#moth raising

look how you’ve grown, Diamond!!!!💎🩵

They wanted to be held, and stayed there for 2 hours while I took a nap. Why are Bombyx mori moths like this? Because domestication it turns out! I did a quick search online to see if this was a selectively-bred trait for them to be so docile and easy to handle. It definitely is, and I cherish these little real life Pokémon. The others passed of old age, so I have these three left. The one closest to the camera is named Frosmoth, the one with the weird wing is Butterfree, and the one furthest away is Vivillion. Humans really will pack bond with anything lol.

Not art related but still pretty epic- some of my moths have emerged from their cocoons! Three males. Still hoping for a female, but even if I don’t get a successful coupling I’m still happy to have had this experience. These animals are amazing.

YAY one of my Virginia creeper sphinx moth eggs hatched today I'm so so excited to watch them grow :D

People who have bought live insects, what sellers/websites do you recommend getting them from? I want to make sure that I'm getting them ethically, and that they'll be getting to me safely. Thank you for your advice or input if you have any!

So!! I'm excited! I finally have a pairing of both Cecropia and Promethea moths! So I'll have eggs in a few weeks. I figured I should outline my methods for y'all in case anyone was curious: CECROPIA MOTH (HYALOPHORA CECROPIA): To pair this moth, place a male and a female in a small cage together (if using multiple males, a larger cage is fine). They should be able to comfortably open their wings, but not necessarily fly. Leave the cage in a dark place overnight and they should pair easily. Air circulation helps, but is required only when mating multiple females in one cage. Females can be placed in brown paper bags to oviposit. Males, if they eclose before females are easily stored by putting them in the refrigerator. Their metabolism slows but fertility isn't disrupted. They are still viable 72 hours later. PROMETHEA MOTH (CALLOSAMIA PROMETHEA): This moth is a little trickier to pair. It took me two tries to get it right. I originally placed the pair in a cage indoors. Since mating occurs more in the afternoon/early evening, I didn't do anything with lights. They didn't pair. The next pair that emerged, I put in a cage outside around 17:00EST and in 15 minutes they had mated. The air circulation and light is very important for this moth. The males can be stored in the fridge like cecropia if waiting for a female. Check on them every 12-15 hours. Those are my experiences, promethea can sometimes be super easy to pair, but air circulation is a must. It helps distribute the pheromones around. Feel free to ask questions! Expect a lot of posts the next few days!