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Calophasia Mass Rearing Lab Calophasia can be reared and released on both Dalmatian and yellow toadflax. The larvae defoliate (feed on the foliage of) the plant. The adult moths are nectar feeders and cause no damage to the plant. Some ideas: 1. You can mass rear (raise many) for release (as an individual or a group such as 4H). 2. You can mass rear these in a classroom setting for release and/or study. 3. You can rear smaller numbers as a demonstration project, fair or science fair project, or an individual student project.

What you need: 1. The insect. 2. A large source of Dalmatian and/or yellow toadflax to feed the larvae. 3. Rearing equipment and labor. 4. Release sites.

How to rear them: The insect: Calophasia lunula are established in a number of sites in Western Montana (for instance around the Missoula, MT area). You can call your county extension agent and/or county weed supervisor and request the permission to collect larvae from the nearest location of establishment. Be sure you have permission to collect from all involved in this site!!!! We suggest that you hand pick 100-300 larvae. The larvae can usually be found individually clinging to and feeding on toadflax plants from mid May to late July. Look for feeding damage (defoliation of the stems) and the black and yellow larvae. Place the larvae in glass, plastic or paper containers with some foliage. Be careful not to let them over heat (cook) in the sunlight. Transport them in a cooler with an ice pack (not directly touching the container). Have an adequate amount of foliage within the container for the larvae to spread out and feed on. Keep the density low in the containers as the larvae are quite space competitive and the larger larvae will nip and stress, injure or kill the smaller larvae. They can be stored in this manner for several days in a refrigerator or cooler. Attempting to collect the adult moths with a sweep net would probably be an exercise in futility as the moths spread out and rest on almost any object in their environment, not just toadflax. They are also very hard to see because of their camouflaged markings. The food: C. lunula eat both yellow toadflax (butter and eggs, common toadflax) (Linaria vulgaris (Mill.)) and Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica (L.) Miller). They seem to grow equally well when fed on either plant. (1) The larvae eat the leaves and the tender new stems. They will occasionally ear parts of the flowers but prefer leaves. The Method: Place each larva in a separate container such as a fruit fly growing vial or a small jar. Make sure there are air holes small enough to prevent escape yet large enough for maximum air flow to help keep the containers dry. Place a tender piece of foliage in each vial and replace this when the leaves are eaten or if it begins to dry out. As the larvae grow through their instars (skin sheddings) they will become voracious eaters and you may need to add foliage twice a day. They will also produce much frass (dark insect droppings mixed with chewed plant parts) that if left to build up in the vial can quickly mold and kill the larva. Clean or change the vials often.

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After the 5th instar, the larva will pupate. They usually spin a cocoon with silk and incorporate any materials in their environment to blend in. In the vials they often use leaves of the plant or frass. Some times they do not make a cocoon and just pupate. The brownish pupa can be stored in the refrigerator (not the freezer!) all school year until spring. You can bring them out of the fridge in April and place them in an insect cage in your classroom. The moths will start to emerge from the pupa in May and you can release them in the environment when they do.

You can also place the adult moths in indoor insect cages with toadflax plants.

Materials: 1 meter square cage set up for Calophasia lunula egg production. Materials needed: 1) two-three healthy toadflax plants much foliage, 2) 20-50 pupae on slightly moist, sterile sand, 3) small honey/water solution (40% honey) container for the moths to feed on, and 4) a timed grow-light source.

They will mate (if given some twilight/darkness time) and lay yellowish eggs on the plants. These will soon hatch into small larva (like little short pieces of black thread) that feed on the surface of the plant leaf. They will grow quickly and defoliate the plant so they must be collected and raised as above. You can release them in the field onto individual toadflax plants after they become 3rd instar larvae (are about ½ to ¾ grown).

See: http://mtwow.org/Calophasia-mass-rearing.htm for photos.