Return to Albany, California (Winter Break 2017-2018): Samia ricini

We have returned to Albany, California from Ithaca, New York as per Cornell University's winter closing, giving us a chance to check on our overwintering pupae.

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It seems that it is almost impossible to get these to diapause as pupae. The pile of cocoons that had before we left to Ithaca, New York eclosed in September, despite receiving darkness treatment, with most of the moths being pinned by our mother as shown below.

But what is much worse than that is that a few days after we returned to Albany, California over winter break, the cocoons that resulted from the eggs laid by pairings that our mother made with the moths she did not pin started to eclose. While it was at least still possible to rear the larvae before on poor quality leaves, there is not much we (and eventually our mother, once we leave to Ithaca again very soon) can do this time unless we resort to searching for tender citrus (Citrus) leaves like we did last winter. At this time, we are simply not feeling motivated to go through this trouble for a species that we have reared so many times already, will continue to be a problem if we do not find a way to make them diapause, and is frankly an eyesore most of the time. Therefore, we have chosen to no longer continue rearing them, at least for no; if we ever want to rear them again, we will have to obtain a new stock. 

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Authors
Brian Liang

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