Breed and release

[chriscooper111]

I breed and release Peacocks and small tortoiseshells and normally have an 80% success rate. Normally find loads of tortoiseshells and struggle to find Peacocks this year though its the other way round. Sometimes lose 1or 2 to parasites that normally emerge with the butterflies. This year though out of the 12 caterpillars they all made the last moult but only 2 pupated and the rest just left a floppy skin with small red at first then turned black chrysalis in the box quite worrying but saved them to see what emerges. I had a similar problem with the first Peacocks only 3 survived. I changed my nettle patch and the next batch of 25 Peacock all went up and shed successfully and 100% emerged healthily I have another 30 in the bathroom should be emerging this week.

[chriscooper111]

[chriscooper111]

[chriscooper111]

[chriscooper111]

[chriscooper111]

[chriscooper111]

Another 25 nearly ready

[Jack Harrison]

See my report about unintentionally (well, almost unintentionally) large numbers of Orange Tips.

viewtopic.php?f=82&t=11748

I normally breed just five to 10 each year.

Jack