererste.!!!

    pinus mugo oder und sylvestris kann ich nur empfehlen.

    Kokonbau im seperaten Container bestückt mit pinus sowie Toilettenpapier.

    Die Kokons halte ich stets feucht, Lüfte sie aber auch zwei Mal täglich und bisher läuft alles gut, daher werde ich dies so beibehalten.

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