Image transformed and composited by Bill Oehlke	BILL'S NOTES ON HYALOPHORA CECROPIA. I keep records from year to year on flight times, eclosions, foodplant preferences, rearing difficulties, etc.. My observations/summaries are entered below. Livestock of this species and several other species is usually available in the fall. Click on LIVESTOCK to see a price list.

May 20: We are having a late spring on Prince Edward Island so I am taking first six cecropia out of storage on May 20 (done), anticipating June 7-10 eclosion dates.
May 22: I took remainder of cecropia (12) out of storage today. It has finally started to warm up.

June 22: Males began eclosing on June 12 and one female eclosed June 14 and mated with wild male. Took wild female at chapel on June 14. Took wild female in Sheet Harbour on June 17.

Males began hatching on 18th and then females on 19th and 20th and I have been getting many pairings, sometimes as early as 9:45 pm with most females mated by 10:45. Males seem very easily distracted by lights and pairing works best when cages are completely away from any light source.

1998 Season Summary

MAY 9: We appear to be having an early spring (approx. 2 week ahead of schedule) and alder and pin cherry have already started to leaf out so I am taking six cecropia out of cold storage today.

Males (May 30, June 2) and females (May 31, June 2, June 4) eclosed and females mated with a wild male cecropia May 31, a wild male columbia on June 3 on P.E.I., and a wild male cecropia (June 5)

Hybrid ova began emerging on June 18.



Hybrid cecropia x columbia cocoons taken out on May 16, began emerging end of May through first week in June. The moth is slightly larger than a regular columbia, but darker, and much smaller than a cecropia.
One of the female hybrids (eclosion May 31) mated with a male columbia on June 6. A subsequent dissection revealed no ova were present, typical of a sterile female hybrid.

From May 16 storage removal: A female emerged on June 4 and mated with a male columbia in Nova Scotia on June 6. Ova began emerging on June 22.
June 26: Cecropia continue to eclose about 20-23 days from movement from cold storage. Some pairings have taken place almost at dusk, while on one other occasion a male was attempting, at dawn, to mate with a female inaccessible at the bottom of the cage. When I opened the cage and inserted the male, the female immediately stopped scenting. I was successful on a couple of occasions with tied out females to avoid problem with female at bottom of cage.
I was also successful with an indoor hand pairing on a cold night.

This has been a dismal year for cecropia rearing. Despite getting many pairings only about 200 cocoons were harvested. I will try smaller numbers per sleeve in open, sunnier locations next year with less movement.

Only a small number of the hybrid cecropia x columbia spun up and all of the second generation hybrids died in second and third instars.

[ REARING CECROPIA INDOORS ]

Cocoons of this species are usually available in the fall. Click on LIVESTOCK to see a price list.