Subject: Re: insect zoo

From: Mario De Cleen <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 00:53:41 +0200

>The Entomology club here at OSU is trying to organize an insect zoo with
>some large moths and butterflies.  We would like to acquire eggs and
>pupae inorder to start the zoo.  Does anyone have suggestions of who to
>get the material from?  Does anyone have material we could use.  We would
>appreciate any help you can give,   Thanks Paul Pratt [email-masked]

Dear Paul Pratt,

At the moment I prepare my livestocklist. I will send a copy ASAP.
We breeding giant moths like Attacus atlas and lorquinii.
In a few weeks our cocoons of Argema mittrei are ready for sending by way of
post.

Greetings,

Mario De Cleen
Rupelmondestraat 265
B-9150 Bazel - Belgium
Phone/Fax: 32 (0)3 7742888
Email:  [email-masked]

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From: Anne Kilmer <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 06:34:27 -0400

> Phone/Fax: 32 (0)3 7742888

I hate to cast cold water on such a worthy project. But, wherever OSU
may be (Ohio? Oregon? Give us a clue, mates), if it's in the United
States, you need an awesome array of permits to import, confine, display
alien exotic bugs.
A university is kind of a public place to do this without all those
pieces of paper.
Probably as an entomology club you have all those permits, or intend to
resist the impulse to just order stuff and sort it all out later.
 May I recommend that you start out with native, local critters while
you're learning how to do this thing?
Sphingid moths are easy to rear and make a great display. Tomato
hornworms for instance.
Passiflora butterflies are reasonably cool about being caged. How big is
your cage? How warm?

Your Cooperative Extension Service is easy to train. Master Gardeners
will get gardeners to save and give you their weird bugs.
 Talk to your local Arborist society as well. You wouldn't believe some
of the stuff tree trimmers find. Getting them to let you have it is
another matter.
Enjoy.
Anne Kilmer
1424 Lake Bass Dr.
Lake Worth FL
33461
USA