# My Luna Moths



## ABbuggin (Jun 2, 2009)

Well, after rearing countless luna caterpillars last year, they finally hatched not too long ago.....




















































continued....


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 2, 2009)

I now have 200+ caterpillars about .5 inches long. :lol: My largest adult was 133mm across....thats over 5 inches!

If any body wants some caterpillars let me know, I have plenty. They are super easy to raise and the adults are soooo pretty.


----------



## jameslongo (Jun 2, 2009)

I'm serious when I say this: every photo in your gallery made me say 'WOW!' :lol: You're raising very beautiful moths.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 2, 2009)

jameslongo said:


> I'm serious when I say this: every photo in your gallery made me say 'WOW!' :lol: You're raising very beautiful moths.


Thanks.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 3, 2009)

i would like to get some, only if theres a free care lesson involved


----------



## Rick (Jun 3, 2009)

I like those. Find them occasionaly.


----------



## MingMing (Jun 3, 2009)

Awww!!!!! they arw gorgeous!!!!!! do you ship to southamerica? Nobody does :S lol im internally frustated


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 3, 2009)

ming ming said:


> Awww!!!!! they arw gorgeous!!!!!! do you ship to southamerica? Nobody does :S lol im internally frustated


Don't think they would make it.  Pupae maybe.....


----------



## agent A (Jun 6, 2009)

I rear luna moths too. I am awaiting eggs I ordered. Are they double brooded in Connecticut?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 7, 2009)

agent A said:


> I rear luna moths too. I am awaiting eggs I ordered. Are they double brooded in Connecticut?


Dont think so, I believe that only happens in the South (for me also).


----------



## agent A (Jun 8, 2009)

Well I got my eggs today!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 8, 2009)

Cool. Did you get them from a person up north?


----------



## agent A (Jun 8, 2009)

Yes!


----------



## agent A (Jun 14, 2009)

Some eggs hatched yesterday. These hatchlings have the blackish blue markings that some luna hatchlings get for some reason.


----------



## revmdn (Jun 14, 2009)

Very nice. What kind of vegetation do you feed them as catts, and how do you feed them as adults?


----------



## gadunka888 (Jun 14, 2009)

very nice! are these the same as the asian species?


----------



## PhilinYuma (Jun 14, 2009)

Nightlurker said:


> very nice! are these the same as the asian species?


Not quite. The picture here is, I think, of Actias luna, a N. American species. There is one very like it in Asia, though, Actias selene. If you look at the moth shown here, a line from the tip of the forewing to the tail is convex. In A. selene, which has the same color, four spots and black line along the leading edge of the forewings, the line from forewing tip to tail is concave. There is also another similar species of luna moth in your part of the world, called A. sinensis. This is a fairly large genus.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 14, 2009)

revmdn said:


> Very nice. What kind of vegetation do you feed them as catts, and how do you feed them as adults?


I use sweet gum, but they will feed on many other things. The adults do not feed.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 14, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> I use sweet gum, but they will feed on many other things. The adults do not feed.


What else do they feed on? =) the cat's are really pretty, my whole house feel in love.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 15, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> What else do they feed on? =) the cat's are really pretty, my whole house feel in love.


I dont remember off the top of my head, but if you do a google search for it you will find your answer.  It is best to keep the food plant the same throughout a caterpillars life, often times they are very picky and wont change their diet.........


----------



## Katnapper (Jun 15, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> I use sweet gum, but they will feed on many other things. The adults do not feed.


Which do you think they'd prefer... Juicy Fruit or Bazooka? :mellow: :lol:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 15, 2009)

LOL :lol:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 15, 2009)

My caterpillars are already half grown, they are keeping me rather busy! I do have over 100 of them.


----------



## agent A (Jun 15, 2009)

I bought these eggs and I am feeding them sweetgum. I'll get a pic later.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 16, 2009)

i was able to go to a nursery and get them to give me a few clippings for free... they eat ALOT and ate what you sent with them in a day, im hoping the 2 feet of leaves will last at least a week lol do they.... like... shed? i see shrivled pieces of them all over and my gf keeps thinking its dead cats lol


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 16, 2009)

They do shed.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 18, 2009)

Just thought I should share that they are now over 2 inches long. They will down 5 two foot long branches thick with leaves in less than 12 hours. h34r:


----------



## Rick (Jun 18, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Just thought I should share that they are now over 2 inches long. They will down 5 two foot long branches thick with leaves in less than 12 hours. h34r:


What do they eat around here in the wild? Also, why do I come across so few luna moths?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 18, 2009)

Rick said:


> What do they eat around here in the wild? Also, why do I come across so few luna moths?


I am feeding them Sweet Gum leaves (its a tree), but they have a long list of things that they will eat. It just so happens I have at least a dozen very large Sweet Gum trees in my yard. B) I never come across many luna moths, usually only 5-6 a year. They only live a few weeks as adults so most of their life they are either caterpillars or pupae.


----------



## agent A (Jun 18, 2009)

One molted today.


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jun 18, 2009)

How much should you feed them in a day?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 18, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> How much should you feed them in a day?


I keep mine on a bouquet of leaves, when the leaves are gone, I replace them. B)


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jun 19, 2009)

So its like an all you can eat buffet for the little guys :lol:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 19, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> So its like an all you can eat buffet for the little guys :lol:


You could say that, since I have 55 lunas and several other ones (different sp.) I have to replace their leaves x2 a day.


----------



## agent A (Jun 21, 2009)

Mine hold their heads curled high on their bodies.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 21, 2009)

Several of mine are now producing cocoons. You know when they are about to do this when they begin to turn brown.


----------



## agent A (Jun 21, 2009)

They turn brown because they're going to overwinter.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 21, 2009)

agent A said:


> They turn brown because they're going to overwinter.


Actually, them turning brown is a showing that they are in their pre-pupal stage. Basically they stop eating, begin to wander, look for a pupa site etc.  They still do this here, in the first generation where there are two a year (so its not always associated with overwintering)


----------



## agent A (Jun 22, 2009)

Oh, he he. I should have time for a second brood (knock on wood).


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 22, 2009)

agent A said:


> Oh, he he. I should have time for a second brood (knock on wood).


You will be pushing it. What instar are they now?


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 22, 2009)

i ran out of leaves yesterday and they started eating the tape holding up the sticks, lol i dont think thats a good thing is it lol ill get more leaves today! just thought it would be a funny thing to put here =)


----------



## agent A (Jun 22, 2009)

2nd. If all goes well, a second brood should puate around october 10th and the leaves fall around late october.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 22, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> i ran out of leaves yesterday and they started eating the tape holding up the sticks, lol i dont think thats a good thing is it lol ill get more leaves today! just thought it would be a funny thing to put here =)


lol, if you let them go long enough without food, they eat the leaves' stems and then they start to eat the actual wood once those are gone. h34r:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 22, 2009)

agent A said:


> 2nd. If all goes well, a second brood should puate around october 10th and the leaves fall around late october.


I wouldn't push the 2nd generation. You will more than likely run out of food. If you are not able to feed them adequately, you will have a bunch of "mini" luna moths (I know this for a fact lol)

When you both get moths, I would like to know what the size of your largest one is. So far, I had one emerge this year with a wing span of 133mm. That's in the 95% percentile for luna moths. :blink: 

133mm is the distance between the following brackets:

[------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

.


----------



## agent A (Jun 22, 2009)

But I read that states in the New York/New Jersy area have 2 broods.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 22, 2009)

agent A said:


> But I read that states in the New York/New Jersy area have 2 broods.


Hmmm, never knew that. Learn something new every day.


----------



## agent A (Jun 22, 2009)

I know a good site about luna moths and it's www3.islandtelecom.com


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 23, 2009)

Here's a few pics of my caterpillars....







One handful worth, I still have about 3 handful worths after selling dozens. h34r: 






Brown one is in the pre-pupal stage, the green one is a normal one.






This is what the sweet gum branches (they are about 2 feet long) look like every morning!






Here's a toad that lives right next to my caterpillar cages. He has been there for about a week now. All he does is stare at them all day and night! I'll toss him the sick or dying caterpillars and he gobbles them right up.


----------



## agent A (Jun 23, 2009)

cute toad! I found one like that in my grandpa's garage.


----------



## Rick (Jun 23, 2009)

Do you live them outside? Where do you get all of the branches? That's gotta be stripping the tree. Is that their main source of food or can they be found on other leaves as well?


----------



## PhilinYuma (Jun 23, 2009)

agent A said:


> I know a good site about luna moths and it's www3.islandtelecom.com


When I copied and pasted this into my adress bar, nothing came up, because the URL was incomplete. Next time, try copying the whole URL from the adress bar and then paste it into the text box. You should get a live link.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 23, 2009)

Rick said:


> Do you live them outside? Where do you get all of the branches? That's gotta be stripping the tree. Is that their main source of food or can they be found on other leaves as well?


I do keep them outside, but in a screen cage. I get my branches from the trees in my yard, I have at least a dozen old sweet gum trees. This way I don't really damage each individual tree.


----------



## agent A (Jun 24, 2009)

In front of an elementary school there are 2 huge sweetgum trees that I take from.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 24, 2009)

I want to try the sleaving method, but I need a ladder (branches are high so I use a gooseneck to clip them). &gt;_&lt;


----------



## agent A (Jun 24, 2009)

I put them in bigger containers today!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 25, 2009)

Nearly all lunas have made cocoons now (40+). Should be hatching in 1-2 weeks. B)


----------



## agent A (Jun 25, 2009)

My lunas are getting BIG!!!!!!


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 25, 2009)

3 outta 5 lunas have wrapped themselves in leaves lol im scared to open it up. i have no idea when there cocoon is done.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 25, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> 3 outta 5 lunas have wrapped themselves in leaves lol im scared to open it up. i have no idea when there cocoon is done.


Don't open it. It IS the cocoon.  The pupae is the actual insect inside the protective case (cocoon). It will open it up by itself when it hatches.


----------



## Stone (Jun 26, 2009)

I find Luna Moths to be some of the prettiest of the moths. Yours are absolutely gorgeous!


----------



## Katnapper (Jun 26, 2009)

I love the pic of the little toad sitting there eyeballing them all day! :lol:


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 26, 2009)

i took a leave apart and saw a lil thingy inside going crazy, i hope i didnt ruin it lol. i thought they turn into those brown coccoons you took pics of? its not though? there going to transform in the web?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 26, 2009)

The pics I have on the first page are the pupae. Those are inside the cocoons.

Stone, if you want any cocoons I have plenty, about 40 lol.


----------



## agent A (Jun 29, 2009)

One of my caterpillars barfed on me today.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 29, 2009)

Out of a final count of 40 cocoons, I have sold/traded nearly all that I'm willing to let go (keeping 10 for breeding)...still have a few left for others.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 29, 2009)

when can you seperate them from the leaves? there still moving a little bit when touched and i want to see the cocoon they make in person before they turn.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 29, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> when can you seperate them from the leaves? there still moving a little bit when touched and i want to see the cocoon they make in person before they turn.


Lol, the ball of leaves *is *the cocoon.  You can cup the cocoon open with a pair of scissors to look at the pupa (the brown thing inside, this is the actual insect). You will want to be careful not to damage the pupae though.  

It is not necessary to open the cocoon up for the moth to emerge, the moth will open it up on its own. If you do take the pupae out, it will still emerge anyways.


----------



## agent A (Jun 29, 2009)

Why did mine puech on me?


----------



## PhilinYuma (Jun 29, 2009)

agent A said:


> Why did mine puech on me?


I wondered about that too, so I Googled &lt;"I puke on you"&gt; It definitely appears to be a visceral manifestation of disapprobation, usually implying some rebarbative trait or behavior on the part of the hurlee. What did you do to offend it?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jun 29, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> I wondered about that too, so I Googled &lt;"I puke on you"&gt; It definitely appears to be a visceral manifestation of disapprobation, usually implying some rebarbative trait or behavior on the part of the hurlee. What did you do to offend it?


LOL. :lol:


----------



## Katnapper (Jun 30, 2009)

Hmmm....  and can the pupae projectile puke on you through the ball of leaves? :blink: :lol: 






PS... This is not a serious question.  I just couldn't resist using the puking smilie... or the "ball of leaves!"  Sorry, Doug... it's just way too funny!


----------



## d17oug18 (Jun 30, 2009)

lol i want to open those leaves so bad, but when there touched the slightest the lil bugs inside go crazy. there semi see-through so you can see something shuffling in them. everyone that doesnt know whats going to happen go CRAZY when they feel it lol its like those toys back in the day, mexican jumping beans. thats what it feels like.

P.S.

haha katnapper -.-' i alwaz seem to say something somewhere that bites me in the butt lol i need to think before i type huh? lol


----------



## Katnapper (Jun 30, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> lol i want to open those leaves so bad, but when there touched the slightest the lil bugs inside go crazy. there semi see-through so you can see something shuffling in them. everyone that doesnt know whats going to happen go CRAZY when they feel it lol its like those toys back in the day, mexican jumping beans. thats what it feels like. P.S.
> 
> haha katnapper -.-' i alwaz seem to say something somewhere that bites me in the butt lol i need to think before i type huh? lol


Well, nobody knows everything... and I'm sure they probably do look like leaves. (I'll find out for myself soon!  ) And you did make at least one person smile (me). I figure when I make a mistake like that, at least I can laugh at myself too. We all do it at some point!  It's good you have a great sense of humor, and can take the ribbing well.


----------



## agent A (Jun 30, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> I wondered about that too, so I Googled &lt;"I puke on you"&gt; It definitely appears to be a visceral manifestation of disapprobation, usually implying some rebarbative trait or behavior on the part of the hurlee. What did you do to offend it?


I grabbed it by the abdomen because it was stuck on me and wouldn't get off.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 1, 2009)

agent A said:


> I grabbed it by the abdomen because it was stuck on me and wouldn't get off.


Be very careful when you pull them off of things, it is really easy to "rip" them.


----------



## agent A (Jul 1, 2009)

Okay.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 5, 2009)

First cocoons should hatch in about a week, starting to see the moths inside of the pupae. B)


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 5, 2009)

I have one hatching right now!


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 6, 2009)

its so wierd that they move lol, i cant wait to see those mangled bastards emerge lol, there so nice and what not. ME LIKEY!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 6, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> I have one hatching right now!


Glad to hear! I gave you some of my newer ones, I wasn't quite ready for them all to hatch at that time lol.

You should post pics.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 6, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Glad to hear! I gave you some of my newer ones, I wasn't quite ready for them all to hatch at that time lol.You should post pics.


Just took some pics a little bit ago... working on getting them uploaded! Oh, and when I went to take pics of the one... I discovered there were 2 hatched!!


----------



## agent A (Jul 6, 2009)

Mine are getting ready to spin. Some are as big as my finger-not streched out!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 6, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Just took some pics a little bit ago... working on getting them uploaded! Oh, and when I went to take pics of the one... I discovered there were 2 hatched!!


Lol. You only have a dozen or so cocoons. When you have about two dozen or more, you have about 4 hatch every day. :blink:


----------



## agent A (Jul 6, 2009)

I have 18 caterpillars and 6 or 7 of them are full grown, only 1 is newly 5th instar, many are on the way to being full grown.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 6, 2009)

I was off on my hatching date. I had 3 males emerge this morning.


----------



## agent A (Jul 6, 2009)

Mine eat a lot now.


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 7, 2009)

I can't wait for mine to hatch out!!

Are you suppose to hang them on a branch or can you just place them on some paper towels?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 7, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> I can't wait for mine to hatch out!!Are you suppose to hang them on a branch or can you just place them on some paper towels?


Are you talking about the cocoons? If so, just leave them on the bottom, but make sure they have sticks and/or screen to climb on.  

I hade more hatch today, all males.  The females better hurry up! :lol:


----------



## agent A (Jul 7, 2009)

I usually get females hatching. The only male got stuck in his cocoon and died.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 8, 2009)

I posted an entry and pics in my blog of my Lunas!  Thanks again, AB... I'm enjoying them.  

I also just realized... I think I need to put some sticks in their enclosure, right? Or can they just use the net cage to hang on for everything?

Preview of pics in blog:


----------



## agent A (Jul 8, 2009)

One made a cocoon today.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 8, 2009)

Looks great Becky! Glad your enjoying them.  Since your using a net cage, sticks are not needed.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 8, 2009)

lucky, i have 5 cocoons(or pupate) and i want them to open already lol i love making them wiggle though lol its so funny to watch them go crazy in the cocoons lol


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 8, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> lucky, i have 5 cocoons(or pupate) and i want them to open already lol i love making them wiggle though lol its so funny to watch them go crazy in the cocoons lol


Nice to hear. They should be hatching soon (they will stop wiggling about 3-7 days before they hatch).  

I had more hatch today all males again lol. I have like 9 males, but I released all but 3 because I will only need 2 or so for mating when the females decdie to emerge.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 8, 2009)

females are alwaz "fashionably" late arent they lol. If there in a net cage do you need anything else for them to mate?


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 8, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Looks great Becky! Glad your enjoying them.  Since your using a net cage, sticks are not needed.


Thanks, AB.  

I have another one who was just starting to unfold wings earlier.


----------



## agent A (Jul 9, 2009)

I have 6 cocoons now.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 9, 2009)

Finally had a female emerge! Since I had like 6 males in the cage, mating didn't take very long to initiate. :lol: 











Will have eggs over the next 3 days now.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 9, 2009)

Congrats, AB!!  And guess what... I had a female eclose last night also, hehe.  There are 4 males with her now, and one male was right next to her (they were close enough to touch wings, but were not mating).

When I looked at her through the mesh cage, I thought she appeared to be a female by the less "bushy" antennae... but I wanted to make sure (plus, I wanted to take some pics if she was). So I reached in to get her, but when my hand brushed across the bottom back part of her wings, it was all wet. I thought she's peed on me, lol, and I drew my hand back... and there was a whitish-clear liquid on my hand. I'm wondering if she and the male had possibly mated, and this was his sperm that had leaked out onto the back of her wings? It kind of shocked me at first, but it didn't gross me out or anything... but I would kind of like to know.  

So should I be expecting eggs in about 3 days too? Will they be loose on the bottom of the cage? Or do I need to put a leaved branch in there for her to lay them on? I will do some more research now too so I don't have to ask further newbie moth breeding questions of you!  

Here are pics of her. I should have taken a pic of the whitish substance on my hand; but I didn't think about it until after I'd wiped it off.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 9, 2009)

The one pictured is a female.  The liquid released is just their waste from the past 3 weeks or so in pupation. When they mate you will know it because they will be connected for 8 hours or more.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 9, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> The one pictured is a female.  The liquid released is just their waste from the past 3 weeks or so in pupation. When they mate you will know it because they will be connected for 8 hours or more.


Ahhhh.... thanks!!


----------



## agent A (Jul 10, 2009)

I have 11 cocoons now!!! :lol:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 10, 2009)

I have eggs now. About 100.


----------



## agent A (Jul 10, 2009)

I had 1 case of NUCLEAR POLYHEDROSIS VIRUS!!


----------



## agent A (Jul 10, 2009)

Now I have 12 cocoons! 1 caterpillar died of nuclear polyhedrosis virus. to learn about this disease, read my topic on it in the other discussion section.


----------



## agent A (Jul 10, 2009)

will caterpillars eat grey birch? is it grey or gray? I don't remember the spelling of that color.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 10, 2009)

agent A said:


> Now I have 12 cocoons! 1 caterpillar died of nuclear polyhedrosis virus. to learn about this disease, read my topic on it in the other discussion section.


Hmm, how are you keeping them? I've raised at least 300-400 caterpillars of 3-4 species over the last 2 years or so, and I've *never *had an infection.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 10, 2009)

one hatched today and it scared the ###### of out my girlfriend lol, there so pretty, these are my new favorite, AB when mine have alot of eggs and you get alot of over sale ill help with your selling with my eggs lol i dont want 150 cattepillars lol


----------



## agent A (Jul 10, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> lol i dont want 150 cattepillars lol


I do!


----------



## agent A (Jul 11, 2009)

I have 14 cocoons!!! :lol:    B)


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 11, 2009)

a male and female hatched yesterday and this morning there already mating lol those horny fiends lol i still have 3 more cocoons to hatch and THEY are probably going to mate.... oh god i dont know what im going to do with all these little eggs.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 11, 2009)

Lol. Maybe you can feed them to your mantids?


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 11, 2009)

I've got 8 hatched now... 2 females, 6 males. Haven't witnessed mating yet, but haven't kept my eyes glued on them either. Looking at them in a group like that is truly beautiful!


----------



## agent A (Jul 11, 2009)

my first brood of the year is coming to a close. got only 3 caterpillars left.


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 11, 2009)

Mine have still not emerged  

I keep checking on them every few hours hoping they will be out :lol:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 11, 2009)

^^ lol :lol: 

They will more than likely hatch in the morning or in the evening.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 11, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> Mine have still not emerged  I keep checking on them every few hours hoping they will be out :lol:


----------



## agent A (Jul 12, 2009)

I have only 1 caterpillar left!


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 12, 2009)

agent A said:


> I have only 1 caterpillar left!


Did you eat the other 2? :lol:


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 12, 2009)

i dont know how you are killing your cats, ###### at some points mine didnt eat for days, and they all pupated and are emerging!.... as well as mating none stop lol are they aware of there own mortality, cause every time i wake up i see a male violating the female moths lol has anyone every blown at them and watch them shiver and go crazy. quite active for never eating adults. easiest breed of moth ive ever taken care of.


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 12, 2009)

Still nothing!!!

This waiting is killing me :lol:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 12, 2009)

Had a two-toned female hatch today.


----------



## agent A (Jul 12, 2009)

on pupate today.


----------



## jameslongo (Jul 12, 2009)

To the mods: need new sister forum for Lepidoptera ASAP


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 12, 2009)

i have a question about how to separate them from what they are holding on to and do i have to put something in the cage with them so they can have there baby's on? also how big of an enclosure should they be in i have 5 moths?


----------



## agent A (Jul 13, 2009)

Put mated females in a paper bag for egg laying.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 13, 2009)

agent A said:


> Put mated females in a paper bag for egg laying.


Can anyone else please comment on the validity of this suggestion? I would like to know. Thank you.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 13, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Can anyone else please comment on the validity of this suggestion? I would like to know. Thank you.


This is what I do, but I use the large grocery bags.  She will lay all her eggs after about 3 days. At that, you simply cut the pieces of paper out with the eggs. After this, you then staple the pieces of paper with the eggs to the sweet gum leaves. When they hatch, the little caterpillars simply walk onto the leaves.  

I'll give you a heads up, young caterpillars like to wander.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 13, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> i have a question about how to separate them from what they are holding on to and do i have to put something in the cage with them so they can have there baby's on? also how big of an enclosure should they be in i have 5 moths?


For 5 moths you probably want something like 2 feet tall by 1.5 feet wide. Screen would be best.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 13, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> This is what I do, but I use the large grocery bags.  She will lay all her eggs after about 3 days. At that, you simply cut the pieces of paper out with the eggs. After this, you then staple the pieces of paper with the eggs to the sweet gum leaves. When they hatch, the little caterpillars simply walk onto the leaves.  I'll give you a heads up, young caterpillars like to wander.


Do you fold the bag shut (clothespin shut, maybe) when she's in there? And how do you know when she's done?


----------



## agent A (Jul 13, 2009)

> Can anyone else please comment on the validity of this suggestion? I would like to know. Thank you.


you didn't trust my suggestion. I feel like I am stupid


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 13, 2009)

agent A said:


> you didn't trust my suggestion. I feel like I am stupid


I apologize if my asking for confirmation of your suggestion makes you feel stupid. That was not my intention. But you must understand I have reservations taking any of your advice now. As I said before, most of the statements and advice I have seen you give are not only incorrect, they are dreadfully incorrect. Unfortunately it will take time, and you will have to prove otherwise to me before I trust your opinions or recommendations.


----------



## agent A (Jul 13, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> I apologize if my asking for confirmation of your suggestion makes you feel stupid. That was not my intention. But you must understand I have reservations taking any of your advice now. As I said before, most of the statements and advice I have seen you give are not only incorrect, they are dreadfully incorrect. Unfortunately it will take time, and you will have to prove otherwise to me before I trust your opinions or recommendations.


hey I got that paper bag stiff from a website, and my recomendations are logical guesses sometimes based n my experience.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 13, 2009)

awesome lol is it possible to like chizzle the eggs off of wood? i got them in a wooden cage with netting but there are cracks in it lol lets just say if the baby cats want to wonder off, they can lol is there anything i can do to relocate the eggs if there pasted on wood or netting? thanks for the advice so far =) i still see them mating even though the females are already laying lol these are horny lil guys =)


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 13, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Do you fold the bag shut (clothespin shut, maybe) when she's in there? And how do you know when she's done?


I use paper clips to close it.  She will be done in 3 days, maybe 4. After that, I would just feed her to a mantis, she will be pretty beat up by then.  



d17oug18 said:


> awesome lol is it possible to like chizzle the eggs off of wood? i got them in a wooden cage with netting but there are cracks in it lol lets just say if the baby cats want to wonder off, they can lol is there anything i can do to relocate the eggs if there pasted on wood or netting? thanks for the advice so far =) i still see them mating even though the females are already laying lol these are horny lil guys =)


You dont need to chizzle them off of wood. :lol: Just pick them off with your finger nails.  The eggs will hatch in 8-14 days after hatching, you have until then to relocate them into a smaller cage with leaves.  They will be ok sitting in the bottom of a small tupperware until they hatch.


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 13, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> I use paper clips to close it.  She will be done in 3 days, maybe 4. After that, I would just feed her to a mantis, she will be pretty beat up by then.  You dont need to chizzle them off of wood. :lol: Just pick them off with your finger nails.  The eggs will hatch in 8-14 days after hatching, you have until then to relocate them into a smaller cage with leaves.  They will be ok sitting in the bottom of a small tupperware until they hatch.


Thank you very much for the tips!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 13, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Thank you very much for the tips!


NP.


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 13, 2009)

Mine still have not emerged and I'm starting to get a little worried that they are never going to  

I'm hoping that when I wake up there will be some Luna Moths waiting!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 13, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> Mine still have not emerged and I'm starting to get a little worried that they are never going to  I'm hoping that when I wake up there will be some Luna Moths waiting!


Do the cocoons make a lot of racket when you touch them? If so they are still alive so no need to worry.


----------



## agent A (Jul 14, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> Mine still have not emerged and I'm starting to get a little worried that they are never going to  I'm hoping that when I wake up there will be some Luna Moths waiting!


Maybe yours are going to overwinter. Anyway I have 16 cocoons, and no more caterpilars. 5 pupae so far! Yahoo!!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 14, 2009)

agent A said:


> Maybe yours are going to overwinter.


Not this early.


----------



## agent A (Jul 14, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Not this early.


true.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 14, 2009)

They just keep on mating........







Probably my 15th pair lol (I've released all the mated females except for a few otherwise I would become quickly overwhelmed!)


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 14, 2009)

i guess wood isnt the best way to keep them, the male has gone crazy every night and now most of his wings have been torn apart, i feel so bad. There isnt much i can do though =/


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 14, 2009)

Some of them move around but i have just left them alone for awhile hoping they will emerge.

I thought that they were going to stop moving 3-7 days prior to emerging.

Oh and all 5 are still in there


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 14, 2009)

oh ya mine are emerged and the only male i guess is dying of old age because he acting wierd and the wood bars are cutting his wings apart. while the females are all normal lol


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 15, 2009)

took some pic just after emerging this is the first moth that came and it was a female.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 15, 2009)

Good job.  You do realize that lunas dont even exist (aside from yours) in California. :lol:


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 15, 2009)

well im glad i didnt let them free then lol, a few more days and ill feed them to my mantids =)


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 15, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> well im glad i didnt let them free then lol, a few more days and ill feed them to my mantids =)


Even if they did get set free, they wouldn't survive.


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 15, 2009)

they probably couldnt make it to a sweetgum tree from my house lol even if they liad eggs somewhere the babies would die having no food around.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 15, 2009)

You were using sweet gum from nurseries right? How did you get them to give you so much? :lol:


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 15, 2009)

lol i only had 5 cats, they had huge trees which would sprout lil leaves at the bottom and they said i could have that, now that im about to have 50 cats lol will see if there so giving. lol


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 15, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> lol i only had 5 cats, they had huge trees which would sprout lil leaves at the bottom and they said i could have that, now that im about to have 50 cats lol will see if there so giving. lol


You should feed most of the luna catts to your mantids and get some hickory horned devils. B)


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 15, 2009)

Finally a Luna Moth emerged    

:lol: I will try and get pics up later!!!


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 16, 2009)

Glad one finally emerged for ya.


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 18, 2009)

Well I forgot to harvest some eggs, but today I was reminded that I never did.......






I now have a 4th generation. :lol: :lol:


----------



## [email protected] (Jul 18, 2009)

Small nymph food?? :lol: or they poison?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 18, 2009)

Chase said:


> Small nymph food?? :lol: or they poison?


They are not poisonous.


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 18, 2009)

How long should it be before they start to mate. I have a 2 males (one emerged on wed. and the other on fri.) and a female that emerged on thur.

At least I think I'm right on the sex of them :lol:


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 18, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> How long should it be before they start to mate. I have a 2 males (one emerged on wed. and the other on fri.) and a female that emerged on thur.At least I think I'm right on the sex of them :lol:


They can mate the night of the day that they emerged.


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 19, 2009)

For some reason my moths have not mated yet.

Maybe I guessed there sex wrong but I'm pretty sure I was right.

What's going on and how can I tell if they mated or not?


----------



## d17oug18 (Jul 19, 2009)

about 12-24 hours after they mate they lay eggs, and the eggs will be like pin dots. i had 5 but the male died before he could do the other 2, they were late bloomers


----------



## agent A (Jul 27, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Well I forgot to harvest some eggs, but today I was reminded that I never did.......
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ha ha ha, funny! My cocoons haven't hatched yet. I heard the cocoons of a first brood take 2 weeks to hatch, it has been almost 2 weeks since the first caterpillar spun.


----------



## agent A (Jul 28, 2009)

My pupae are showing the wings of the moths now!!


----------



## mantidsaresweet (Jul 28, 2009)

Can you put Luna moth eggs in the fridge to delay hatching like you can do with mantid ooths?


----------



## ABbuggin (Jul 28, 2009)

mantidsaresweet said:


> Can you put Luna moth eggs in the fridge to delay hatching like you can do with mantid ooths?


I'm not sure. It may work, but I wouldn't do it for more than 1-2 weeks.


----------



## agent A (Sep 9, 2009)

A lot of my eggs didn't hatch, is that because of inbreeding?


----------



## d17oug18 (Sep 9, 2009)

none of mine hatched at all, i dont know why, i witnessed mating and still nothing, guess the eggs dried out.


----------



## ABbuggin (Sep 10, 2009)

Are you both sure the females mated? All of my eggs hatched that were laid by mated females.


----------



## d17oug18 (Sep 10, 2009)

i saw them connect for hours, unless he didnt "finish" they WERE mated.


----------



## Katnapper (Sep 10, 2009)

None of mine hatched; but I never witnessed any mating.


----------



## agent A (Sep 10, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> None of mine hatched; but I never witnessed any mating.


well mine mated for at least 5 hours each pair. but they were inbred.


----------



## ABbuggin (Sep 11, 2009)

agent A said:


> well mine mated for at least 5 hours each pair. but they were inbred.


Inbreeding doesn't effect them. Did yal mist the eggs? How were you keeping them?


----------



## agent A (Sep 11, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Inbreeding doesn't effect them. Did yal mist the eggs? How were you keeping them?


okay I'm getting tired of this! everything ABbuggin tells me about luna rearing is the exact opposite of what Bill O. tells me! Who do I believe?


----------



## PhilinYuma (Sep 11, 2009)

agent A said:


> okay I'm getting tired of this! everything ABbuggin tells me about luna rearing is the exact opposite of what Bill O. tells me! Who do I believe?


Whomever you please! If you are getting advice from "Bill O.", why are you asking the same questions here? It is not uncommon to get different opinions from two breeders. Christian, for example, says that inbreeding is not an issue in insects, D. Yager (The Prete book, p.314) says the opposite, but they might be talking about different circumstances The effect of inbreeding normally isn't infertility. You have one big advantage, though, your husbandry is a disaster, so either "Bill O's." or ABbuggin's method should be an improvement.


----------



## agent A (Sep 11, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> your husbandry is a disaster


hey that isn't true, I am having an NPV outbreak and I can prove it with links and discriptions!!!


----------



## idolomantis (Sep 11, 2009)

agent A said:


> hey that isn't true, I am having an NPV outbreak and I can prove it with links and discriptions!!!


It's not NPV.. it has something to do with wrong condittions.

I doupt NPV still exists.


----------



## agent A (Sep 11, 2009)

idolomantis said:


> It's not NPV.. it has something to do with wrong condittions.I doupt NPV still exists.


uhgg, okay here's the thing:

caterpillars die in 3 days, turn black, brownish fluid comes out of corpses, all caterpillars becoming infected and last brood I kept the pillars the same way as this brood and only had one death. what do you say to that? want links on info about NPV to read about it?


----------



## idolomantis (Sep 11, 2009)

No thank you as i said before please just post a picture of you cage because i think it has something to do with bad ventilation or too much misting.

how many sides of ventilation do have?


----------



## agent A (Sep 11, 2009)

idolomantis said:


> No thank you as i said before please just post a picture of you cage because i think it has something to do with bad ventilation or too much misting.how many sides of ventilation do have?


look. how many times am I gonna say it LAST TIME THE PILLARS LIVED IN THE SAME SETUP I'M USING NOW WITHOUT ISSUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PAY ATTENTION AND I ALSO SAID I USE WATER JUGS WITH THE TOPS CUT OFF AND SARAN RAP SECURED WITH A RUBBER BAND FOR THE LID!!! SORRY I'M YELLING BUT I'VE SAID THIS ENOUGH AND NO ONE SEEMS TO BE LISTENING AND RIGHT NOW I'M GETTING IMPATIENT!!! Now also realize that last time I even misted the pillars whenever I put leaves in, and now I don't and holes are cut in the saran rap so if anything, they are drier this brood.


----------



## idolomantis (Sep 11, 2009)

Calm down now.

Listen now, the setup i used with my deaths went good for a year, and then a few died. why?

They all died just after molting to adulthood, i think they got hit with a bacterial infection while they were at their weakest.

If i were you i'd rather start investigating first BEFORE claiming they died of this "NPV".


----------



## agent A (Sep 11, 2009)

idolomantis said:


> Calm down now.Listen now, the setup i used with my deaths went good for a year, and then a few died. why?
> 
> They all died just after molting to adulthood, i think they got hit with a bacterial infection while they were at their weakest.
> 
> If i were you i'd rather start investigating first BEFORE claiming they died of this "NPV".


well I know it is some kind of disease that's highly contagious. I have a good link on NPV. Here it is:

The Link


----------



## d17oug18 (Sep 11, 2009)

you have yours in saran wrap? dude lol thats ghetto even for me lol. Well i NEVER misted my eggs, didnt know they needed to be, ABbuggin just said the eggs will stick and i should harvest them because they move alot, wasnt told to mist. With that said now im almost positive the eggs dried out, they where also about 1ft away from a window thats open 90% of the time(wind). Well i live and learn. and Agent A you need to put them in a tub with a hole cut out and netting put in cause shrink wrap is a sure fire way to keep air and heat in, and nothing else out. even with holes its still a bad idea, just my 2 cents on it.


----------



## idolomantis (Sep 11, 2009)

Agent a do you think you could get a picture of an infected pillar and even if you can't upload it you can either put it on your site or send it to me and i'll upload it.


----------



## ABbuggin (Sep 11, 2009)

agent A said:


> okay I'm getting tired of this! everything ABbuggin tells me about luna rearing is the exact opposite of what Bill O. tells me! Who do I believe?


Well, they dont need misting if kept outside (in their natural habitat). If you are keeping them in your room, and it is dry in there then they will need to be misted. When I hatch my eggs outdoors, I dont mist them and they hatch just fine, if I don't mist them when indoors, they don't hatch.

Sorry about not telling you to mist them Doug, I must of forgotten that you are in CA and it didn't register to me that it is much drier there.


----------



## agent A (Sep 12, 2009)

well here's the deal, I had a caterpillar in a jug with no lid on whatsoever and 3 days later it still dies of this mystery illness which I firmly believe is NPV.


----------



## huskyjackal (Nov 10, 2009)

*ABbuggin* may I have permission to use some of your gorgeous photos as references for some artwork I would like to do? I am designing a Luna moth tattoo for myself (including other Actias species) and my photos I've taken are very limited. I will let you known which I use and for what purpose I will use them and I always believe in giving fair credit to the original photographer. Let me know!


----------



## ABbuggin (Nov 10, 2009)

I'm fine with that.  Just as long as you post some pics of your finished work.


----------



## Sparky (Feb 28, 2010)

That's really nice bro. I always wanted to try and raise moths. It's good luck in my culture. I've always wanted to try Hickory Horned Devil caterpillars, but I can't find anybody who has them.


----------



## ABbuggin (Mar 1, 2010)

Sparky said:


> That's really nice bro. I always wanted to try and raise moths. It's good luck in my culture. I've always wanted to try Hickory Horned Devil caterpillars, but I can't find anybody who has them.


Thanks. I actually used to raise and breed (have a thread here somewhere) Hickory Horned Devil catts and moths. They were a lot of fun, and even a lot more work to feed. Caterpillars the size of hot dogs eat a lot LOL. :lol:


----------



## Ricky Ortiz (Mar 1, 2010)

do you still have these and are you selling? I always wanted to try my hand and this.


----------



## Sparky (Mar 1, 2010)

How did u get Hickory Horned Devil pupa to hatch? From what I've heard, it is really difficult.


----------



## ABbuggin (Mar 1, 2010)

Sparky said:


> How did u get Hickory Horned Devil pupa to hatch? From what I've heard, it is really difficult.


I did. Never had a problem and breeding went super easy. I am all out of pupae/cocoons. I usually like to rear something different in the summer, last year it was caterpillars (year before was aquatic insects). Looking at breeding tiger beetles this year.


----------

