questions about A. yamamai mating etc.

  • Hello all,


    Yesterday evening my first two Antheraea yamamai moths emerged! A male and a female, so that's already a good start! :smiling_face:
    But now, i placed both in a small net cage (30x30x30cm) and left them for the night.


    Is there a way to know if they have mated (they were not hooked together this morning)?
    Do they only mate during the night and in darkness?
    How do you check if they're mating? With a webcam?
    Is it true that they separate as soon as you disturb them by entering the room and turning on the light?


    And if she lays eggs, is there a way to tell if they're fertile?


    (These are all newbie questions, i know.
    I'm only familiar with raising Bombyx mori and there it is easy: they mate as soon as they can, day, night, doesn't matter! And they stay hooked together for a day or so even if you disturb them, pick them up, move them, hold them upside down, whatever.
    Egg laying is also easy, they even lay them in your hand!
    And if the eggs darken in the next couple of days after they've been laid they are fertile, easy.)

  • ANZEIGE
  • Hi . I raised these last year and currently have 15 cocoons waiting to emerge . I am surprised they have hatched so quickly as they normally come out towards the end of summer but that doesn't really matter . If they had mated I would expect them still to be paired in the morning . Also if the female starts egg laying she will tend to lay them in straight chains if she was mated with . Leave them together again tonight with some airflow and hopefully they will pair up .
    Hope this helps
    Dave

  • Thanks all for your replies!


    They spent just over a month in their cocoon, seems reasonable to me.


    They still haven't mated.
    I quietly sneaked in the room last night, in the dark, without turning on the light. But there was just enough light to see their silhouette. I'm pretty sure the female was calling because the male was flapping around like a madman. He seemed to have trouble finding her, he came close a few times but then bounced away again.
    This morning i found the male had lost part of a wing in the action, poor guy. Female was hanging in exactly the same position at exactly the same spot as when i left them in the evening, so i guess nothing happened.


    Airflow might be problematic. I don't have an outdoor space (no garden, no terrace). Tonight i'll put them close to the open window (didn't do that the previous nights as i thought the cage was small enough for him to find her).

  • She indeed laid a couple of eggs, maybe 20 or so.


    I now have 3 males and 3 females, i put them in small cages next to the open window and still nothing has happened... I’m wondering if maybe the nights are too cold and maybe make them inactive. Not sure how cold it gets inside with the window open but the outside temp at night is around 10-12°C.


    Also, is a rate of 1 male and 1 female per cage good, or is it better to have more males with one female or more females with one male?

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