Care Guide: Painted Lady Butterfly

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 take larvae out of the cup?

It is best not to open the cup until you are ready to move the chrysalides 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 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 eat 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 OK?

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. Interesting 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 moths 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 the chrysalis section 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.

I 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 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.

My larvae have produced webbing. Why are they doing this?

This is a normal behavior for painted lady larvae. The webbing protects the larvae from predators and drying out. The larvae also use the webbing to grip onto their host plants as wind can blow them off the leaves.

How many molts do painted lady larvae undergo?

Painted lady larvae shed their exoskeletons 5 times during development. Each developmental stage is known as an instar.

There are brown balls appearing in my cup. What are they?

This material is called frass. Frass is waste from digestion of the larvae’s food.