Rearing Notes

One of the best way for studium of butterflies and moths is to rear them in captivity. Most of the females will also lay their eggs in captivity. Laid eggs have to be kept in jars with a suitable moisture inside. Eggs often dry up if they are placed on the sunny places or in excessive heat. Do not put the plants into the jar together with eggs, because the plants expel toxins from their leaves and these toxins will kill the eggs.
I made a specieal tube or bottle which provides a very good conditions for growing of caterpillars. It is made from a plastic bottle (for example from some soda). Both ends of this bottle are cut out, while on the bottom of the bottle is stuck the tin lid. Then you have to make some holes to this lid through which are plants squeezed into the water jar. The upper opening is covered with a piece of the sieve. It is very easy to make this bottle. Larger bottle is better than small one, because you can put there more caterpillars and more food for them. You can also put the gravid females into this bottles and they will lay their eggs there. Then, when the caterpillars are hatched out, put some twigs of their host plant into the bottle and keep caterpillars inside. Try to avoid handling caterpillars and especially in the time when they are about to molt (they look dull and their heads are smaller and almost transparent). When it is necessary and you have to remove caterpillars for some reason, use a fine paintbrush. I usually remove caterpillars after the second or third moulting (most of the caterpillars moult four times) out of the bottle and I put them on the cut twigs of their host plant, which are squeezed through the holes in the lid of water jar and put them into the cage. If it is the species that feeds on low-growing plants, I put these caterpillars on the plants (like plantain (Plantago), violet (Viola) or grasses (Poaceae)) which naturaly grows in the flowerpot. Then I just simply cover this plant with a plastic bottle. The upper side of this bottle is covered with a sleeve. Or sometimes I also use a bigger plastic box which I cover with nesh sleeve and inside of which I plant the plants on which the larvae can easily feed. Some collectors keep caterpillars in a plastic boxes with a punched holes in the lid for better ventilation, but in these boxes not a big number of caterpillars can be kept and also plants that are placed inside of these boxes fade up too rapidly. The best way how to rear caterpillars is to make for them as natural conditions as it is possible. The great rearing technique is an outdoor sleeve. The sleeve is usually made from Remay cloth. You just simlpy cover the branches of the food tree with a sleeve and put some caterpillars into it. The sleeve looks like a large bag which is tighted with a string around the branch. Mesh cage also provides adequate conditions, because the ventilation is great and there also is enough space to put there cut plants in water jar so the caterpillars can feed on fresh leaves. It is necessary to change the old twigs and add new twigs with a fresh leaves. You also have to clean the cage from a dung. Some of the caterpillars also like to bask in the sun so you have to have some cages put on the sunny place. Most of the caterpillars that naturaly live in steppes or in other arid and sunny areas need for their surviving a very dry and sunny conditions (do not put these species into the bottle or any plastic boxes).
It is good if the cage has a deep bottom, because there also is a need to put earth, death leaves, rocks, pieces of grasses and barks and other natural things into the cage, so the pupating caterpillars can find a good places for their pupae. When the caterpillar is ready to pupate it always crawl a few hours in the cage, finding the best place to pupate. Most of the pupae pass the winter so the cages have to be placed outside of the house in autumn. Be sure to put these ,,overwintering‘‘ cages out of the sunshine and out of the rain. It is also needed to make an adequate moisture in the cages, with using a water spray. After the time are butterflies and moths hatched out from their pupae and they are ready to produce another generations.

Martin Jagelka