Keeping and breeding butterflies

Storage conditions: in a shaded place, t = 25 gr., humidity 50 +/- 5 % (i.e. no special conditions were created, just stored in the room). I wonder why in principle they could have died: dryness of the room, parasites, something else?..

Open the pupae and see what's inside. Maybe it will become clear: parasites, dried up...

So they also need to create a winter shelter, they are not tropical.

Storage conditions: in a shaded place, t = 25 gr., humidity 50 +/- 5 %

IMHO, under such conditions, they definitely could not survive.

And what conditions did they have to create? They don't seem to recommend putting Pieris in the refrigerator (this is not hawkmoth)... And, for example, humidity is easy to increase, but not so easy to reduce...

This post was edited by Violet Tricolor-05.01.2010 17: 19

"Don't recommend" who? And how do they differ from hawkmoth in this sense?

http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110001104953/en
here we look at full text in PDF

This post was edited by Babochnik-05.01.2010 19: 21

I read Tkachev's pamphlet, it says: "In the refrigerator, pupae of hawk moth of the middle band, large and small saturnia, harpies successfully winter." "If you put pupae (daytime peacock's eye) in the refrigerator, they will die. But at a temperature of 4-6 g, women also do not survive." Well, everything is clear here - they winter at the butterfly stage, and not pupae. However, something similar was also written about Pieris, but I can't find the quote(((

Thank you for the link!

This post was edited by Violet Tricolor-05.01.2010 19: 25

Pieris hibernate most often at the pupal stage, so the pupae need wintering.
I myself did not winter them as unnecessary, but I looked at the literature - everything is correct, pupa.
At napi, it should be yellow at the same time...
Yes, and if you have not hatched for so much time, then there is only one conclusion to make - wintering...
If you grow caterpillars in complete darkness, you will get wintering pupae. It is convenient for storing and shipping at any time of the year. And vice versa - with an artificial long day, they will develop bezdiapausno.

This post was edited by Babochnik-05.01.2010 19: 46

This is understandable. And what should I do with the remaining living pupae? Should I put them in the dark?

This is understandable. And what should I do with the remaining living pupae? Should I put them in the dark?

Put it in the cold. They can't stay warm in any way, they will die. I also had caterpillar species that develop in winter die in the heat, not just pupae. I don't think it's the dark. I have all the pupae and caterpillars on the balcony overwinter, i.e. the temperature is outside. We really don't have severe frosts, usually up to a maximum of -10... -15.

Well, we already have the 3rd week -25, so you can't go to the balcony for sure! Maybe, at least in the vestibule (section of the landing) to take out, there is at least +15, not + 25

This post was edited by Violet Tricolor-05.01.2010 20: 40

The photoperiod only affects the caterpillars.
Place the pupae in a regular refrigerator on a slightly moist sphagnum in a plastic container with a lid. The lid has ventilation. A temperature near zero is fine. In the spring, you will get all the cases...

Well, we already have the 3rd week -25, so you can't go to the balcony for sure! Maybe, at least in the vestibule (section of the landing) to take out, there is at least +15, not + 25

In my opinion -25 for them, this is just normal. In nature and below it happens (even in the Crimea), and nothing, they spend the winter. And +15 is not a wintering ground. The lower limit for this species is difficult for me to judge from here in the south. Let colleagues from more frosty regions (where this species lives) tell us what temperatures they have in winter.

So you need to transfer it to the cold gradually (since in nature the temperature drops gradually from summer to winter) or immediately put the pupae in the refrigerator from +25 in the room, where -4?

Probably better gradually.

And I have a Plum Moth caterpillar, caught in the fall, hibernated in a box in a cold place.
The question is, can I wake her up and start feeding her something right now, or do I have to wait until spring?
Thank You

from +25C to minus immediately is undesirable.
It is better to hold a week or two at +5 approximately...
*
The moth is unlikely to be fed with anything, it is probably better to wait until spring.

And I have a Plum Moth caterpillar, caught in the fall, hibernated in a box in a cold place.
The question is, can I wake her up and start feeding her something right now, or do I have to wait until spring?

Stand in the cold for a while, maybe a month. Then add to the heat. It is possible that he will wake up. But where do you find food for her now?

Stand in the cold for a while, maybe a month. Then add to the heat. It is possible that he will wake up. But where do you find food for her now?

Her native feed is not, of course, now nowhere. Here, if only the branches of plum trees are broken and put in water, so that the leaf goes.... I don't think it will eat any pitsreda

Her native feed is not, of course, now nowhere. Here, if only the branches of plum trees are broken and put in water, so that the leaf goes.... I don't think she'll eat any pitsreda

Forcing the leaf is easy to do. But unlike birch, plum young leaf like sticky. The caterpillar won't die of constipation?

Yes, what's the point of inventing so many problems? In the spring, everything will be decided by itself when the plum leaves appear...

Yes, what's the point of inventing so many problems? In the spring, everything will be decided by itself when the plum leaves appear...

It turns out to be a multi-eater.
I will try to slip her rose leaves

It turns out to be a multi-eater.
I'll try to slip her some rose leaves

Are you sure that she ate roses before the first molt?

Are you sure that she ate roses before the first molt?

Well, no, of course not! I caught it in the fall in the fallen leaves. The same output only Unpaired, no experience.
So, what does it mean that my Prunaria can refuse roses?

Well, no, of course not! I caught it in the fall in the fallen leaves. The same output only Unpaired, no experience.
So, what does it mean that my Prunaria can refuse roses?

It's better not to take any chances. Wait until spring, and then the plum will bloom. Why rush things .

Tell me, please, and whether it is possible to keep pupae in plastic cages filled with small gravel, until the moment of exit from pupae? I know that there are many other soil options (peat, sawdust, etc.), but I'm interested in whether it is possible in principle for the pupae to lie on gravel or is this completely unacceptable?

You can also do it on gravel.. just for what?
Sphagnum stores moisture well and contains fungicides. What's not an option?

An option, of course.
I just decided to do it on gravel for some reason in the summer, and now I think: suddenly, because of this, the cultivation experience cannot be considered methodically correctly performed.

Why not? Does this factor significantly affect the processes under study?

I don't think so.

I am simply required to have absolute confidence in the correctness of the experiments performed, because "compliance with certain methodological rules is one of the characteristics that distinguish scientific knowledge of the world from scientific-like" and amateur. Well, this is so, excerpts from the theory of methodology of science.

In general, I myself thought that this was not important. But the opinion of one person is not a representative sample)))), so I decided to consult.

If there is no understanding of the processes and factors that determine these processes, then it turns out to be a scientific routine and not science. "Algorithm predominance over information" (C)...
And what is "representative" in general??? What are the criteria? These are fetishes that can completely nullify any independent thought. And what does sampling and statistics have to do with it? Or is the truth determined by voting already???
I once asked psychologists how they define the concept of "norm". The answers were simply awesome - it turns out to be a statistical majority. This is a complete pindyk!...it's like if most of the cars break down and they are considered normal, although you can't drive them.
In your particular case, of course, you know better. Perhaps this is where such a clean experiment is needed. I just can't imagine what these factors can determine? If there is an impact on wintering, then it would be logical to keep at least two groups of pupae and compare the parameters of the substrate on pH, say, or something else...
although if you play it safe, then wintering pupae on gravel is not a question, you can do so.

As for understanding the processes, I absolutely agree. But this understanding does not come by itself, you need to read very, very much-this is at least.

About representativeness. My idea was that one should always compare one's own opinion (since we are not academicians, although in this case too) with literary sources, with the opinions of other specialists. I don't think you'll notice. This is rather normal, but how else? Everything is learned by comparison.

About psychologists-yes, it is. In this case, the norm is essentially what most people have. Of course, there is one-sidedness in this point of view, but it is impossible to take into account the individuality of all people within the framework of even a very narrow topic. In biol. but we also average some indicators. However, this is another topic.

As for the purity of the experiment. What is required of me, I also demand of myself, but people with much more research experience tell me this. My personal opinion: there are no small things in any job. Therefore, even the simplest and most obvious, at first glance, statements still need to be clarified in order not to fall into the prosak on such nonsense.

Of course, you need to know the work of colleagues on the topic, at least so as not to reinvent the wheel again.
As for the purity of the experiment, I agree, sometimes it's better to be safe.
The main thing is that it should be justified, after all, the resource (forces, time, materials) takes...
Good luck!

- I found a caterpillar of scoops in the corner of the yard toilet the other day! I brought it to a warm, albeit darkened place. I planted it under a lampshade with a pot of newly planted violets blooming in the spring with purple flowers. The caterpillar almost immediately burrowed into the ground! And after she dug a hole for herself, she got out and climbed into it with the back end! I pulled her out 2 times, but she repeated everything as well.
I noticed a fresh violet leaf gnawed and eaten on the soil! And the caterpillar was already sitting under the pot.
- Please tell
me - What kind of view?
- What to feed her in the conditions of heat and long artificial daylight?
- What can you even count on, regarding the time of her pupation and hatching of a butterfly with such interference in her personal life (I will try to create favorable conditions for her wakefulness with the help of your advice)?

This post was edited by Andreas - 16.01.2010 13: 16

Pictures:

1_гусеница_на_тетрадной_бумаге.JPG — (963.58 k)

- I found a caterpillar of scoops in the corner of the yard toilet the other day! I brought it to a warm, albeit darkened place. I planted it under a lampshade with a pot of newly planted violets blooming in the spring with purple flowers. The caterpillar almost immediately burrowed into the ground! And after she dug a hole for herself, she got out and climbed into it with the back end! I pulled her out 2 times, but she repeated everything as well.
I noticed a fresh violet leaf gnawed and eaten on the soil! And the caterpillar was already sitting under the pot.
- Please tell
me - What kind of view?
- What to feed her in the conditions of heat and long artificial daylight?
- What can you even count on, regarding the time of her pupation and hatching of a butterfly with such interference in her personal life (I will try to create favorable conditions for her wakefulness with the help of your advice)?

It is very possible that the conditions created are already quite favorable. Moreover, the caterpillar has an appetite. The fact that it buries itself in the ground, plus a leaf eaten, indicates that the caterpillar is active at night.

Andreas, here's a Noctua pronuba caterpillar. It's a bit like yours. Most likely, yours is still of this kind.

This post was edited by Violet Tricolor - 16.01.2010 15: 57

Pictures:

Noctua_pronuba.jpg — (27.71к)

I want to breed tropical butterflies, help!! Where to get literature, I can't find anything! About our people there is! Where should I even start? I like it very much Morpho! Please tell me!

"Keeping and breeding butterflies and other exotica" John L.S. Stone
"The living tropical greenhouse" John and Maureen Tampion
Это конкретно о тропических. But if you have a skill with the Palearctic, then the tropics are not a problem. Especially at night.
Not a bad book
"Breeding butterflies and moths" Friedrich
Regarding morpho, it is better to start with Morpho peleides, it is not difficult to breed, but the caterpillar grows for a long time.
Can I take a look here -
http://www.tropicarium.ru/morpho.htm

Here is my brief summary -

Breeding tropical butterflies in the temperate zone presents a number of challenges associated with creating conditions suitable for breeding in captivity. Main points:

1. Getting a culture
2. Equipment for breeding butterflies from pupae
3. Availability of a greenhouse with forage plants of imagos and caterpillars for egg
production 4. Creating breeding conditions
5. Availability of sufficient forage plants or their substitutes to feed the caterpillars

Obtaining crops directly from butterfly farms located in their natural habitats has recently become possible thanks to the development of the Internet and express mail. The main problem here is the Russian customs, which is simply catastrophically bureaucratic and corrupt. Most types of butterflies sold on farms go through the pupal stage in two to three weeks, and this is the time limit that you need to meet during transportation - time for shipment, registration of permits, etc. Customs officers may delay pupae in the warehouse for various reasons, and frosts in winter are an additional problem here. I know of cases when customs officers simply froze tropical pupae that were not adapted to such low temperatures. When removing the problem with customs, receiving pupae is not a big problem. Here are the website and email addresses of some of the farms that sell baby pupae:

Philippines-

Leodegario Layron
insectfarm@yahoo.com
MARL INSECTS AND BUTTERFLY CULTURE
P.O.Box 4 Amoingan, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines
tel. no. 042-332-1558
Fax.no. 0063-423-321-558

Palawan Lepidoptera Farm
P.O.Box 171, Puerto Princesa City, 5300 Palawan, Philippines. Tel./Fax (+63) 48 433 5795 e-mail: janp@mozcom.com

WHS Butterfly Farm
info@marinduque-butterfly.com
www.marinduque-butterfly.com

Joseph Malangis
jayehm90@yahoo.com
JLM butterfly & Insect Culture
P.O.Box 02 Gasan Marinduque
4905 Philippines
tel;00639185973748

http://www.tropicalbutterfly.netfirms.com/feedback.htm
info_tbf@yahoo.com

But don't contact us here, Jan Petersen is a fraud. Tested on our own bitter experience and confirmed by foreign colleagues-

http://www.freewebs.com/palawanbutterflyworld/
Palawan Lepidoptera Farm
P.O.Box 171, Puerto Princesa City, 5300 Palawan, Philippines. Tel./Fax (+63) 48 433 5795 e-mail: janp@mozcom.com

---------------------------------

Costa Rica-

http://www.infocostarica.com/butterfly/pricelist.htm

http://www.butterflyfarm.co.cr/cres/index.htm

------------------------------------

Great Britain-

LONDON PUPAE SUPPLIES
http://www.oxfly.co.uk
lpscontact@btconnect.com

TROPICAL PUPAE SUPPLIES
4 CORNDEAN,
TEAL FARM, WASHINGTON,
TYNE & WEAR,
NE38 8TB,
ENGLAND,
UK
Tel: 0044 191 497 2920
Fax: 0044 191 497 2920
www.tpsuk.com
melpchar@aol.com

STRADFORD BUTTERFLY FARM
http://www.butterflyfarm.co.uk
info@butterflyfarm.co.uk

---------------------------------

China-

www.butterflybest.com
order@butterflybest.com

--------------------------------

Recently, there have been dealers in the CIS offering pupae at reasonable prices.
One of these dealers is Oleg Zakurkin, who lives in Kiev -

babochka@ipnet.kiev.ua
zakurkin@mail.ru
www.babochka.kiev.ua

To remove the resulting pupae, you do not need particularly complex equipment. You need a cage (the size depends on the number of butterflies hatched), made of a rigid frame and covered with a sieve (tulle, for example). The best way is to glue the pupa to the cremaster (the pointed end of the pupa from the side of the abdomen is the top of its last segment) with a small drop of PVA glue or medical BF. Pupae are glued to wooden sticks or hard thick straws, fixed horizontally inside the cage. This allows the butterfly that has emerged from the pupa to spread its wings. It is necessary to place the pupae in the cage in such a way that neighboring pupae do not interfere with the butterflies to spread their wings. You can not hang the pupae, but simply lay them out on the floor of the cage, but in this case the percentage of marriage during breeding may increase. Humidity in the cage should be high - not less than 80%. Temperature - +25+30C. Lighting is desirable to make it muted and uniform, then the butterfly will not actively crawl into the light. Humidity in the cage can be ensured by covering the cage with a waterproof film, or by attaching layers of plexiglass, polycarbonate, etc. to the frame to avoid evaporation of moisture from the cage. The bottom of the cage can be covered with a layer of moistened felt or filled with expanded clay, which is also periodically moistened. Butterflies spread and dry their wings for about two to three hours (depending on the size of the butterfly). A butterfly with dried wings, as a rule, begins to behave actively - flutter around the cage. They should be immediately transplanted into a greenhouse (winter garden, greenhouse) or aviary.

An ideal option for breeding tropical butterflies is to have a greenhouse with the conditions of a humid rainforest inside - high humidity (over 80%) and a temperature of +25+30C. An important condition for breeding tropical day butterflies is good illumination of the greenhouse, without which the butterflies will not be active enough. The greenhouse should contain food plants for caterpillars of bred species, flowering plants and feeders for feeding imagos (the butterflies themselves). Feeders are transparent tables placed at a level of about one and a half meters from the floor. In the tables, holes are drilled into which thin cones or tubes are inserted with a 10% solution of honey or fructose. Around the opening for the flask with the solution, draw a bright color (preferably reflecting the ultraviolet part of the spectrum visible to butterflies) - red, blue, yellow, a circle imitating a flower. This additionally attracts butterflies to the feeder. You can simply place a sponge with honey solution in bright plastic bowls on the table. Many species of butterflies prefer to feed not on flowers, but on rotting fruit, tree sap, manure, and even carrion. For such butterflies, a saucer with cut juicy fruits is placed on the feed table - slices of oranges, bananas (preferably slightly overripe), apples, pears, etc.The presence of food plants of caterpillars and flowering plants is favorable for stimulating mating of butterflies. Without these factors, many species simply do not mate. The size of the greenhouse is also important, as some species require enough space to fly. The size of the greenhouse 5X3 meters and a height of 2-3 meters allows you to breed even many birdwings and morphids. Many butterflies, for example, representatives of the Heliconiidae family, can be bred in grazdo smaller volumes-2X2X2 m. Western literature even provides drawings of indoor enclosures for breeding heliconids and other small butterflies (Greta oto, for example). In addition to diurnal butterflies, many species of crepuscular (Caligo spp.) species are now available, for them, as well as for species living under the jungle canopy, bright light is not needed, but you need to carefully monitor the temperature, because in the tropics it remains high around the clock. After mating, females start looking for caterpillar food plants to lay their eggs. Forage plants must be healthy, pest-free, and untreated with chemicals. The best fertilizer for them in every sense is an infusion of manure (horse, cow, bird). Below is a list of forage plants for some of the available tropical butterflies.

PAPILIONIDAE
Ornithoptera priamus-Aristolochia tagala (family of Kirkazonaceae-Aristolochiaceae). As a substitute for food for caterpillars, the species Aristolochia clematitis, growing in our latitudes, is suitable.
Troides spp. - Aristolochia tagala.
Papilio spp. - Citrus spp., Euodia spp., Toddalia asiatica, Zanthoxylum spp., Atalantia spp.and many other plants of the Rutaceae family. A good substitute is the plants of our latitudes-Ruta graveolens (sweet rue) and Phellodendron amurense (Amur velvet).
Graphium spp. - Annona spp. (Annonaceae - Анноновые), Cinnamomum spp. (the Laurel family-Lauraceae).
Atrophaneura spp. - Aristolochia spp. As a substitute, the species Aristolochia mandschuriensis, growing in the open ground of the middle zone, is possible.
Pachliopta spp. - Aristolochia spp. Substitutes from our latitudes-Aristolochia mandschuriensis, Aristolochia clematitis.
Parides spp. - Aristolochia spp. Substitutes from our latitudes-Aristolochia mandschuriensis, Aristolochia clematitis.

MORPHIDAE
Morpho peleides - Mucuna spp., Inga spp., Macharium spp., Pterocarpus spp., Lonchocarpus spp., Platymiscium spp., Swatria spp., Dahlbergia spp., Paragonia spp. (the Legume family is Fabaceae). As substitutes for caterpillars, representatives of the same legume family growing in our latitudes are suitable-Robinia pseudoacacia (Robinia, white acacia), Medicago spp. (alfalfa), Trifolium spp. (clover), Wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria).The caterpillars also eat the leaves of Arachis hypogaea.

BRASSOLIDAE
Caligo spp. - Musa spp. (banana), Canna spp. (canna), Hedychium spp. Calathea spp.

NYMPHALIDAE
Cethosia hypsea - Passiflora cerulea (Passifloraceae), Adenia spp.
Hypolimnas bolina - Ipomoea batatus, Calystegia sepium (Convolvulaceae), Sida rombifolia (Malvaceae). As a substitute, the usual stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is suitable, on which this species even lays eggs.
Junonia (=Precis) octavia - Coleous spp., Plectranthus spp. (Lamiaceae).
Phalanta phalanta - Flacourtia indica, Trimeria grandifolia (Flacourtiacae). Butterflies also lay their eggs on substitutes of our latitudes-Salix. spp. (willow), Populus alba (white poplar).

DANAIDAE
Danaus plexippus - Asclepias spp.(Asclepiadaceae).
Danaus chrysippus - Asclepias spp., Hoya spp., Tweedia cerulea (Asclepiadaceae).
Euploea core - Nerium oleander (Apocyanaceae), Asclepias curassavica (Asclepiadaceae), Ficus spp. (Moraceae).
Euploea mulciber - Nerium oleander (Apocyanaceae), Ficus spp. (Moraceae).
Idea leuconoe - Parsonsia helicandra, P.spyralis (Apocyanaceae), Tylophora hispida (Asclepiadaceae).

HELICONIIDAE
Agraulis vanillae - Passiflora ligularis, P.auriculata, P.foetida (Passifloraceae).
Dion juno - Passiflora edulis, P.vitifolia, P.alata, P.platyloba (Passifloraceae).
Dryas julia - Passiflora cerulea, P.biflora, P.rubra, P.sanguinolenta, P.suberosa (Passifloraceae).
Heliconius haritonius - Passiflora cerulea, P.rubra, P.suberosa, P.bryanoides, P.morifolia (Passifloraceae).
Heliconius erato - Passiflora biflora, P.rubra, P.sanguinolenta, P.coreaceae, P.talamancensis (Passifloraceae).
Heliconius hecale - Passiflora auricalata, P.oerstedii, P.manicata, P.platyloba, P.vitifolia (Passifloraceae).
Heliconius melpomene - Passiflora cerulea, P.oerstedii, P.manicata (Passifloraceae).
Heliconius sara - Passiflora auricalata (Passifloraceae).
Philaetria dido - Passiflora edulis, P.vitifolia, P.ambigua (Passifloraceae).

SATYRIDAE
Elymnias hypermnestra-Howeia (=Kentia) forsteriana, Cocos nucifera, Phoenix dactylifera and other palm trees.

ITHOMIIDAE
Greta oto - Cestrum spp. (Solanaceae).

PIERIDAE
Hebomoia glaucippe - Cleome spinosa, Capparis moonii, Crataeva religiosa (Capparidaceae).

It should be noted that butterflies do not lay eggs on all types of substitutes, for example, Morpho peleides, most Papilionidae, etc., and often refuse to lay eggs at all on their native food plant.
Some species of butterflies that have an open genome (for example, sailboats) can be bred without a greenhouse. In this case, the so-called "manual pairing" method is used. The male should be prepared in the cage for 3-4 days. The cage can be an ordinary aquarium, covered from the inside with gauze or tulle (to make it easier to crawl). Warm them with a lamp and feed them well with a 5-10% solution of fructose or honey. To do this, a bowl with a moistened cotton wool of fructose solution is placed in the cage (change daily). It would also be good to feed them additionally, holding the wings and carefully unwinding the proboscis with a pin, submerging it in a drop of solution. Hungry butterflies begin to greedily drink it at the same time. Males should be actively flying and ripe for mating, while females should be as fresh as possible. A female who has lived for 2-3 days may already be unsuitable for mating. Although, if you keep the females in the refrigerator at +10C (at a lower temperature, tropical butterflies do not feel well and often die), humidity, they can remain "suitable" for mating for 2 weeks.
When mating, the male and female are joined by the genitals, while the male's valvae and uncus should be wide open, and then close on the female's abdomen. The male freezes and hangs on to the female. If the couple does not want to mate, then after 2-3 attempts it is necessary to give them a rest. Try changing pairs. After mating (which Papilio lasts 1-2 hours), the female is put in a cage with fresh food plants, which is placed in the sun or under a lamp. The female must eat well so that her eggs mature. Feed in the same way as males before mating. It is necessary to ensure high humidity - in order to avoid drying out of moisture-loving species. Males can be mated again (after a 2-3-day break and feeding), but the percentage of fertilized eggs will decrease. Females need a place to flutter, otherwise the eggs will not mature normally.

Eggs for breeding should be kept in a closed petri dish (or container like that) with a napkin on the bottom and a leaf of the feed plant. Change the napkin and leaf daily so that they don't get moldy.
At the first 2 instars, the caterpillars of most butterfly species are kept in closed containers with ventilation, napkins on the bottom and twigs of a food plant, which are changed daily.
In general, it is best to feed butterfly caterpillars on live plants in pots, and you can also make a sieve bag and put it on the branches of a feed plant right in the garden, and put caterpillars inside the bag. Tie the bag tightly so that ants, spiders and other predators do not eat the caterpillars.
It is possible on bouquets placed in water, but some species will die at the same time from excess water in the leaves, while it is necessary to tightly seal the neck of the bubble or cans so that the caterpillars do not get there and do not sink. Do not put the caterpillars in the open sun in closed cages! The density of caterpillar planting should be sparing, overpopulation easily causes stress in caterpillars, and contributes to the instant spread of diseases. The ideal option is to grow caterpillars in individual containers. The caterpillars of many species of butterflies are very voracious, for example, representatives of the genus Caligo of the Brassolidae family, the caterpillars of tropical sailboats (Papilionidae) are mostly also large and require a lot of food. There are semi-synthetic artificial feeds for caterpillars, but creating such a balanced feed is a very difficult task. In addition, the fertility of butterflies grown in artificial environments becomes noticeably lower.
After pupation, the finished pupae are collected and placed in the hatchery. The loop is finished.

http://butterfliesetc.com/handpairbutterflymonarch1.php - manual pairing of Danaus plexxipus (!!!)

Wah!!! How beautiful!
Exploring the topic.