That's a beautiful photo missherry. I had two that I took out of the fridge this summer and they emerged about 2 or 3 days from each other. I know that's the ultimate small sample, but just giving you the info. I had one female and 4 wild males trying to get in the cage she was in when I checked on her. I'm raising 70+ cats now (2nd instar). I'll post a photo of the male when I get some time.

That is a beautiful moth. All this moth raising is making me think seriously about getting some moth eggs from Bill.

Sandy

From my experience, Cecropia cocoons have an internal clock that is not affected by non-extreme temperatures (I've never kept a Cecropia cocoon at 100 degrees all winter so I cannot speak to that scenario). Their clock has them come out at the "right" time whether they spend the winter in my cold garage or in a heated classroom.

Anyway, if you want to try playing frig tricks with Cecropias, I'd try leaving them in there a couple months past when they would normally eclose. I'm not saying that will get you your desired results but it might do the trick since the internal clock would know they are past due. I've had siblings raised in the same aquarium on the same food eclose up to 2.5 months apart so leaving them in the frig for 3 extra months would make sure they are late but I'd be hesitant to push them that far.

About suitors: A lot of times they show up but don't hook up for whatever reason. I think the biggest reason is they aren't the most precise flyers. When I'm particularly interested in getting some eggs, I take a more proactive approach. I hang my moth cage from an awning frame that is just above a window on my house. The window is the type where the screen is on the exterior of the house. When suitors show up, they tend to bang into the screen and make noise. When I hear the noise, I rush out with my net, catch the guy, put him in the cage with the female and then I go back to sleep. Sunday morning at 5:20 AM, there was a Regal banging into the screen but he was gone by the time I got out there. Monday morning at around 1 AM, a Regal hit the screen. I ran out, found him flying around my deck (away from the cage), got him and put him in with the female. At 3:20 AM, another Regal hit the screen. Found him also flying around the deck and grabbed him. When I checked the cage, I found the first male was taking care of business so I let the second guy go, brought the cage inside and I went to bed.

Sometimes, suitors don't score for other reasons. In 2006, I heard a bunch of male Lunas banging on the screen. I eventually went over to the window to see how things were going. I was very surprised to see the neighbor's cat batting down the Lunas and eating them.

Writing this made me think back to the bad old days when I had problems getting male Cecropias to show up. Just dawned on me that my girls didn't get suitors when my moth cage was not next to something. I actually spent a few nights in the country, sleeping in the back of my stationwagon while the moth cage sat on the car's roof. Never had a male show that I know about. Also tried the cage at the front of a large house porch and that never worked either. Just maybe, a female Cecropia won't call if she feels the conditions are too open.

After those attempts struck out, I ended up just putting females on the side of my house. If they were still there in the morning (almost all were), they would also have a suitor. Did this for at least two years but had to stop when some bird figured out that breakfast was readily available.

At house #2, I would set the cage against the house on the deck. This worked for at least a year and then problems started. I'd come out in the morning to find just Cecropia wings on the bottom of the cage. Figured out it was mice. Ended up putting the cage on a bar stool to keep the cage off the deck floor. Also put mouse traps in the cage. End of problem.

Good luck with whatever you try.

KC

as promised yesterday - male suitor posed for one picture before he left

{{gwi:497171}}

Thanks for the info KC! I was hoping that if I left them in the refrigerator until say, June, they'd all emerge in June, but if the reality is some weren't going to emerge until, say, July anyway, then those wouldn't emerge until July. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.
My luna females got plenty of suitors, and I got some eggs, then released them to lay the rest outside. My female polyphemus got a beau, and I released her too lay all outside. The cecropias and regals are the only ones not to be mated.
I guess I could just leave them outside and hope for the best. I'll probably do that - it's always seemed a bit weird to put them in the fridge.
Sherry

Pupae of almost any species can be "forced" by controlling the environmental factors (temperature, photoperiod, humidity, etc), both early or delayed. Those years when I gave all the silkmoths some of my rearing attention, I was able to have some control on their eclosion, including with H. cercopia. I reared in large numbers and always had plenty that eclosed within a day or two of each other, and all of them within a week. It's just a matter of if you want to do the work to have that control.

Wow, some good info here! I have been leaving my sphinx cocoons outside over winter in a covered container, so that they emerge when the time is right. The last two Manducas I raised eclosed within 2 days of each other. However, when they overwinter, it's a poker game. Some emerge sooner than others, with a lot of time in between. I don't know if this applies to the silks or not.

They sure are beautiful, MissSherry! I may order some IO's next year. I know for sure that they populate my area of Oklahoma. I just have to remember that they use those urticating hairs for protection!

Susan

I remember your posting about how you got yours to emerge at the time YOU wanted them to, Larry, and it sounded like quite an ordeal! Do you remember what thread it was on?
Sherry

Sherry,

Sorry girl, I don't. The search engine on this site really leaves a lot to be desired. But I never considered it an ordeal at all and instead rather easy depending on species.

After a false start trying to figure out the "My Journal", which appears to be only for plants, I tried to send an email to Larry Gene about possibly doing some articles for the FAQ section as I feel up to it rather than having to write and post partial answers over and over on the forum threads. But that email attempt only got me an error message, and logged off the forum. So I guess I'll just post new topics here as I get around to writing them, and it will be up to him if he wants to move them to the FAQ section (which also needs to be organized better IMO).

Larry