Send me your responses and I will post them for all to see.
Several members have sent me this question and have experienced great frustration trying to get regalis to pair in cages. Additional responses would be greatly appreciated
Bill,
How do you get Citheronia regalis to pair in cages? The female calls but the males either do not respond or beat themselves up against the cage.
Scott Smith offers the following: Put them in a decent sized cage with odd shaped walls (Like a screen sleeve or something) and leave them in a dark quiet place out doors, don't disturb them at all. That's about it.
Bill Oehlke offers the following: I have seen some male cecropia "panic" when I put them in a relatively small (9 inch diameter, 14 inches high) hardware cloth cage, while other males have no problem prompty pairing under similar conditions. There is much less of the "panicky" behaviour when I use a much larger enclosure. I have a section of 3/16" hardware cloth 3 feet high by 8 feet long that I have tied together (top, bottom and middle) as a cylinder and covered with an old metal street stop sign. I suggest using such an enclosure or a similarly spacious enclosure for regalis. You might also wish to try a softer cloth enclosure such as remay or fibreglass screening or old bedsheet material supported by some stiff uprights. Avoid 90 degree angles and do put the cage outside where there will be good air circulation.
It is also a good idea to get pupae from two different sources as there may be some natural resistance to sibling pairings.
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