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last night a Polyphemus landed on our window screen and I went outdoors to take some pics. The moth flew off the screen and into my house where I had no problem letting it fly around for a spell. The thing is, after about 5-10 minutes it landed on my floor and stayed there. It looked like it was dying so I picked it up off the floor and placed it on a table top and left it alone thinking ok maybe after flying around and smacking into lights it needs a bit of a rest....and then the craziest thing happened...apparently it's a female and was full of eggs. She died...but not before expelling a mass of eggs...I took a few pictures. My question is this...how do I ensure the circle of life? Is there anything I can do to make sure these eggs develop (provided they are fertilized) and make baby caterpillars? I'll set them loose once they hatch in the oaks we have out here. (It's Missouri and there are tonsssssss of oaks for them to feed off of) Any guidance would be appreciated. My e mail is robbinlara@embarqmail.com and I'd love some advice and input. It's 70* in my house currently and I have not touched the eggs or moth yet. I'm hoping the picture upload works...it's huge resolution so to see better the eggs and Polyphemus moth

Hi,

just saw your post now. It is odd that she died so quickly after expelling the eggs, but it could be that she had laid all the rest outdoors and from her "trip" in your house she just got the final ones out (they can lay a hundred or two). They do not feed as adults so they have very short life spans.

Well, first off they may or may not be fertile. Poly eggs hatch in 10-14 days. If they are infertile they will collapse in just a few days. If they are fertile I would recommend feeding them indoors for a bit to get them started. It's not difficult when they are still small. I start all of mine in clear bait boxes. I linked below to some photos of mine that I uploaded to help a friend out with setting things up.

A very small % make it to adulthood (like 1%) as they are eaten by birds, parasitized by certain wasps and/or flies, attacked by predator insects of all sorts - it's a jungle out there!! :-O

Let's do this...she laid them on Friday night so they will not hatch until middle of next week or that weekend. If they are not fertile they will collapse by this weekend (maybe sooner). For now, put them in an airtight plastic container (gladware-type) with nothing else in it (no leaves as the Co2 can build up and actually suffocate them int he eggs). Open it once or twice a day for a minute just for air exchange. If they are still plump early next week post again (I'll subscribe to this thread so I'll know if you post) or email me directly and we can get more detailed. In the meantime, check out the Saturniid Rearing Tips at the link below.

Oh, btw, you might want to check places that she landed while she was cruising your home as she very well could have deposited a few eggs every time and if they ARE fertile you will find little green cats with brown heads wandering around your curtains in search of food!

Please keep me posted!!!
lele
lele's pics

well MUCH to my surprise she wasn't dead after all! She's laid several "batches" more but they differ in appearance. These newer ones are white, no brown piping liek the others. Which btw are still nice and full looking. One problem is that they appear to be stuck on my tablecloth...I don't want to risk scraping them off...any suggestions? I'm going to view your photos now & THANK YOU for replying. It's much appreciated!
Robbin

Hi Robbin

You can carefully pick them off with your fingernail. The moth excretes a fluid so the eggs adhere to the underside of the leaf. The eggs harden up pretty quickly and can then easily be removed. Just do it with some barriers set up do they don't go flying across the room! :-O They come off quite readily. Did she finally stop and die or is she still laying. Just FYI, poly (and some others) with drop to the ground and flip flop around like a fish out of water! This is defense mechanism to scare off predators, not their death throes as one might think.

Hope they are fertile. Poly and luna are the two easiest to care for. Interesting that they don't have the darker band around them. Can you post a pic of those - just to appease my curiosity??

lele

Hey Lele sorry I didn't reply sooner. She is definitely passed on now...sadly. Such a beautiful moth species they are. I love the "eyes"...I've taken the eggs and placed them in a plastic container on a piece of paper towel and made a hole in the lid for air. It's safely tucked away from drafts in a cabinet right now. As for the whiter eggs, as soon as my batteries are charged I will take some pictures. I thought I had already but after searching all over My Documents can't seem to find those. So I'll just take newer pics in a little bit. It doesn't take long for the batteries to charge up.

Hi Robbin,

Just a note. The container needs to be airtight or the eggs can dry out so place something over the the hole and tape it on. Don't just put tape over the hole unless you do it from the inside b/c once they hatch they wander like crazy and might get stuck to the tape! :-O I would also take the paper towel out as their tiny feet will stick to it and you may have a more difficult time getting them onto a leaf. Once some begin to hatch you need to put those in a new container (again, air tight - all I mean by that is a lid, does not have to be hermetically sealed ! lol!) with leaves and leave the other eggs to hatch. They usually hatch within 24-48 hours of each other. I think I said this in earlier post, but not sure - they eat their egg shell as their first meal and can go about a day without food. IK like them to do their wandering in with the other eggs so that when I place them in food container they are ready to chow down!

They should also be exposed to normal day hours - not in the dark all day, but definitely not in direct sunlight either - you'll fry them. The top a fridge is good (if safe) as the warmth will help hatch sooner, or just on a table or shelf.

How many eggs do you have??

Keep me posted!

Hi Robbin,

Interestingly, I was just re-reading one of my most-referenced moth books for some other info and the author actually does use newspaper or paper towel in with the eggs. I am in email contact with him and will ask him about it. it foll lows a comment about handling them gently so it may be for padding. I keep mine in very small compartments so they don't roll around a lot. Just wanted to give you that added tidbit. He also will put tiny holes in the top for ventilation. He is in the UK and prefers using tin boxes with glass tops which is not something we have here and says they breath better than plastic, thus a few air holes in plastic - but they would have to be VERY tiny! This book was written many years ago so I will see if his opinion is still the same. Interesting, huh? I've been rearing for years and have been doing using the plastic containers and bait boxes right along with fine results.

Keep in touch!
lele