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About
the MP
 Ordering
Eggs & Diet
World
of Insects
Life without them
So many of them
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success
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Major insect order
Insect
Anatomy
World of Manduca
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Life
cycle
The egg
The larva
The pupa
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Rearing
Manducas
What
you need
Care and Feeding
Building larva box
Constructing
rearing box
Preparing diet
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book (English)
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Manual
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| Materials |
Tools |
- covered rectangular plastic storage box
- hardware cloth (wire mesh)
- paper towels
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- drill and 1/8" bit
- wire cutters or strong scissors
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Directions
- Use the drill to make several small holes around the upper
edge of the plastic box. These air holes will provide oxygen
to the growing larvae and keep the humidity level in the box
from rising too high.
- Cut the wire mesh so that it's slightly shorter than the length
of the plastic box, and about 4 inches wider. Folding lengthwise,
bend these long ends into legs, each about 2 inches long. You
should now have a table that fits inside the plastic box.
- Line the box with paper towels and place your eggs on top
of them. Next, place the table in the box so that the eggs are
under the table. Finally, set a cube (or cubes) of artificial
diet on the table for the soon-to-hatch larvae, and put the
cover on the box.
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Cleaning the larva box
 Keeping
the eggs separate from the diet helps keeps the eggs from getting moldy,
and makes cleanup easier. Larvae (of all ages) cling to the food and
table, while their droppings fall through the mesh to the paper towels.
To clean the box, simply lift out the table and its passengers and remove
the soiled paper towels. Make sure to check for any larvae that may
have fallen off of the table before throwing the paper towels away.
Finally, replace the soiled paper towels with fresh ones.
Keep lid on when unattended!
Need | Care
& Feeding | Larva box
| Rearing box | Diet
| Ordering
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