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Hi, my little boy was given some Saturnia pavonia pupae for his birthday. We now have two moths....

The question is - what do we feed them on and what can we put in their cage for them to egg lay on please?

Also, I have some Death's Head paupae - what will I give these to eat and lay on please?

Many thanks, Mark.

Emporer Moth caterpillars will feed on Heather, Sallow, Bramble, Hawthorn, Meadow-sweet, Blackthorn and Hazel. So put I would put down what of those foodplants is abundant in your area. When I lived in Surrey they were always found on Heather (given the caterpilars look that's no surprise).

As to feeding the adults I'm not so sure. There are details I used to have where you could make a solution made from Black's Treacle - it was used to attract any moths, but that can be very sticky and probably not a good idea in a small space! Maybe someone else will come along with a suggestion.

Michael

Emperor moths do not feed as adults.
They lack the ability to do so.

If you have a male and a female in a cage or suitable vessel the difficulty would be in preventing them from mating, if together they will mate (briefly) and that will be that. The female will lay upon any suitable surface, by which I mean any surface upon which she can cling (netting, bark, twig, cardboard etc.). The ova will be laid in one or two large batches and shall hatch after about a fortnight at room temperature.

Felix.

Death's Head larvae will eat potato or privet (not sure if anything else) but again as to the adults feeding, I'm not sure. I presume they will nectar as other hawk moths but someone else may know on what.

Cheers

Lee

Thanks folks - pleased to hear the adults don't feed.

Jack, my little boy, wondered why one moth was eating one of the others. Left it to Mum to explain what was happening. Two females now laying eggs on the cage roof.

Huge excitement as we look forward to our cattos arriving!

If anyone is able to comment on Deaths Head adult feeding would be most grateful.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark Lyman wrote:If anyone is able to comment on Deaths Head adult feeding would be most grateful.

When I last reared this species, about 20 years ago!, I gave them diluted honey, soaked into a cotton wool pad. Can't remember the exact proportions, probably 10% honey.

Cheers,

- Pete

Honey contains quite large particles that can block the moth's proboscis (that's not to say that Pete was not successful, but there is a risk).

Try diluting one part natural cane sugar (such as 'light muscavado' from the super market) in warm water at a ratio of one part sugar to nine parts water (by volume), and applying (as Pete suggests) on a cotton pad such as those sold for use in removing cosmetic products.

The species needs warmth.

Death's Head Hawk moth ova will hatch quickly if kept in an environment of around 25 degrees or above. Anything lower than 20 degrees will result in losses.

The most important aspect of rearing the larvae is to avoid excessive humidity and to ensure that the larvae are kept warm. If reared in temperatures above 25 degrees the larval stage can be expected to last a mere three weeks with minimal losses (conditions must be dry however). If kept at normal room temperature expect the larval stage to last up to two months. Decreasing day length during the final instar (13 hours daylight max) will apparently increase the chances of fertile imagines.

Expect the larvae to wander for several days prior to pupation, for which they require a substrate of at least six inches in which to burrow. The pupa is formed within a flimsy 'cell' below ground and are easily disturbed, especially by other larvae seeking to pupate. Even the slightest injury at this stage (pupae remain soft for many days) will be fatal. For this reason it is very important that mature larvae are not over crowded. Some people even isolate each individual larva once they begin seeking a pupation site.

Once the pupae have hardened they can be retrieved and kept together in a suitable vessel in which is placed moist compost. The pupae respond well to regular misting with a house-plant sprayer. Humidity is important for the pupae. It is not necessary to bury the pupae, they can just lie on the surface of the compost as long as humidity is sufficient.

Moths will emerge in about a month to six weeks if kept in humid conditions at around 20 to 25 degrees, usually in the late afternoon/early evening. Sufficient space must be made available for the moths to dry thoroughly without disturbing each other and pleanty of provision should be made for the newly emerged moths to crawl up onto something and hang in order to dry.

Good luck with your endeavours..!

Felix.

Thanks Both.

We've brought the pupae in from the garage (both DHHM and Emperor) - still waiting on the forst DHHM though

Will try and get some photos to post.

Really appreciate the help. thanks, Mark.