Beiträge von Fredbert

Has anybody raised O. eucalypti and what food plants did they prefer?

Today i have had every one of my luna cocoons emerge within 12 hours from 8 in the morning to 8 at night as well as (gnoma-ningpoana) .The luna stock is from at least 4 different sources 2 in Canada ,2 in the US and there is the "gnoma" from Europe .Local material like polyphemus and cecropia have not emerged. Has anybody experienced anything like this ?

How long does it take for fertilized ova to emerge ?

When do they mate (copulate),... is it during the day or night ?? I just had a copulation and the "grow lights were still on ,are they like Eupackardia calleta in that they copulate in the late afternoon ??

I have always reared my luna on walnut (Juglans) and polyphemus on oak almost any type of oak, I will follow Michael's advice and try some on birch (Actias)

Thank you Frank,I will keep that in mind

From my experience and from meeting a couple of other growers ,Black walnut ,English walnut ,Butternut and Heartnut are the food plants of choice ,in latin Juglans nigra,ailantifula,regina,cinerea. Now Atias gnoma does eat birch so a second choice would be birch trees " Betula" or other species n the genus Betulaceae

Checked all the sites ,looks like Actias Maenas not selene or luna ,if so you are lucky ,next fall I will have luna for trade ...possibly some of your maenas ??

I am inexperienced as well Cotinus for Actias I have never heard of before,I have always raised and have seen been raised.... Actias Luna on Juglans (walnut or butternut)

Why did you choose Cotinus ?

Inter generic crosses have occurred ... in reference to the book Wild Silk Moths Of the United States by Michael Collins and Robert Weast they mention several interspecific crosses with mostly infertile ova.Now within the subgenus Hyalophora they did cross and produced progeny that more resembled the female of the cross,now Actias has proven to produce subgenus crosses,

I think you are doing the right thing ,with the light they are less active and 10-15C can reflect a cool night so you should be able to hold them for maybe 4 days ??