cecropia rearing/predation

[Leptraps at aol.com]

Others wrote>>

Jane Dillonaire wrote (*snip*) 
> I overwinter cocoons in the
>crisper drawer - despite my family's objections - love me, love my dog (or
>moth, as the case may be).

TD Derekson wrote>

(::chuckle::) None of my friends go into my refrigerator without first asking
what I might be harboring in there. They've learned no part of the fridge is
immune from my hobby in one way or another...

I found I had much better success  overwintering cocoons and pupae in an old
refrigerator one had to defrost than in a frost-free one, even if I spritzed
the cocoons. Too many dessicated in the frost-free one, even inside a
Tupperware container. 

Just my 2 cents worth....

DT

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Keeping pupa or coccons in todays refrigerators will almost certainly dessicate them and all your labors are lost. Also, your family will always feel uneasy about eating and drinking items stored in the frig with your "BUGS". I have been that route. The absolute best refrigerator for storing pupae and larva in diapause were the old Refrigidare's that operated on natural gas. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio and living in double houes (two stories, one family on each floor), we lived up and my grandparents lived down, we had refrigerators that operated on natural gas. Talk about quiet! Before my teenage years, our family purchased new GE refrigerators and the gas frig was given to an aunt, and my grandparents was moved into the basement for grandma's beer. After I married and began rearing Leps seriously, I acquired my grandparents old natural gas frig. It was great. You could store pupae, diapausing larvae and eggs and never had to worry about dessication. I had that frig until 1!
989 when a gas regulator went ba
d. I could never find a replacement part(The look on repair/parts appliance store personel faces when I would ask for parts for a natural gas refrig were amazing)and trashed it. I still have my own frig for Leps but I disabled the heating element in the frost free device. Three or four times a year I must defrost the frig, but I seldom lose a pupae or larvae. 

A good trick for over wintering Lycaenid pupae in a frig. Suspend them in cheese cloth 2 to 3 inches above distilled water and then cover the pupae with spagum moss. You will increase the survival rate by 50%. (This will not work in a frost free frig.)

Frost free refrigerators have a heating element within the walls of freezer compartment. There is a control mechanism or some sort of timer turns which operates the heating element and dry air is pasted through the freezer compartment into the frig and removes moisture in the air. Before disabling the element, you must discover the control mechanism. Some makes use the icemaker, others use a timer. By-passing the element to allow the system to think the element is working is the best choice. 

Crisper drawers are not exposed to the deforsting action, however, the drier air will eventually pass into it. Crisper drawers are also in the bottom of the frig where the colder air settles.

My love of Leps requires that I have my own blender as well. When I cut up and minced a snake for the first time in the family blender make bait for my bait traps some years ago(Great stuff for Polgonia species, add a little crushed rock salt and water, watch em come!!!!!)my wife for some reason was rather upset and immediately went out and bought a new blender and the old one became mine. By the way, a great spring bait for nymphalids is minced liver, especially beef, after you mince the liver in a blender, place it in a zip lock plastic bag and set the bag in the sun, when the bag pops (And it will pop), hold your breath and pour the contents of the bag onto a bed of corn meal and place it in your bait trap (MMMMMM!!! Lunch anyone!). Keep it moist and it will last a week to 10 days.


Leroy C. Koehn
202 Redding Road.
Georgetown, KY 40324-2622
Tele.: 502-570-9123



 
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