Painted Lady Butterfly
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1. you place a potted plant in the cage the females will deposit most of their eggs on it Fertile eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days For more information on the care of eggs see section 4 below 4 Eggs Note We recommend beginning with eggs only if you have experience raising painted lady butterflies and you are willing to accept a possibly higher mortality rate for larvae than you are accustomed to when using our 5 larvae cups Newly hatched larvae are tiny and can dehydrate rapidly They will die if you are not well prepared Immediate Care and Handling Open the shipping container and locate a plastic bag containing a small tube Examine the tube to ensure that it is undamaged It contains 30 to 35 eggs that will hatch in 3 to 5 days You may be able to delay hatching for a few days by refrigerating the eggs at 45 to 50 F 7 to 10 C Hatching Eggs and Culturing Larvae Transfer the eggs to a container with food for hatching We recommend our Painted Lady Culture Medium item 144043 as a food A 16 0z or larger container with lid facilitates hatching Use a push pin to make a few small holes in the lid but do not make the holes too large or the tiny larvae may escape Place a layer of food in the bottom of the container This layer should not be over 6 mm deep Note Do not place the eggs in direct contact with the food as the food will absorb water from the eggs and kill them Instead cut a piece of waxed paper about 1 square a2. 5551 then select Customer Service Technical Support and Questions caresheets carolina com CAROLINA World Class Support for Science amp Math 2011 Carolina Biological Supply Company
3. Painted Lady Butterfly A CAROLINA CareSheet Customer Information Your painted lady butterfly order was one of the following listed in order of popularity Larvae in self contained cultures with food item 144005 and 144024 Larvae food sets item 144070 and 144076 for use with classroom kits 1 2 3 Adults item 144079 4 Eggs item 144078 5 Chrysalis item 144030 Please find the option below that pertains to your painted lady butterfly order Carefully read and follow all instructions concerning your materials 1 Larvae in Self Contained Cultures with Food Painted Lady Butterfly Culture item 144005 our most popular format and the one we recommend using unless you have a classroom kit includes 5 larvae in an 8 oz cup with food Can be used as a refill for Carolina s Painted Lady Butterfly Amazing Bugs Kit item 144084 Live Painted Lady Butterfly Larvae item 144024 comes in a pack of 3 and item 144026 comes ina pack of 12 each pack includes 2 larvae in 1 0z cups with food Immediate Care and Handling Remove the cup s from the shipping container and ensure that they are undamaged The cup s contain the larvae with enough food to grow them to maturity Maintaining and Culturing Larvae Place the cups in indirect light or room light Note Do not place cups in direct sunlight which can overheat the cups and kill the larvae Kept at room temperature larvae mature in 5 to 10 days Then t
4. ach maturity Use a small brush or swab to transfer one larva into each cup There is enough space and food in each cup to grow no more than 2 larvae to maturity Place a tissue over the mouth of the cup and snap on a lid Trim the excess paper See section 1 above for more information on caring for the larvae and chrysalises See section 3 below for information on feeding the butterflies 3 Adults We recommend adult butterflies for releases at special events workshops and displays Adult butterflies are sold individually If you wish to order large quantities of adults we require 3 weeks advance notice so we can have the specified number of adults available Immediate Care and Handling Adult butterflies arrive in cups containing folded paper towel The butterflies are in the folds Upon receipt open the lid of the cup just enough to peer inside and confirm that the butterflies are in good condition Housing Adult butterflies require a flight cage We recommend our Butterfly Sanctuary item 674291 for up to 35 adult butterflies Our Butterfly Display Cage item 671493 makes an attractive display at a school science center or special event These cages have soft sides that protect the butterflies wings and keep them looking fresh longer To transfer the butterflies set the shipping cup in the cage and remove the lid Carefully pull out the paper towel with one hand while using the other to remove any butterflies that
5. cling to the paper towel Wad the toweling and remove it with the cup then close the cage If you are planning to release the butterflies it is best to give them a day to feed and recover from shipment Feeding Butterflies need sugar to power their flight muscles They do not require other food To make food for your adult butterflies dissolve 2 teaspoons of sugar in cup of water Keep the solution refrigerated when not in use Replace the sugar water solution every other day With proper nutrition adult butterflies generally live for 1 to 2 weeks sometimes as long as 3 weeks Note Do not put an open container of liquid food in your butterfly habitat Butterflies will fall into it and drown You can make a feeder from a small empty plastic bottle or vial with a lid a Clean the container and lid with a mild solution of household bleach and water 1 part bleach in 9 parts water b Rinse the bottle thoroughly with water and fill it with sugar water solution c Rollup a piece of paper towel to make a wick Punch a hole in the bottle s lid large enough to easily insert the wick d Dip the wick into the sugar water solution and then squeeze out the excess e Insert the wick into the hole in the lid leaving approximately 34 extending out the top of the lid Place the lid on the bottle Providing For Egg Laying Females Your female butterflies may lay eggs 5 to 7 days after emerging Look for pinhead sized mint green dots If
6. e larvae out of the cup It is best not to open the cup until you are ready to move the chrysalises into the flight cage Harmful salts and oils from your hands can transfer to the caterpillars during handling Opening the cup can also allow bacteria or mold to enter which could spoil the food My caterpillars aren t growing What s wrong There are several possibilities the most common is low temperature at night and over the weekend Also the caterpillars may be preparing to molt My caterpillars are turning red or pink What s wrong The caterpillars have a bacterial infection that will kill them Contact Carolina Customer Service 800 334 5551 for replacements Discard all infected caterpillars Also discard equipment that had contact with them or treat the equipment with a bleach solution 1 part bleach in 9 parts water and rinse well before reusing The caterpillars are so hungry that they are eating away the paper at the top of the cup The caterpillars chew the paper in an effort to move beyond the cup because they are responding to an instinctive urge to disperse before molting into a chrysalis Few caterpillars engage in this interesting behavior pattern If it becomes a problem clean and dry your hands then remove the old paper and replace it with a fresh piece of tissue paper Avoid papers that contain perfumes or lotions You will not have to replace the paper again the caterpillars are too close to molting to ea
7. hey climb to the top of the cup attach to its tissue paper cover and molt into a chrysalis a type of pupa Leave the cup undisturbed for at least 1 to 2 days or until the chrysalises darken which indicates that they have hardened You must have a butterfly cage prepared at this point Open the cup and remove the paper with the hardened chrysalises attached Pin or tape the paper to the inside of the cage to either the top or side so that the chrysalises hang in a natural position A soft sided cage such as our Carolina Butterfly Sanctuary item 674291 for up to 35 butterflies or Amazing Bugs Habitat item 144092 for up to 8 butterflies works best You can also make a cage from a box or other materials See section 3 below for information on feeding adult butterflies 2 Larvae Food Sets For Use With Classroom Kits Painted Lady Butterfly Culture Components 33 Larvae Food Set item 144070 includes 1 cup each of larvae and food Painted Lady Butterfly Culture Components 60 to 75 Larvae Food Set item 144072 includes 2 cups each of larvae and food Immediate Care and Handling Remove the cups from the shipping container and inspect them to be certain they have arrived in good condition These are replacement sets for our Butterflies in the Classroom Kits item 144014 and 144015 and for the STC Program The Life Cycle of Butterflies Unit Kit item 971501AV and 971501U2 Use these sets the day you receive them
8. issue paper Open the cup carefully unfold the tissue paper and confirm that the chrysalis is intact Obtaining Adult Butterflies from the Chrysalis We supply the chrysalis as an example of a stage in the life cycle of an insect with complete metamorphosis however the chrysalis is alive and most will produce an adult butterfly If the chrysalis is attached to the tissue paper pin or tape the tissue paper to the inside of a cage as instructed above in section 1 Maintaining and culturing larvae If the chrysalis is not attached to the tissue paper you can attach it easily Place a small drop of a white water based non toxic school glue Elmer s glue ora similar product on the tissue paper Use a pencil or toothpick to move the chrysalis until the tip of its abdomen is in the glue You can identify the abdomen because it is more pointed than the head It may have some tissue paper attached and the old larval skin which looks like a spiky ball may be attached near the abdominal tip Allow the glue to dry overnight before pinning the paper inside the cage To feed the adult butterfly see section 3 above FAQ s My caterpillars are not moving Are they dead Probably not Caterpillars often rest for hours at a time especially just before molting To see if a caterpillar is alive open the cup and gently touch the caterpillar with the tip of a soft brush This should cause the caterpillar to move if only slightly Can I tak
9. nd fold the edges to make a shallow pan Gently dump the eggs onto the paper and place the waxed paper pan on the food As they hatch the larvae will crawl off the paper onto the food and begin to eat See sections 1 and 2 Maintaining and culturing larvae and section 3 Feeding for more information on caring for larvae chrysalises and adults You can also raise larvae on plants although it is better to hatch eggs on our food and not move the larvae for 5 to 6 days Larvae grow quickly and can decimate several plants so have an adequate supply of plants before beginning Once larvae have fed on plants they may not accept our food Suitable plants include mallow hollyhock daisy purple coneflower black eyed Susan Rudbeckia and thistle Pick leaves from a plant and place them in a container with lid then transfer eggs or larvae onto the leaves You can also transfer larvae onto plants growing in a garden Note Make sure there are no residual pesticides on any plants you plan using with any stage of butterfly 5 Chrysalis Chrysalises provide a quick way to obtain adult butterflies for workshops life cycle displays and other uses Chrysalises are sold individually If you wish to order large quantities of chrysalises we require 3 weeks advance notice so we can have the specified number available Immediate Care and Handling Open the shipping container and locate the small cup that contains the chrysalis wrapped in t
10. or by the day after you receive them Note There is not enough food or space in the shipping cup to grow the larvae to maturity If left in the shipping cup most of the larvae will die We recommend these sets only if you have a kit containing the needed supplies other than the larvae and food These sets ship without instructions since you are expected to use the instructions included with your kit Note To ensure that the specified number of larvae emerge as healthy adults additional larvae are supplied with both sizes of larvae sets However the quantity of food supplied is only sufficient for the number of larvae specified in each set You must purchase additional food if you wish to maintain the additional larvae Maintaining and Culturing Larvae Refer to your kit teacher s manual for instructions on setting up individual student 1 oz cups If you do not have a kit you should order a Culture Cup Set item 144068 which includes 33 one oz cups lids and tissues for each set of 33 larvae and food Rinse your hands well under running tap water and dry them before beginning Use a clean plastic spoon to transfer 1 level teaspoon of food into each 1 0z cup Lightly press the food into the bottom of the cup to create a good seal The food should not be over 4 6 mm deep Note f the food is deeper than you may run out of food before filling all the cups or there may not be enough space in the over filled cups for the larva to re
11. s produce a cocoon which is a silk case that contains a pupa The chrysalis fell to the bottom of the cup What should I do Follow the instructions in section 5 for attaching the chrysalis to the paper Can my butterflies feed from flowers Yes nectar from flowers is a natural food Place a pot of petunias marigolds or other flowering plants in the butterfly cage It may help to sprinkle the plants with sugar water solution You will probably see the butterflies feeding once they discover the flowers If you use cut flowers put them in a vase with a narrow neck so the butterflies cannot fall into the water and drown only see 2 pairs of legs on each butterfly What happened to the other pair The painted lady does not use its first pair of legs for walking Instead these legs are feathery and wrap around the butterfly s neck almost like a scarf How can I tell the male from the female Female butterflies have a larger more rounded abdomen than males This is due to the female s egg mass The male s abdomen when viewed from the top has fairly straight sides From the same view the sides of the female s abdomen curve outward Related Products Painted Lady Butterfly Culture Live Painted Lady Butterfly Larvae Painted Lady Butterfly Life Stages Eggs Painted Lady Butterfly Culture Components Problems We hope not but if so contact us We want you to have a good experience Orders and replacements 1 800 334
12. t through another piece What about air for the caterpillars Examine the cup s lid There should be some tiny holes punched in it If not punch 3 to 5 holes in it with a push pin The caterpillars do not need much air In fact too much air causes their food to become dry and inedible My butterflies just emerged and there is red liquid all over Is it blood Are my butterflies okay Your butterflies are fine The red liquid is not blood It is meconium liquid waste mixed with extra pigment left over from wing formation Try putting a paper towel in the bottom of the cage to absorb the mess nteresting fact insect blood is clear not red Some of the butterflies have crumpled wings What can I do When the butterflies first emerge their wings are crumpled and soft The butterfly pumps blood into its wings to expand them If the humidity is too low the wings may dry and harden before they can expand Try misting the inside of the cage with water to raise the humidity level and facilitate later emerging butterflies in properly expanding their wings Note Misting only prevents the wings from drying and hardening It will not reverse drying and hardening that has already occurred Once hardened the wing shape cannot be changed What is a chrysalis Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis have a 4 stage life cycle egg larva caterpillar pupa chrysalis and adult The chrysalis is a pupa with a hard outer shell Many moth
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