mating tricks for Actias...

[Sheri]

To anyone who has successfully raised Actias atlas and/or Actias selene, I
am passing the following questions on from a young correspondent in UK who
isn't subscribed to this list. 

Richard has several females and 2 male A. atlas, plus a pair of A. selene
moths, all under one week old, but none of them has mated at all. I told
him to increase the temp and humidity, so he has them in the bathroom at 80
degrees. I also told him to put a cover on the top of the screened cage
they're in to try to increase the pheromone concentration. That was
yesterday; haven't heard from him today, but if anyone has any other ideas,
he'll try anything!! ('Tho, what he's gonna feed any resultant larvae is
beyond me!!)

I'm not sure I can successfully talk/email him thru the process of
handpairing, but I'm going to try. 

Thanks in advance,

Sheri
<webmistress at mty.com>