Hi,

I began with eggs from a breeder in CN in 2000. I continued with eggs and/or mating male/female with the stock that I wintered over (spin in late summer and overwonter as cocoons, eclose in June)and wild males. The last few years I have put my females in a mating cage and they will "call" in a wild male. I'll tell you, moth pheromones are amazing! The record is a 21 mile fly for a male promethea moth to reach a female! Their antennae can detect a single molecule! OK, sorry, got a bit off topic here



So, I collect some of the eggs (luna lay about 250, I collect a couple dozen) then release her to lay the rest in the wild. The survival rate of wild caterpillars is only about 1%! Tough odds, so those of us who breed help to increase and/or maintain our local populations. These are related to the Bombyx mori (silkworms) that many of us feed to our chams and other herps. I have to tell you, it was a hard line for me to cross! Like the Bombyx, the luna, ceropia, polyphemus and other wild silk moths do not feed as adults and have a very short adult life - it is all about reproduction.



lele
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info



0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna

1.0 Beardie - Darwin

0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita

0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper

0.3 Mad. Hissers (2 died ;(

0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh

0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha

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