I am trying to rear saturniid moths in the lab and they keep diapausing at the pupal stage. They stick at this level for months on and am unable to raise a colony. Anyone knows how I can break the diapause? Please assist.
There's not so much that you can do apart from trying to give them all the same conditions they need in the wild to eclose, such as temperature, moisture and day-night hours cycle.
I'm not an expert on moths so I cannot suggest the parameter to use, but you should be able to find them online.
Diapause in several lepiidopterous insects is moderated by the amount of light received in a photoperiod, specifically during the fourth and fifth instars. To prevent diapause, you can leave a light on overnight during this period. However, I am not sure you can stop it once it occurs.
Article Artificial light at night causes diapause inhibition and sex...
Hello,
I collected the codling moth Cydia pomonella overwintering larvae from the field by burlap traps on the apple trees. I placed these larvae in refrigerator at 5 degrees celsius for 130 days to be able to rear a colony in the lab on apples . They were placed after that at the Lab conditions to continue the experiment.
But, I think not all the moths have the same thresholds, it may defer from one species to another .
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