Posts by kevink

I don't recognize those symptoms, if they were exuding black fluid, I'd say it looks similar to problems I've had with Hyalophora gloveri and euryalus.

Try Oxine, it's a food grade disinfectant that has saved larva for me in the past, you'll need to atomize it with a sprayer, the dilution is 500ppm

One gallon water with 100ml of Oxine, with 2 teaspoons of citric acid as a catalyst.

This recipe was given to me by another breeder who swore by this treatment and also claimed it could invigorate stock that was suffering sub-lethal infections.

I bought my supplies on Amazon, although you may find the chemical elsewhere, you'll need an industrial grade sprayer and brown storage bottles as well, the solution will eventually degrade a typical household sprayer.

I have only tried to overwinter Antiopa nymphalis, and killed all 20. I had them in a large indoor flight cage, fed them once and then put them

in the fridge.

I asked the breeder how he did it, and apparently the butterflies need to enter hibernation naturally, this didn't sound all that easy.

My best guess is an outdoor flight cage with some kind of "filing" sysyem, and a way for the butterflies to feed, with Nymphalids, at least

we get lucky in that thet will feed on bait, or rotted fruit, let them feed, let the weather cool, and the butterflies would find places to hide for

for the winter. Maybe it is easier than I was thinking, now that I'm typing this out, it does sound kind of straight forward. The breeder said

he overwinters them in an unheated garage, as for those warm days where they might emerge, perhaps skipping those isn't a big deal.

Quote from Speyeria123

I will try a method similar to yours this Spring. I think they have rejected my food in the past. Last year they fed for a few days but didn't last.

Oh, are you talking about the polychloros? I'd love to see them sometime. Californica bares a strong resemblance.

Good luck with the Hyalophora! Sounds very interesting.

Yes, Nymphalis polychloros is the one thought extinct in the UK, they do look like californica.

When I feed butterflies, I've used hummingbird food with electrolytes, it's a clear premix made by Kaytee, and I have to fed them singly by hand, with the antiopa, I also used rotted peaches from our tree, I have a giant flight cage indoors, I can get inside of, it's actually made by the same company that makes the pop up cages, but it will not fit through a regular door unce unfolded. This season I'm going to make some butterfly bait, there are different recipes people use for different species. Side note- for sphinx moths, I've used the Kaytee in a small dish with fake or real flowers floating in it, and I've used that for Hyles lineata, now that I am writing this, that might work for butterflies as well, hard to get enough flowers on live plants to sustain anything.

I had to look up"neonate".

I don't think I've ever lost any larva, I've raised them twice now. I actually don't follow David's instructions and keep the ova in a small

condiment cup until they hatch, and the larva are small, so I simply take the cup outdoors, use a small sleeve and put the cup inside,

I use Salix babylonica.

This year I have two butterfly traps, very affordable traps from this website- http://www.forestry-suppliers.com ,they also sell sleeves and a lot of other supplies, and now that Bioquip has been closed, a good source of supplies, I'll be trying to trap some of the californica.

A side note, I just saw an article about a Nymphalid previously thought extinct in the U.K., I don't recall the name, a giant "something"

I've got a colecting trip already planned to a spot near Pendleton this June to hunt for Hyalophora kasloensis, a friend living in the area

told me I'd have a good chance, wish for good weather, it'll be a new area in any event.

Quote from Speyeria123

Thanks for the information, Kevin. I am sorry to hear about your experience. That seems to mimic the experience of a breeder in Iowa. Maybe that is the same person you talked to.

I see, you must mean Mr. David Thompson, the gentleman who sold me the ova, there can't be that many guys in Iowa that handle Nymphalis antiopa, I may raise them again and simply release the adults, here in Lincoln county Oregon we have quite a large number of Nymphalis californica that fly nearby, and last season were using a large dead tree covered in Ivy for sunning, unfortuately, the lot is difficult for anyone ground bound to navigate, I'm guessing that at least some are tucked away eve now within the dense ivy. We are very near the ocean, within hearing and smelling distance.

I raised this species last season to specifically overwinter and then release them in the spring, I fed the adults after they emerged,

then put each on in an envelope and then in the fridge, all expired.

I was told later by the breeder that the adults must go into hibernation on their own, naturally.

You are in a difficult spot, and I'm relating my experience and the advice I got from someone with experience, he told me he would

allow the butterflies to go into hibernation on their own, presumably in an outdoor flight cage and then store them in an unheated garage.

Without permission, I don't think I can name the breeder, but if you ask this question in the Forum on Insectnet, you may get other useful advice if you don't get it here.

I raised this species on eucalptus gunni, you are in a bad way trying to switch foodplant. Good luck, when I raised mine I had hopes of breeding, but the females hatched and started laying ova without calling.

In any event, you have nothing to lose by trying everything you can find that's going to last another 4 weeks or so by the looks of those larva.

Trimming leaves and tricking them into drinking water may work to get them eating, although you may end up simply dragging out the inevitable, I've had larva nibble for weeks and eventually expire on something they didn't care for.

Over wintering butterflies will probably only work if the butterflies are allowed to go in to hibernation naturally.

I tried over wintering Nymphalis antiopa that were fairly freshly hatched, having raised them, I fed them and then

put them in envelopes and stored them in the fridge, all expired. Later I was told by the seller that the butterflies need to

go into hibernation naturally, how you could do that with captives might be difficult. If I tried it again, I'd use an outdoor cage and

leave them there at least until it was cold enough to move them, better still, would be to leave them .

Artificial diet is common for Painted lady, it is sold at a number of sites. Many websites sell kits for students using the Painted lady.

My only negative experince with artificial diet is cleaning the frass from larva, the other choice is to grow foodplant under lights

If it's natural conditions you are wondering about, it's already too late.

Citheronia regalis is a mid summer flier, the moths are just starting to fly and I am seeing

offers for ova on Insectnet. Day length is a factor raising any animal, if it makes a difference with

every species, I don't know.

There won't be any wild regalis larva burrowing in anytime soon.

I think I know who you are referring to, I'm surprised this individual is still operating. Apparently only from the web site, because I don't see his ads here or on Insectnet anymore. In my opinion, this seller is a pyramid scheme who collets your money and then goes to some other seller.

I had a miserable experience with a pyramid seller, when I finally got a package, it was the only one in 5 years ever to be opened by customs, because my instructions were not followed. The box, by the way was empty and the material destroyed, I got a form letter from customs.

That's my answer as well. Try the mist, I have also read that trimming leaf edges will entice them to eat, I haven't seen it work,but apparently someone had.

My experience, the dark doesn't matter, it'll get dark in the evening on it's own.

When I have had larva that need choices, I put them in with the various plants and let them choose.

Try the Arbor society for inexpensive trees. They won't be big, but you can get a good variety that are meant for your area.

My plant list- Privet, evergreen and deciduous, Willow, I like Salix babylonica, Cherry, any cherry , Sweetgum, Pine.

I have others here as well, but they rarely get used.

Raising caterpillars is a learning process, and what works for one person, may not work for you. What you want are pesticide free natural

plants, when replanting, washing off the soil and using new soil might help if you are buying from a source that doesn't know if pesticides are used.

There is a guide book, Foodplants of World Saturniidae, Stephen Stone published in 1991 by the Lepidopterist's Society,

that lists moth species, plant species, and uses a reference system allowing a person to search in exactly the manner of your question,

for example- search for Hedera helix and there will be a list of moths(at the time) known to accept it, common names for trees are

included when known. Might be a hard one to track down, but it's been a good tool for me, although the acceptance of a plant, doesn't mean

it'll produce an adult, still, a good reference book, and one many people might not be aware of.

Unfortunately, at the time of printing, apparently no Saturniidae species were known to accept Hedera. Otherwise, I'd have listed any.

I concur with David,

I have had similar issues with Hyalophora species, although they often die in L3, sometimes they'll go longer.

I have used disinfectant for poultry with some success, but prevention is a better choice. I would have

to guess that hygiene is the issue as well, typically the entire brood is a loss.

Antherina suraka- maybe. I tried them one season and only produced a single adult, the larva weakened, died,

from something similar to the malady being discussed, but I also live in a coastal climate with cool summers, as

compared to what you might expect inland.

Only mendicino is found in Oregon. I use a site called PNW Pacific Northwest Moths for help sometimes.

My hatchings were indoors, data from the PNW site, April is peak flight, although there is some variation with locality.

I have never observed the moth in the wild, many years ago I was gifted some Saturnia mendicino ova, but I've never seen

them offered. Actually, there is a dusting of snow outside right now, from me, Florence is about 80 miles south. Brookings is the spot to go,

or inland a bit towards Itsy bitsy towns like Ruch, I've been kicking around a collecting trip, but it's a long drive for such hard to find moths,

although if you don't go, you definitely won't find any.

Wetter than the Oregon coast? Interesting. I kept my cocoons of the Saturnia outdoors in a small cage with a cover so they wouldn't drown, and brought them indoors in the early spring, I never did get any pairings, but was really only interested in specimens. We get cold weather as well, especially in January and Febuary with occasional snow in March, but it never stays cold,I am right on the ocean in mid-Oregon. My guess is it's temperature that is going to trigger emergence, and being small moths, they probably don't take long.

Unfortunately, the only data I have is when the moths hatched- not when I brought them indoors, presumably sometime in Feb. in any event, I had an eclosion on 2-28 female, 2-29male, and a second male on March 1

I have no idea how to proceed if I was you, I suppose I would set the larger stock out maybe a week or 2 before the smaller.

good luck!

I live on the Pacifici coast of the USA, I am pretty sure that Saturnia walterorum is a native of southern California, and probably never sees any frost. The year I tried this species, I kept them outdoors on the Oregon coast, quite a bit further north, but we see very few frosts as well. If they survived your winter, they should emerge fairly early in spring.

My insight- someone has misinformed you about how to keep Saturnia walterorum.

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)

First I have read about a breeding agreement. Is it a government thing, or between individuals?

Sounds dicey unless it's some legal requirement.