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Post by nomihoudai on Apr 14, 2014 4:10:01 GMT -8
They will have to overwinter until next year. I don't know yet how to exactly do this but I will probably just keep them in my room until October or so. After that I will transfer them to a separate fridge that I intend to buy for breeding purposes. They have to overwinter at around 10°C when I am not mistaken but I will check the night/day temperatures of the region they originated from. This is indeed a very difficult stage and it might just fail, but at least it is easier to do than with caterpillars, they are a nightmare to overwinter.
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Post by homard on Apr 14, 2014 4:31:10 GMT -8
This is indeed a very difficult stage and it might just fail, but at least it is easier to do than with caterpillars, they are a nightmare to overwinter. Last year I had ca. 100 cats of Epicallia villica, to the end of the season they are left just 4, but they did not overwinnter at all - all died when it got cold. I am a very bad breeder. Will not bother with such species who overwinters as the caterpillar any more. Yet there are left a few pupae of Diaphora mendica and a couple of Phragmatobia fuliginosa(?), let's see if they overwintered and will eclose something... |
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Post by nomihoudai on Jan 20, 2015 5:06:04 GMT -8
Quick update, I did overwinter them outside in Europe until the temperatures dropped to 5°C, after that I moved them to my fridge. In the first week of January I took them out of the fridge, put them in the sunshine during the day and actually heated my apartment up whenever I was not there, at night I let it go back below 20°C. Today I saw this, so I have high hopes to get this breeding into the next stage:  |
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steve
Full Member
Posts: 231
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Post by steve on Jan 20, 2015 14:35:52 GMT -8
good luck !!
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Post by nomihoudai on Jan 24, 2015 17:28:15 GMT -8
...and here it is. I had 3 males and 2 females the last time I checked, now I just have to get them to mate. Not so easy without sunshine.  |
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Post by trehopr1 on Jan 24, 2015 18:04:06 GMT -8
Outstanding nomihoudai ! ! I have been following your exploits since your beginning post. Bravo and congratulations.....
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Post by cabintom on Jan 24, 2015 20:12:00 GMT -8
That's awesome to hear!  |
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Post by nomihoudai on Feb 3, 2015 15:44:49 GMT -8
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Post by nomihoudai on Feb 3, 2015 15:51:56 GMT -8
For the record, in the beginning I kept them in a flat cage, they were feeding but always got stuck at the top of the cage. After reading about the mating behaviour of other Lycaenidae I suspected them to need canopies for their courtship. I then put them in a cage that nearly covered my entire apartment. They were feeding on honey solution from yellow sponges and also accepted Myosotis sylvatica as nectar source. I disadvice the use of oranges or any other fruits. Butterflies that land on it get stuck to the sap, it nearly killed one female. Furthermore of 8 pupae 7 hatched, the 8th seems to overwinter another time. Overwintering them in a fridge is just fine. Well, maybe somebody else will have luck on getting them to mate in captivity some day. I may have another try with them if I come across them again.  |
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Post by cabintom on Feb 3, 2015 16:25:59 GMT -8
Thanks for allowing us to follow you along on this journey. I'm sorry it didn't end as well as hoped.
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Post by nomad on Feb 4, 2015 8:59:27 GMT -8
Great thread and images.
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Post by papilio28570 on Feb 15, 2015 1:21:20 GMT -8
Wonderful thread and thanks for sharing. Great pics. Wonderful work.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 22, 2015 22:17:56 GMT -8
Nice set up, Nomihoudai. I am planning to go collect some in the other side of the mountains (Sierra Nevada Segregate) in the Auburn, California area. We are supposed to get some snow this following weekend, so the first week of March would be good. Hopefully can find some hostplants and larvae as well.
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Post by admin on Feb 26, 2015 1:23:20 GMT -8
Sonerensis is now appearing in the San Gabriel Mountains. Just caught my first one today.
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