Malo
Junior Member
Posts: 48
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Post by Malo on Jun 15, 2021 15:33:49 GMT -8
the micropyle can take about a week to show black, maybe sooner. Automeris ova can take longer than other Saturniidae to hatch,sometimes 3 weeks or more. The best thing is the micropyle indicator, once it's black, the eggs are fertile, then you just wait. But like Adam mentioned- the eggs need to pass through the abdomen tip to be fertilized. they were the only eggs actually glued to my hand while she was walking around it, i'm almost certain they happen to be the only ones fertilized. the moth has passed away earlier today, i'll update the main post with a picture of the underside, and the eggs stuck to it. |
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Post by joachim on Jun 16, 2021 5:22:41 GMT -8
Hello, is there a reason you shouldn't put leaves in it? Many eggs are sent with a sheet in case the caterpillars hatch. And the mother lays the eggs on a leaf too
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jun 16, 2021 7:45:22 GMT -8
Green leaves in a small plastic box produce carbon dioxide rather than oxygen and that asphyxiates the eggs. There is also the risk of fungal infection on the eggs due to high humidity coming from the leaves without any air movement.
Of course in nature eggs are laid on leaves or stems of plants, but that is in the open air, not confined in a small plastic box.
I guess that the risk of carbon dioxide build up in a day or two during transit for courier or EMS is lower than it would be for a longer time. Somehow I doubt that larvae of many species which hatch in transit would even attempt to eat substandard leaves that have been in a box for several days.
It is very easy to remove eggs of many species of butterflies or moths by praying water on them to soften the glue, and removing them. Other species (particularly Pieridae and many Nymphalidae) cannot be safely removed from the leaf, and in those cases it is usual to cut around the base of the egg so there is almost no leaf material attached before putting it in the box.
Adam.
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Malo
Junior Member
Posts: 48
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Post by Malo on Jul 6, 2021 13:35:40 GMT -8
they actually hatched! well, two of them did, and judging by the colors i'm almost certain it's Automeris Bilinea
now i have no idea how to keep them, i found some plants that they can eat but would it be ok to leave a small branch in a container for them to stay on?
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Post by kevinkk on Jul 6, 2021 18:42:44 GMT -8
they actually hatched! well, two of them did, and judging by the colors i'm almost certain it's Automeris Bilinea now i have no idea how to keep them, i found some plants that they can eat but would it be ok to leave a small branch in a container for them to stay on? Once you have larva, they need food, they might also like a little mist, different breeders have different methods, I use a vase, or small neck bottle with water, and you must make sure the larva won't walk down the branch and drown, because if they can, they will. Other people toss leaves and branches in a box with the larva and let them go that way, you'll need some kind of a lid, and some breathing holes if you do that, or a screen cover. Someone  wrote a long piece about raising lepidoptera for the forum, it's under the "blog" heading on the home page. |
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wrote a long piece about raising lepidoptera for the forum, it's under the "blog" heading on the home page.