The Clinch.
In fact there was no need to do my light experiment, because when I woke this morning I discovered that two more moths had emerged overnight and one of them - which was huge with eggs - was in the process of being fertilised by one of waiting males....So maybe they were all males after all.
I have tried to separate them just now because I thought they had been mating long enough (they are only 'supposed' to mate for three hours) but I was unable to break their clinch. I have transferred them to my 'ovarium' (a box with a wet flannel over the top inside another box with a lid in an attempt to keep them humid enough).
I have also put them on some glossy paper in case this proves to be a better medium for eggs than newspaper.
I have tried to separate them just now because I thought they had been mating long enough (they are only 'supposed' to mate for three hours) but I was unable to break their clinch. I have transferred them to my 'ovarium' (a box with a wet flannel over the top inside another box with a lid in an attempt to keep them humid enough).
I have also put them on some glossy paper in case this proves to be a better medium for eggs than newspaper.
Labels: mating, silk moths
posted by Clare Dudman at 7:54 pm
4 Comments:
Fascinating stuff indeed. I am so intrigued by all the goings on - and you are recording it so meticulously well Clare. It's a treat.
Thanks, Kay. You are very kind (as always)!
Aargh! Blogger ate my comment! Keeps doing that.
To summarise, I said "they don't seem to get much of a life, though, do they? Born, mate....then die? Will await developments!"
No, Maxine - it constantly strikes me how the life of the silkworm is a metaphor for so many things!
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