Help-Unidenified moth ova

[Cris Guppy & Aud Fischer]

Egg laying by moths in traps is very common. I doubt that anyone could ID
them to species, although someone more knowledgeable than I could certainly
ID them to family and possibly genus (if anyone like that is reading
leps-l). The strategy I have used in the past is to place the eggs in a
container with samples of every type of plant in the area that I can find.
Most of the time when they hatch the larvae will find something they like,
even though it may not be what they normally eat. (At this time of year the
eggs are likely, but not certainly, to hatch within 2 weeks, later in the
year the eggs may not hatch until next spring). Good luck!
 
-----Original Message-----
From: sandydavid <sandydavid at newscientist.net>
To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Date: July 4, 1999 8:44 AM
Subject: Help-Unidenified moth ova
 
 
>Whilst examining the contents of my moth trap this morning I discovered a
>patch, roghly oval in shape ( 10mm x 6mm ) of approx.70-100 moth ova very
>light brown in colour with one lght yellow egg near the centre. The eggs
are
>ribbed ( they look like an umbrella from the top and are  the shape of a
>slightly squashed sphere.
>    Does anyone have any idea what they are? ( there were no moths near the
>eggs on the egg carton but two dot moths (Melanchra persicariae ) on the
>other side.would a list of all the moths caught help?
>    What should I do with them? I would ether like to put them somwhere or
>look after them to give them the best chance of survival.
>
>TIA
>
>
>Sandy David
>Oakley, Bedfordshire, U.K.
>
>