Cool Moth

[bluerich74]

This guy has been hanging out on a post where I work for the past 3 nights.Can anyone ID it?

 

[UrbanJungles]

Cecropia moth

 

[GartenSpinnen]

I catch these at work all the time at night and put them in the freezer. Most of the time i dont get them in the freezer in time and they are not usable because of so much damage to there wings. I do the same with luna moths. Why would he do that!? Someone is going to ask... because either way they die, usually by flying right into a welder while he is welding and then they burn up and die. Because of that welders kill them on sight.

Everyone calls them "hawkeye" moths. Not sure if thats the correct "common" name, but thats what they are called around here.
Cheers

 

[bugster]

these moths aren't endangered, but they are becoming increasingly rare or even absent altogether in many parts of the country due to the overuse of chemical pesticides and spraying programs against the Gypsy Moth. If at all possible, try to let them go somehow so they can breed, rather than killing them outright.

 

[froggyman]

i agree with bugster, let others in the area enjoy his beauty and his legacy by letting him go

 

[crpy]

i agree with bugster, let others in the area enjoy his beauty and his legacy by letting him go

Let "her" go to lay her eggs, males are dark and frilly antenae

 

[GartenSpinnen]

All the ones i see at work are males, except for one i knew was a female. My boss caught her for me and she was in perfect shape. I told him i was gonna take her home and mount her, but i did not. I took her outside and let her go when i got out of work. The messed up thing was she flew away and then came back and landed on my shoulder. It was kinda like a "hey thanks!" then she flew away.

Sorry i really dont mean to hog the thread up. Im not some merciless moth killer though lol. I realize they are so few now adays because of pesticides and the like, and i do have good intentions by taking some. I was planning on catching moths and butterflys and making displays out of them and taking them to the local schools to have for biology class. The only problem is usually they have messed up wings and are injured when i get them, dont make very good display specimens, and they cant mate without flying, so im yet to figure out what im going to do with them. I hate to just toss them though. You all should see my freezer.... my girlfriend loves me right now :liar:

Ok im done hogging, sorry :wall:
Cheers

 

[bugster]

hey, well i said what i did not to preach at you or accuse you of hogging or anything. . .just really expressing a thought.

i live in an area that used to have wild cecropia moths, but now has none. . .primarily due to agricultural pesticide usage and the Bt spray programs for Gypsy moths as I mentioned. I'm in entomology, so i've noticed this drastic population loss and it's sorta a disappointment because these moths are really amazing. I actually raised some from cocoon to adult and then bred them and raised them all the way back to cocoon again. . .BUT I had to buy the cocoons from elsewhere because there are none around here.

IMO, it's not people like you who grab a few for their personal collection that have caused the decline, but the overuse of spraying, etc. that along with natural predation and other pressures have made some areas lose a great moth species in any appreciable numbers.

So, all that said, collect a few without beating yourself up but if you have enough for the season or find a female that's tattered a bit but can still fly. . .let her go to lay her eggs. . .or better yet try breeding them and set the adults free next year!! It's amazing and the caterpillars are huge (at least 6 inches in length and as fat your finger). The students you mentioned would learn so much more about natural life cycles with that kind of project, IMO, than just a dead moth in a display case.

Peace.

 

[froggyman]

on the egg side of the debate i hear putting her in a paperbag is the best way to induce a female to lay

 

[UrbanJungles]

In my experience the females will lay no matter what, even if they haven't been fertilized.

 

[bugster]

yep, that's right and unfertile eggs turn dark and get sunken in shortly after they're laid, whereas fertile ones stay white/cream colored and whole.

 

[bluerich74]

Hey guys.Thanks for all the insight.:worship:

 

[auroborus]

Im so jealous, I never find wild ones. The ones I have I had to order as eggs or as cocoon.

 

[Tleilaxu]

Let "her" go to lay her eggs, males are dark and frilly antenae

Actually both males and females are frilly... but since the thread poster knows how to tell the two apart I dont need to go into details, if you do breed them good luck they are awesome!

I also agree with bugster, a living animal is far more educational then a dead one in a display. especially if you can bring each stage of the life cycle of the moth with you.