Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I'm raising 2 polyphemus moth cats that hatched from eggs June 12. They're still growing now and are about 3 inches long. I was wondering if anyone would know if there is a second brood in NY and if these would be hatching out this summer or will be overwintering.

Thanks,
Chris

Hi Chris,

Where in NY are you? I am in SE NH and sometimes I get a second brood and sometimes not. If yours are this big they must be very close to spinning - 3" for a poly is big (measuring is not usually taken when stretched out).

I always thought I was far enough north for them to be univoltine (one brood) and they were - my first year. I was terribly distraught the next year when I stuck them in their winter containers in the fridge and one day I happened to look and found TWO had eclosed, were still alive and all smushed up - never to fly. So now I never put ANY of my leps away for the winter until November! With the luna, the key is that white silk means coming out this year and dark silk means diapause. This is often true but not 100%. I have never seen white silk winter over, but have seen brown silk eclose the same season.

Here are some of my poly notes from last year:

spin: 7/22 eclose: 8/11 Male
spin: 7/22 eclose: 8/11 Male
spin: 7/23 eclose: 8/10 Male
spin: 7/22 eclose: 8/11 Male
spin: 7/21 eclose: 8/10 Female
spin: not sure but around 7/25 eclose: 8/14 Female

I had many that spun up around the same time but did not eclose until this season. I would just keep them in natural conditions once they spin and wait them out. If they are not out in 8 weeks you can be sure. Hopefully if they do, the wilds will be flying, too so they can mate.

Good Luck!

lele

Lele,
Thanks for the reply. I'm in Rochester, NY. I have been keeping them in my garage cause my wife doesn't like them in the house. I know the garage can stay alittle warmer than the actual temperature so I'm gonna put them out under my swingset after they spin. Man this is nerve wracking sometimes. I just don't want them to get messed up. I want them to be able to fly when the others are so they can successfully mate and keep the population going. Well this has been fun anyways, watching them grow and all. I've been wanting to raise a giant silk moth for awhile. Actually I posted on this forum a few years back on tips to find one, and you replied . This year I was lucky enough to spot what I thought was a bad flying monarch in an outdoor courtyard at work. When I went out to look at it, I discovered a polyphemus female who was nice enough to lay 2 eggs for me before she passed.

Thanks for the tips,
Chris

Hey Chris - sorry for late reply! Been busy with herps, caterpillars - and their diseases LOTS of cleaning and disinfecting going on. All the humid weather caused a lot of bacterial (and viral and fungal) disease in my cecropia and promethea this year. Not fun.

Very cool that you got her last two eggs and raised them successfully to this stage!! A few things to keep in mind...you said you were going to put them under the swing set once they spin. If you just leave them on the ground there is a good chance that a bird, mouse or other hungry critter will enjoy them for dinner, so I would suggest making a cage out of hardware cloth/wire mesh of 1/4"-1/2" mesh. Of course 1/4" is safer as no little "hands" or snout will fit.

The photo period (day length) has as much, if not more, influence on whether they will go into winter diapause or not, but this seems to be based on their first few instars (light exposure). It can get very confusing for those of us who want to try and mimic nature! I have raised all the species both indoors and out and for my luna it does not seems to matter (my second brood has already begun eclosing and I got a pairing last night so will have eggs tomorrow!) and the poly are less predictable. Cecropia, promethea and io I never get more than one generation a year - as it should be.

If you keep them outdoors in their little homemade cage they may come out this season, but if not, just leave them there all winter and they will be exposed to normal temps, snow, rain, sun, and day length. Make the cage a minimum of 6" square so if/when they do eclose they will have room to climb and expand their wings. I have a pic somewhere, will look for it and post.

I recognized your user name and knew I had "met" you before either here on on one of the herp (reptile) forums. As for your wife not wanting them in the house - well, I guess I can understand, but if you sit quietly near their cage/tank and listen to them crunching on their food (especially if you they are eating oak!) I think one cannot at least respect the fact that these little six-legged creatures are turning leaves into moths...maybe she'll see them in a different light. I KNOW she will when she sees the adults!

Please keep me posted on your/their progress!

lele