Polyphemus silk moth

[dgerndt]

My dad found a beautiful polyphemus silk moth this morning on the sidewalk leading to our porch. She was the most beautiful moth I've ever seen in real life. I didn't know what species she was at first, so I had to Google it. After I put in "beautiful moth" into the Google image search, I clicked on a picture of a moth that looked similar. Then I found some interesting facts about them. For example, adults don't eat or drink, or even have mouths! I'll upload some pictures soon.

She made me consider breeding silk moths...

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Great find, maybe talk to Sporeworld on them, he's the guy with experience and possibly some stock?

 

[hibiscusmile]

these are beautiful, I can't believe how great they look!

 

[mantidsaresweet]

They are pretty moths for sure. I am currently raising some caterpillars of these.

I only have 5 but they are awesome and fun to care for.

I don't think they will become mantis food lol.

 

[sporeworld]

Yeah - for almost everything you need to know to rear silkmoths, check out this link:

http://butterflywebsite.com/articles/lizday/moth.html

It's a great experience, but the cats are a LOT of work when they get older. And with months of overwintering for only about 5 days of virtually motionless adults, it's hard to keep interested.

But they are beautiful. Lunas and Robin Moths (Cecropia) are the real wonders. And Cecropia cats are crazy-big!

 

[twolfe]

This is my third year raising silkmoths. (Third year with Cecropia and second with Luna.) I have lots of critters to care for at the moment, and sometimes it's overwhelming. It's also a pain when you travel. I'm trying some "sleeves" this year for half of my stock to see if it reduces the loss while I'm gone. Luna cats seemed easier to raise than Cecropia.

Anyway, there are sites selling ova at this time of year. You can also buy cocoons in the fall.

I agree with Sporeworld about keeping the interest. But it was really exciting the first time. I'm trying Swallowtail butterflies this year, too, but have only had success with one species laying eggs.

 

[sporeworld]

Yeah, I did a mess of Swallowtails a few years back, but felt terrible keeping them enclosed - and I had a massive tent for them. I doubt I'll do that again, but I HAVE been toying with starting a butterfly garden on the patio during the summer.

ANd I agree with the Lunas being easier, however, I found the Cecropia to be much more tolerant of other food types. Also, an adult female Cecropia is unbelievable. Really. The colors on the body are hard to believe. You always hear "is that REAL...!?!"