Breeding of Pyralis farinalis

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ИНО, 17.07.2020 13:12

There was a need to start a culture of this firefly for fodder purposes. I used to breed them myself in stickworm scraps and excrement, so I thought it would be easy. I put some dried oak and raspberry leaves in a bucket, started up some butterflies , and they died in a few days. I repeated it several times , and the result was the same. No caterpillars were found in the substrate for two months. I suspect that either the substrate is not suitable, or the microclimate. I was guided by the experience with Plodia interpunctella, which is perfectly bred in complete dryness. But maybe Pyralis farinalis is more important? Still, in insectariums with stick insects, where I used to have them, the humidity was significantly higher than room temperature. And another related question: how to determine gender by external signs? After all, it is possible, although unlikely, that among the 10 individuals I captured to create the strandka culture, there were simply no females.