Keeping and breeding butterflies

Roma, what pupae? Caterpillars should spend the winter there! And small caterpillars! They will dry out like cute ones on a drafty balcony, even if there is a little bit of earth in that jar. Well, of course, if you close it with a lid with small holes, after bringing the ground to natural humidity-another matter. But still, the refrigerator seems safer to me.

This post was edited by ENO-07.11.2015 00: 40

The refrigerator is just evil, everything dies and becomes moldy there. Caterpillars-it's over more serious, I did not winter the caterpillars, well, it means a 3l jar with half the earth, moisten the ground to a state of wet friability, foliage on top or moss well, and fabric on the neck so that the ventilation was not very dry, business is)

I remembered that I once had the experience of wintering a poplar hawk moth in a cardboard box on a then-open balcony. But the hawk moth hatched some kind of weakened in the second half of April (like it was 2009) and could not fly. Although, as it seems to me now, he could not fly, because the weather itself was still cool then.

This post was edited by Wave Storm - 07.11.2015 01: 53

I remembered that I once had the experience of wintering a poplar hawk moth in a cardboard box on a then-open balcony. But the hawk moth hatched some kind of weakened in the second half of April (like it was 2009) and could not fly. Although, as it seems to me now, he could not fly, because the weather itself was still cool then.

Maybe he was underfed.

This post was edited by Wave Storm-today, 01: 53

Did you also get an editorial bias from Esox? )

I'm sorry that you have such a refrigerator, in which everything is moldy. On the contrary, it freezes out (if without packaging), so I dried different mushrooms for the collection entirely, which are usually not dried at all: syroezhki, oyster mushrooms. okoem, AVA and a whole bunch of people spend the winter of various creatures in the refrigerator with good results. So that's not where your refrigerator grows in the future.

A rag on the balcony may not be enough. Better cover with small holes. Unless, of course, you are tempted by the prospect of daily watering. I would take coconut substrate instead of earth - it is much easier to maintain stable moisture conditions in it. But not the fact that the caterpillars will take it for the ground and dig in.

I dried all the different mushrooms for the collection, which are usually not dried at all: syroezhki, oyster mushrooms. okoem, AVA and a whole bunch of people

Somehow Ezox smoothly and naturally mushrooms went into "a whole bunch of people"))

This is you, Roma, the brain smoothly turns into... see my post in the topic about alcohol. And there is a dot there. I recommend reading the third-grade Russian language textbook, which explains in a simple and understandable language, even for representatives of the highest races, what this punctuation sign means.

In the same textbook, I suspect that something is written that the sentence should start with a capital letter)))

Unlike you, nicknames of other users (except yours, of course) I always always copy without changes. Who is to blame if okoem is named with a small letter?

Mdaaa..

Dear forumchane, caterpillars emerged from the grena Dendrolimus superans (Butler, 1877). They eat larch. In length, they reached 5.5 cm. Larch is already turning yellow, soon they will have nothing to eat. I read that the pine cocoonworm overwinters once, twice, and even three times. Caterpillars should be removed in the cold, for example in the refrigerator? Do they need to put dry leaves on the bottom of the container? Or do you need land for minks, like a pine tree? Is it already possible to get it in January? You can't, because they have nothing to eat. They will already pupate without a forage plant on the second wintering?? In general, how to properly bring caterpillars to imago? Especially if I'm away for a month in the summer.
The larches were already crumbling. Caterpillars eat less, especially the amount of excrement is noticeable. Please advise me what to do next?

Pictures:

DSC_0053___________1.jpg — (2.91 mb)

Dear forumchane, caterpillars emerged from the grena Dendrolimus superans (Butler, 1877). They eat larch. In length, they reached 5.5 cm. Larch is already turning yellow, soon they will have nothing to eat. I read that the pine cocoonworm overwinters once, twice, and even three times. Caterpillars should be removed in the cold, for example in the refrigerator? Do they need to put dry leaves on the bottom of the container? Or do you need land for minks, like a pine tree? Is it already possible to get it in January? You can't, because they have nothing to eat. They will already pupate without a forage plant on the second wintering?? In general, how to properly bring caterpillars to imago? Especially if I'm away for a month in the summer.
The larches were already crumbling. Caterpillars eat less, especially the amount of excrement is noticeable. Please advise me what to do next?

I keep it like this on a glass-enclosed balcony

Macrothylacia rubi dug herself into the moss I put her in

I would not recommend offering your caterpillars leaves, because after moistening them, they will become moldy, and this is bad for the caterpillars.
Wipes and moss (moss antiseptic)
And here is an article by V. K. Stroganova on the maintenance and breeding of sawflies. which was sent to me by Insctamo, can also be very useful for breeding butterflies.




This post was edited by Gennadich - 11.11.2015 16: 02

...The larches were already crumbling. Caterpillars eat less, especially the amount of excrement is noticeable. Please advise me what to do next?

It is good that they eat less, most likely they are already ready for wintering. Lower the temperature of the content (to 7-13 degrees Celsius approximately), they should stop eating completely. And then-place it for the winter. Or as Gennadich suggested, or in the refrigerator, in the compartment for vegetables. The container should not be sealed, of course, a jar/container with the lid slightly open or covered with a thick cloth will do.
In general, when wintering caterpillars, it is important to control the humidity, the caterpillars of moisture-loving species often dry out, especially if the wintering temperature is slightly too high. In this case, it is better to get out from time to time and check, if it is dry, spray a little from a spray gun, and excessive dampness and mold will damage, so you should not use soil or leaf litter.
By the way, some caterpillars can drink water and can be watered.

I have Macrothylacia rubi also in the refrigerator since October 5 sit 2 pcs. Once every 10 days I spray moss from the "pshikalki" for flowers. And the last time (3 days ago) I took it out to once again zilch, and the lid of the container is tied to the moss with threads! Why did they do this?

... the lid of the container is tied to the moss with threads! Why did they do this?

Some wintering caterpillars build a shelter for themselves from slightly bonded fallen leaves, grasses, etc.

Yes, I also think so, but why they did not do it right away, and after a month it is not clear.
I guess I get it. My wife defrosted the refrigerator just recently, maybe this 3-hour warming activated them a little?

This post was edited by Vasily penza - 12.11.2015 06: 17

Siberian cocoonworm caterpillars spend the winter on the balcony.
Question: since they eat pine, can you get them from the balcony in winter and feed them?

Siberian cocoonworm caterpillars spend the winter on the balcony.
Question: since they eat pine, can you get them from the balcony in winter and feed them?

You Can

I picked up a pine hawk moth pupa on a frosty day in September. From the asphalt, where the wipers tear out the leaves with grass. This pupa is still on the cabinet. Question:
1) is it too late to put this pupa in the refrigerator? She's already wagging her tail!
2) isn't the refrigerator cold for her? - measured, 3 degrees of heat in total! In the vegetable department.
3) is it possible to sprinkle the pupa with ordinary small pine sawdust, which is sold for rodents?
4) which is better-a wooden tea box or a cardboard box?
I am an amateur, the pupa was identified by specialists of this and another specialized site.
And I can bring her back if anyone wants to take her in. I have cats!

Pictures:

DSCN8240_1.jpg — (83.71к)

I picked up a pine hawk moth pupa on a frosty day in September. From the asphalt, where the wipers tear out the leaves with grass. This pupa is still on the cabinet. Question:
1) is it too late to put this pupa in the refrigerator? She's already wagging her tail!
2) isn't the refrigerator cold for her? - measured, 3 degrees of heat in total! In the vegetable department.
3) is it possible to sprinkle the pupa with ordinary small pine sawdust, which is sold for rodents?
4) which is better-a wooden tea box or a cardboard box?
I am an amateur, the pupa was identified by specialists of this and another specialized site.
And I can bring her back if anyone wants to take her in. I have cats!

1. It's not too late. Just right. On the contrary, if it stops moving, it means it's too late.
2. Just right!
3. You can.
4. Whatever, the main thing is that it does not close tightly.

Thanks! All done! And when to get it?

Take it out when the temperature outside is equal or almost equal to the temperature in the room.

The caterpillar Hyphoraia aulica woke up and shed immediately . What can I feed her now?

I ate young dandelion leaves

As for the moss, I guessed even earlier (I took a certain amount directly from the place of capture of the female). I understood about the leaves, but wouldn't it be better to add pine needles, because butterflies live in pine forests?
And then, whether you need earth at the bottom of the box, and what humidity and temperature you need to maintain and what time, when to put them (now or in a week) and when to wake them up later: in the spring or you can, for example, on New Year's Eve, they will no longer need food.

Alexander and all forum participants, please advise me.
In November, I met a small caterpillar, Pericallia matronula, under the branches of a larch tree. In my garden in September, they were much larger. I took the baby home, she faded and spent the winter on the cold windowsill. A month ago I woke up, changed my outfit 2 more times, became so fluffy. Is it time to send her for a second winter or should she be darker and stop eating? Is it possible to avoid the second winter camp?

Pictures:

DSC_0110____.jpg — (55.23к)

What can you feed the Macrothylacia rubi caterpillar now?

I have no idea who it is, but judging by the generic epithet, it must be plants of the genus Rubus, that is, raspberries and various blackberries. Among the blackberries, by the way, there are evergreens, but raspberries have also already opened their leaves in places. You can also try rosehip, when feeding stick insects, these two plant genera are in most cases interchangeable. Our rosehip has already opened almost all of it, and the remaining one will open during a day of standing in a warm jar of water. And in a good way, we should look for a list of forage plants...

What can you feed the Macrothylacia rubi caterpillar now?

Do not feed anything - after leaving the wintering ground, it crawls for a while and then pupates without taking food.

Do not feed anything - after leaving the wintering ground, it crawls for a while and then pupates without taking food.

Thanks!
What are the best conditions for pupation?
Can I use napkins somehow ?

And in a good way, we should look for a list of forage plants...

I know the list of forage plants, but I just didn't find anything on the spot . And some caterpillars have peculiarities in feeding and pupating after wintering, which is why I asked .

Well, I suggested where to find some of them and what to do with them next, if the buds have not yet bloomed. No matter how the experience of getting rubus leaves in the non-vegetative period is very rich for me. And what are the specific features in which thrusting a forage plant into a container with a caterpillar is contraindicated? If it wants to, it will eat, if it doesn't want to, it will ignore it and pupate. What do we have to lose? The very spectrum of food plants with the change of seasons, butterflies, as far as I know, do not change, unlike, for example, aphids. So the essence of the question is " what to feed such and such a caterpillar in April?" it remained a mystery to me

This post was edited by ENO-04/05/2016 14: 51

Thanks!
What are the best conditions for pupation?
Can I use napkins somehow ?

At one time, I had three caterpillars of this species successfully wintered on the balcony in ordinary sawdust and, after being transferred to heat, pupated in them. The butterflies appeared three weeks after pupation.

I wintered in sphagnum, and in it they also began to weave cocoons on the 4th day after transferring to the heat . Of course they didn't eat anything.

Please tell me someone how to breed pigeons in captivity.
And, if anyone has such information, please tell me the caterpillars of which species of pigeon live without the help of ants.
Thank you in advance.

  
And, if anyone has such information, please tell me the caterpillars of which species of pigeon live without the help of ants.

With the help of ants, pigeons of the genus Phengaris (Maculinea) are fed. Well, others can be safely grown on their forage plants, they do not need ants

Nick444444 thank you very much, I have long wanted to keep and breed pigeons, but I still did not dare because they are bred with the help of ants

And I have Won cho right now! Betula, Alcifron and something from the same eggs as betula from the same plant. Who is this reddish type of civilian appearance?

Pictures:

DSC03120.JPG — (3.72мб)

Hello everyone Collected Arctia festiva and Arctia villica caterpillars (27 and 1)
Pupated all 100%! But that's not the point, the report, what and how I'll show you later.
4 - 3 females and a male have already come out. I put the first dried hebe in the freezer so as not to damage the copy...but the wings had shrunk, as if they weren't opening at all.
Need some advice: what is the best way to kill a butterfly so as not to spoil the specimen?
Thank you in advance!

Obviously, it was necessary to wait until the wings were fully hardened. And then kill them in any sophisticated way. The freezer is also quite suitable, and it can be stored in it for a very long time before setting without losing flexibility.