PROFESSIONAL BUTTERFLY FARMING PART I WORKSHOP ARTICLE 3.2. Larval Host Plants and Feeding Adults By Nigel Venters

Transcription

1

2 PROFESSIONAL BUTTERFLY FARMING PART I WORKSHOP ARTICLE 3.2 By Nigel Venters Introduction The aim of this article is to provide you with an understanding of how to choose and prepare yourself for growing host plants to feed your larvae. We will also cover selecting nectar plants for the adult butterflies and how to use both nectar plants and/or artificial nectar to feed your adult butterflies. This article is not intended to provide lengthy lists of host plants that all the different butterfly species lay on, as this would be an impossible task! The article will help guide you through some of the options for choosing host plants to feed your larvae. To start, I provide a brief description on artificial diets (for larvae) and how they work. Next, we will cover using natural, growing plants, and the options you have, in some detail. The article concludes by describing methods and options for feeding your adult butterflies. Artificial Diets Artificial diets are prepared for larvae in plastic cups with lids Page 1 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

3 There are several commercially-available, artificial diets for larvae, principally for breeding the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), but many other butterfly species can be bred on artificial diets, by giving a little attention to the host plant that the larvae feeds on. To date, and as far as I am aware, no one has perfected an artificial diet to feed Monarch larvae. The closest, and best artificial or instant diet product I have seen to breed Monarchs this way, was developed by Jacob Groth of Swallowtail farms in the U.S. Unfortunately, the overall success rate was still too low to be a commercially viable option for breeding Monarchs. This article is mainly focused on growing live host and nectar plants, and the use of artificial nectar for adult butterflies. It is not intended to expand information on artificial diets in depth. However, a further article in Part II of this workshop (Article 5.7) provides the latest and most efficient ways of using instant diets for feeding Painted Lady larvae. I do not have too much experience using artificial diets, and when I experimented with them, it was some 30 years ago! It is easy to buy commercially formulated artificial diets from a number of sources. This instant diet arrives as a bag full of dry mix for you to make up as per the recipe by the supplier. I thought it would be both interesting and valuable learning for you to read about how and why artificial diets work. One of the main benefits of using artificial diet is that it gives you the option to continue raising butterflies during the winter and colder months. In many areas, just before winter the natural host plant is cut back to the ground. So, utilizing artificial diet permits continued raising during the colder fall and winter months. Although we generally associate artificial diets with feeding Painted Lady (V. cardui) larvae, many other butterfly and moth species can be raised on artificial diet. The real key to artificial diets working is the ingredients. Any basic artificial diet mix can be altered to cope with whatever species you want to breed, by adding dried leaves of the true host plant. I guess that by doing this, the diet is truly a semi-artificial diet! However, there are always a few species that need just that little bit extra, and unfortunately, the Monarch is one of them, as it seems to need fresh cardiac glycosides to thrive! Many moth species are polyphytophagous, which means that they are not too fussy about what plant they eat! These species will take a standard artificial diet with no dried leaf additives from their natural host plants. Interestingly, many Pierids (the White butterflies) will also take an artificial diet with no dried host plant additives. This is surprising as many of these Whites will only choose plants from the Cabbage family to lay eggs on and feed, and this means they need mustard oil in its larval food. The downside is that although you can take many species of these Whites through to adults on artificial diet, the resulting adults will be sterile. Page 2 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

4 Using natural, live host plants always give me more satisfaction when breeding my butterflies. Here is one of the many Swallowtail host plants from the Wild Carrot family. Natural Host Plants An Overview In my long experience breeding butterflies, I found that you just can t beat nature. Using natural, growing host plants for larvae is the key to success when breeding butterflies. However, as you will see, it is also possible to use cut host plants when needed. I think it is very important here to mention that natural host plants means growing, healthy plants, either in the ground or a pot. Although less effective, this can also mean cut host plant stems, or even cut stems, standing in water. I mentioned that it would be an endless task trying to list all the host plants you may need. However, it is also worth mentioning that female butterflies are great botanists, and rarely make mistakes when selecting their host plants to lay their eggs. Butterflies are very selective about the host plants they use, and newly hatched larvae would rather starve to death than try and eat an unsuitable or incorrect host plant. Generally butterfly host plants can be divided into three groups, that all species abide by. 1. Optimum host plants Optimum host plants are the favored plants, that the butterfly chooses to lay eggs on. With species that have a wide distribution, for example, the U.S. Black Swallowtail, (Papilio polyxenes) optimum host plants can change over this range. This is due to the fact that not all plants grow equally well in all climates, and a large healthy plant in Michigan may be a just a poor struggling plant in Florida (or vice-versa). When using optimum host plants, you can expect a high success rate with your larval breeding. However, you do need to do a little legwork and find which optimum host plant species grows best where you live. Page 3 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

5 2. Suitable host-plants There are often many other suitable host plants, that ordinarily, may not be the first choice the females choose to lay eggs upon. However, the larvae can cope well with these, and again, a high success rate can be expected with your breeding. 3. Marginal host plants Marginal host plants are used as an act of desperation! And this is usually self-inflicted by the breeder, where one can t find an optimum or suitable host plant. Expect problems if you have to use these, as you may get many deaths and the larvae that do survive to pupation are normally far smaller than normal. Cosmos, an example of a marginal host-plant for the African Mocker Swallowtail, which normally only chooses plants from the Citrus family to lay on. It is a costly mistake when they sometimes lay on Cosmos, resulting in heavy losses and a few dwarf adults only may emerge. Choosing The Optimum Host Plants Where You Live Once you have decided on the butterfly species you want to breed, determine its list of optimum host plants. A good source of information is the Internet, and a Google search. Be aware that the list of host plants given under each species usually starts with the optimum host plants and then goes on to suitable host plants. As I mentioned, it is really important to use a host plant that grows really well where you live. Again, a good source is the Internet and a Google search, which covers wild plants in your own district. This is a great way to find the information you need. An example here is the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) which feeds on the various milkweeds. You will find that there are a number of different milkweed species, covering a wide range of the country. Not all of them will grow well where you live! Choose the best species for you! Page 4 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

6 Wow! Look at these big fat fellows! Monarch larvae on a milkweed vine the larvae will eat this particular milkweed, but the adults won t lay on it! Using Cut Host Plant Stems I next expand on how best to breed your larvae using cut stems, followed by breeding, using stems standing in water. Then we will move on to learn the benefits of using naturally growing host plants. There are always some exceptions to the rule of course, but in general, using cut plant material to feed your larvae can cause you problems! There may be times when you have no alternative other than to use a cut host plant to feed your larvae, and if you do so, you must make sure there is some airflow in the cage or box. Tight-fitting, plastic boxes are not suitable for raising larvae. The stress and condensation build-up inside the box will almost certainly lead to larval death (see Article Disease and Parasitoid Prevention). Young larval stages seem more tolerant of the closed conditions in boxes than the later instars. However, it is a fact that bacterial infections will begin and start to spread at the younger larval stages, resulting in death as the larvae develop. You will need to provide a balance of airflow, to prevent the rapid wilting of the cut host plant, and also prevent the buildup of condensation inside the box. The host plant will need to be changed daily. You can do this by inserting a netting mesh glued to cover a hole cut in the lid of the box. During experiments, I have found that using a Styrene box instead of the usual plastic boxes dramatically cuts down on condensation problems. However, regardless of which type of box you choose to use, it is important to line the bottom of the box with absorbent paper to trap excess moisture (and of course insert an airflow at the top). The easiest way to do this is with kitchen paper toweling. Remember that this paper towel needs to be regularly changed, when you add fresh host plant cuttings. Page 5 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

7 Some plants are just not suitable as cut stems. For example, many people use fennel, (Foeniculum vulgare) to breed many species of Swallowtails. Fennel wilts within minutes of being cut. Larvae really struggle to survive well on fennel when it is cut. Now back to the exceptions to the rule that I mentioned at the start of this section. I have plenty of space where I live, so using natural growing host plants is the best option for me. However, I am well aware that many breeders may have a limited space. So, I have experimented extensively with some of the more popular commercial butterfly species. My aim is to find viable options to breed them successfully, avoiding disease and other problems. If you do decide to use cut host plant stems in water.. Here are a few tips! 1. Use a bottle with a wide base, and a wide mouth to the top. This makes the bottle stable in your cage or breeding box. 2. Make a lid out of Styrofoam, and then make a slit with a knife before pushing the stems through. Larvae are pretty stupid, and will often crawl down into the water and drown themselves unless there is an effective barrier to prevent this happening. 3. Be selective about which host plants you use, and do some trials to see how well they perform when cut and kept in water. Some plants like Passiflora caerulea (Blue Passion vine) used for many Long Wing species, will actually thrive and even try to root when cut and kept like this. Other plants take up too much water! Page 6 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

8 Using Cut Host-Plant Stems Standing In Water Do be careful here when using cut host plant standing in water. The main problem here is that although the host plants will often live a lot longer standing in water, many (but not all) host plants uptake an unnatural amount of water into their foliage. This can often result in extreme cases of diarrhea in your larvae, causing stress, and (see Article 3.6 on diseases) can really cause a meltdown in your livestock! But of course, there are always some exceptions to this rule! Just to give a few examples here, Monarch larvae will always bite through the stem of the leaf of their host plant before they continue to feed. This is to reduce the excessive flow of cardiac glycoside poisons, and Monarch larvae are one of the few larvae that will cope quite well with host plants standing in water. Another example is using Passiflora for the Heliconid butterflies. Now before I continue here, it is important to know that not all Passiflora species react in the same way! Many cut Passiflora species collapse quickly in water. However, Passiflora caerulea (Blue Passion Flower) is exceptional. Passiflora caerulea actually does very well as a cut stem in water, and if left long enough will actually start rooting! As we know, breeding on a climbing vine can present problems, as a vine is difficult to sleeve. So, here is the perfect option when breeding your Longwings (Heliconid species). One way to judge if a host plant will be suitable when it is cut and standing in water is to look at the plant. For example, in temperate areas, stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are always happier growing in moist soil, and transfer quite well as cut stems into water. (They will collapse quickly without water!) When breeding temperate species such as the European Peacock (Inachis io), the Red Admirals, (Vanessa atalanta and other Red or Yellow Admirals from around the world) and both the European and North American Tortoiseshells (Aglais urticae and Aglais milberti), success can be achieved. You MUST change the cut host plant every day, even though the stems you put in the day before still look healthy. The excess water intake will in time take its toll on all the larvae of these species, if you fail to change the host plant daily. One real problem is the Mourning Cloak (in United Kingdom, known as the Camberwell Beauty - Nymphalis antiopa). This larvae feeds on Salix, (willow and other host plants such as elm, etc.) and is very intolerant of cut host plant in water. As the larvae progress through their instars, I really do recommend that you try and sleeve these larvae on growing host plant if you can do so, to avoid disaster right at the stage they begin to pupate! So the best way forward here? If you think this is the easiest method for you to use, and regardless of the butterfly species you are breeding, then change the cut host plant stems every day. In the end, with so many different butterfly species (which all react differently), it is for you to determine if this is a safe way to breed your butterflies. If you have any problems at all, then I recommend you revert back to growing host plants. Don t be too put off by the problems of cut host plants and feeding your larvae. Some larvae do well with care, and some will always fail. One important note for those that raise Monarchs! In my experience, most milkweed species soon collapse after cutting, and Page 7 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

9 feeding larvae on cut food in tubs (without standing the stems in water) will in the end, cause you serious problems. Of course, this can be done, but it is a lot of work to change host plant every day, change the toweling and sterilize the box! However, as usual, there is always another option to consider! Here s The Bomb! (English slang expression for huge success, most wonderful and awesome!) I am quite aware that not everyone has the space to grow host plants and protect them from wild Monarchs. (Remember, wild Monarchs are your worst enemy as it is these that spread O.e.!) So, here s an option for folk that would like to breed their Monarchs in a box and keep them totally free of any O.e. infection. I often use and experiment with a number of different Asclepias vines where I live in Argentina. These particular milkweed plant seeds may be difficult for you to obtain, but there is one vine that you should have no trouble getting seeds where you live. These seeds are for the Araujia sericifera, which is in the milkweed family (Asclepiacidae). This plant is also known as Moth plant, or Cruel plant. OK, what are the benefits of using this exciting food plant! Well, first of all, it is a very fast growing vine with large leaves. Its leaves are very thick, so this plant will produce more food than you would expect to get from any of the usual milkweed plants, and of course dwarfs all the Milkweed plants you are familiar with in size. So, for feeding and leaf output, it can t be beat! Even more important, the wild Monarchs will never visit this plant, and in extended trials, I have never had a single Monarch egg laid on this plant! Results, you ll never get a cross-contamination from O.e. when using this host plant. Just look at it, bursting through the roof of my greenhouse (photo below)! So why is this plant is so useful? It is a strange fact that although wild Monarchs will never lay a single egg on this plant, the Monarchs larvae simply thrive on it! The Monarch larvae just love it, and produce huge, healthy pupae! You just need to use your usual Asclepias host plants to get eggs, and then transfer them to this plant as young larvae. They will eat this plant without hesitation. Interestingly, this plant stays fresh for a long time after being cut, certainly longer than most milkweeds, and this could prove useful to you when using cut host plants to feed your larvae. Page 8 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

10 Morrenia Vine Morrenia vines are very useful when breeding Monarchs. Above is a larger leaf species, Morrenia odorata. It lasts a long time both in and out of water and the larvae love it! IMPORTANT: If you use cut host plants standing in water, you must ensure that the larvae don t crawl down the plants and drown themselves. You will need to use some sort of bung to prevent deaths, and whenever I must use cut plants in water, I stick a Styrene cap on the bottle and poke the host plant stems through it into the water. Using Growing Host Plants So now we move on to my own favorite method for breeding my butterflies! Using growing host plants is the best! A Warning! Some host plants may be available as grown, potted plants at your local nursery. However, do be careful here! Nurseries are trying to grow plants, and not to have them eaten by larvae! They often use a systemic insecticidal spray to protect them and this can last from many weeks to even months, before they can become safe to feed your larvae. It is a depressing sight to see all your larvae die and drop off the host plant due to this, and believe me, many new breeders fail to note this fact and suffer. The easiest and most trouble-free way to breed your butterfly larvae is to use growing host plants. Remember, they will need to be protected at all times with parasitoid-proof netting. This can be achieved efficiently by using the pop-up cages and/or sleeves, as described in Article 2.1 Equipment and Cages in this workshop. Page 9 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

11 Basically, for any species, I decide on the best method to raise them, based on whether their host plants are best grown as a potted plant, or if the host plant is a tree or large shrub. For the butterfly species, where I can grow their host plants in a pot, it is a simple case of just rotating four host plant pots around the pop-up cage. The larvae spend their whole lifecycle in the pop-up cage. Once the larvae have eaten most of the leaves and the plant is stripped, they will transfer by themselves across to fresh, new plants added to the cage. So, I just take out a stripped (eaten) potted plant, and add a fresh, new one each time the food supply reduces, rotating the pots. By rotating the pots, the stripped plants come to the front of the pop-up and are then easily changed. Note: There is a detailed account on using netted, pop-up cages, in Part II of this workshop, Article 5.2 titled Maximum Monarchs. When I am raising butterfly species that feed on a tree or large shrub, I cover several branches with a large net sleeve, and leave them to themselves. You do have to monitor your sleeves to make sure that the larvae have not stripped all the leaves, and to know when a change is needed. With practice, you will learn how to judge the amount of larvae you can put into a netted sleeve over a branch, and even allow them to pupate inside the sleeve. You will simply collect the pupae when they are ready. Note: There is a detailed account on using netted sleeves in Part II of this workshop, Article 5.6, titled Swallowtails in a Pop-up Cages and Sleeves. Butterfly Larvae Eat A Lot Of Leaves! It really is amazing just how much host plant your butterfly larvae will consume during their lifecycle. When you are starting off and still learning, do bear in mind that it is far better to breed 50 larvae through to pupation, than it is to try and breed 100, and lose them all because you ran out of host plant! You will need to establish an organized routine of sowing fresh host plant seeds in a succession of pots. Remember, you need to start this early in the season to be able to cope with the host plant demand. If you have the space, do consider planting some host plant trees as soon as possible, and then allow them to grow on before you begin to breed the butterfly species that feed on them. My recommendation is that you start off with a single butterfly species and get to know their requirements really well, before you start to turn your attention to breeding multiple species in your set-up. Many breeders have their own favorite method to plant pots with host plant seeds. Whenever I can, I use a standard sized pot for all my host plants and below is how I do it. Page 10 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

12 Remember, what you want is to achieve the maximum amount of leaves possible for the size of the pot. I use a ten-inch (26 cms.) pot (measured across the top of the pot). I use a high quality, sterile potting compost, and plant between 50 to 100 seeds in the pot (depending on the plant type). Then I use a half-strength liquid fertilizer (high in nitrogen) once a week, and keep the pots well lit and warm. The growth rate is remarkable. Of course, at this high-density planting, long-term growth into adult plants is just not sustainable. But remember, I am not trying to produce pretty flowers here, just food for my larvae! And in my view, there is no better way of producing so much leaf material, so densely packed together in a pot. A 10-inch (26 cms.) pot, crammed with young milkweed. This is just so much food for the available space! Since the plants are young, the larvae will eat the whole pot-full, stems and all! Page 11 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

13 Feeding Adult Butterflies Nectar Plants I tend to only use nectar plants in my flight house, and feed all my caged butterflies in preparation for laying eggs on artificial nectar. However, you can use growing nectar plants in a cage, alongside the host plant if it suits you and your set up. One word of warning here. A few popular species such as the Painted Lady, (Vanessa. cardui) tend to lay eggs on everything - the netting, the nectar plants, and the host plants, when kept in captivity. You may get some egg losses. I use my standard 10-inch (26 cms.) pots to grow the nectar plants, and then plant them out in my flight house. Of course, now you are aiming to produce nectar flowers, and with a full grown, healthy plant, you can t plant them anywhere near as densely as you can when growing your host plants. Some Thoughts On Selecting Nectar Plants When deciding on the type of nectar plants to grow, do bear in mind that you need to choose species that continually flowers all season. You can also consider planting a succession of easy-to-grow nectar plants that flower for a long period, such as African Marigolds. These remain quite small and can be planted fairly close together. I like to use these Marigolds in hanging baskets in my flight house. Again, like host plants, if you can find a species that grows well where you live, and flowers for a long period, so much the better. There are a couple of nectar plant species that I wouldn t be without, and these are Lantana (Lantana camara), Pentas (Pentas lanceolata) and Verbena. These not only give a heavy nectar load, but will flower all season long. Unfortunately, they are a little tender. However, if you live in an area that experiences a cold winter, you can take a few cuttings in the fall, keep them in a bright and frost free area, and start off again in the spring. The well known butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a wonderful source of nectar. However, it flowers late in the season and does not flower for a very long period. Another drawback is that Buddleia really does not like being inside a flight house, and is a real target for Red Spider mites! Artificial Nectar And Ways To Use It The recipe: I dissolve two pounds of sugar with boiling water, for a fairly thick syrup. I only add enough boiling water to dissolve the sugar, and this makes a very strong solution. To this I add a few drops of rich Soy Sauce as this provides some added salts, vitamins and minerals to the nectar. Make sure you get regular Soy Sauce and not diet, as our aim is to get as much energy as possible into the butterflies. At this stage, you have a weak, tea-coloured syrup, which is thick but not too difficult to pour into a pop bottle after it has cooled. Page 12 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

14 As sugar is a preservative (that s why jam doesn t go mouldy) this nectar solution is far too strong to ferment. You don t need to store the bottle in a fridge, and it stays good forever! To prepare nectar for feeding, take the strong syrup, pour and dilute it with water. In this case, make a solution that is about 20%, which is quite strong! However, only make up as much of the diluted solution as you need, as this will ferment and go sour after a few days, as all other nectars do. Below are some examples of how to use artificial nectar in feeders, allowing the butterflies to feed themselves. On the left is a butterfly feeder that does not really allow mass feeding. Top centre, plastic kitchen scourers. Photo right, two shots of rare White Monarchs feeding on artificial nectar, in bowls containing nectar and a scourer. Very efficient! Hand Feeding Butterflies This process is quite simple, and you can easily make the rigs and feeding board yourself with a few items you may already have in your home. After you get used to doing this, you can feed 100 Monarchs in less than half an hour! Page 13 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

15 The board here is an old plastic table top, and I glue gunned a cut plastic water pipe to it, then sealed the ends. It is quite interesting as the butterflies soon get used to this. After a few feedings, many have learned, and actually extend their tongues in anticipation of a feed as soon as they are on the rig. I usually feed them twenty at a time on these rigs. Butterflies on feeding rig, you can easily adjust the rig up or down and backwards and forwards. The rig is made by clipping two plastic clothes pegs (pins) together, and the clothes peg at the bottom has a lead fishing weight stuck to it with a glue gun to give stability. When you mount the butterfly on the rig, gently move the wings so the top of the hind wing is at the same level as the strong forewing vein. Mounting a butterfly on the rig is an easy and quick process. The more you use it, the faster you will get at it! If you try this method, keep a look out for a set of clothes pegs with a wide back grip. This makes it so much easier to operate and adjust when mounting and positioning a Monarch in position to feed. Page 14 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

16 Here are the clothes pegs that work best. They are made of plastic and have legs that are spaced wide apart at the bottom. Also included in the picture is a type of a clothes peg that you will struggle to get to work (far left end, darker blue with red cross). A small inset photos gives an example of the lead fishing weight (any lead weight will do the job). Try and buy pegs with a wider-open gape like the two lighter blue ones shown above. The lead weight can be stuck to the clothes peg with duct tape or glue gunned into the base for peg stability. A needle or pin pushed into a pencil eraser is useful for unrolling tongues. Blunt the tip and unroll the tongue from below the tongue coil. Don t try to push the needle through the centre of the coiled tongue. So, when do I find it efficient to use this clothes peg feeding system? 1. Gravid Butterfly Females The gravid females lay only a few eggs for the first few days after pairing, so why risk them damaging their wings? I just keep them on pegs and feed 20% nectar to them for the first few days. This allows them to develop their eggs, and not damage their wings, so when they are put into the pop-ups, they just go mad laying their egg build up from day one. 2. Butterfly Releases For butterfly releases, I have to get the butterflies into the release envelopes. It seems easier for me to just take the total number of clothes peg feeder set-ups that I need for each release, and take the butterflies out of the refrigerator (from specially designed envelopes). I put the butterflies on the feeder pegs, feed them, and pack them directly into their release envelopes. Collecting free-flying butterflies, even in a cage, would take ten times longer to deal with, as you have to catch each flying butterfly individually, when packing for release. This way they stay gathered up and fresh in the refrigerator, go quickly onto the feeder pegs, then straight into their individual release envelopes! 3. Holding Stock In Reserve Recently, we had a succession of guests staying with us from a butterfly display house, here to collect plants. I love these trips, but they do disrupt my time. In order to keep everything on track with butterfly production, I breed large numbers of butterflies ahead of time, and just store them in chillers. When feeding on the pegs, I set up a siphon effect with the butterflies which makes sure the adults take in a huge amount of food at a sitting. Later, we had a great release, using eight-week-old Monarchs! OK, this is unusual, but there are times you need to get away, holidays etc. and this certainly helps! Page 15 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique

17 4. Overwintering Monarchs Finally, there is no reason why you can't overwinter Monarchs, even in a cold climate. When you have O.e.-free livestock, I recommend you stick with them as a start up for the next butterfly season, the following year. I don't have to overwinter a large number, and it does give me an interest during the slow times! I just did this as an interesting experiment, as I have Monarchs flying here twelve months of the year! The trough I use to feed my butterflies on the clothes pegs has a strong 20% nectar solution. The normal nectar solution becomes sour after a few days. Because the trough has no sponge or other inserts, the nectar solution evaporates quickly after feeding. So, this also saves me time. After a feeding, as it stands in the trough, the remaining nectar evaporates and becomes more concentrated. (I already mentioned that sugar is a preservative at high concentrations). So, this means I don't need to change the nectar solution. The next morning, using a large 50-cc syringe with water, I top the nectar solution up, and then mix it. This way the nectar does not become sour, and I only change it after a week or more of use. The nectar solution remains sweet and uncontaminated by bacteria that makes it go sour. Hopefully this explains why I use this system. Of course, I am all for butterflies feeding themselves naturally. I just use the pegs as a system, TOGETHER with their natural feeding, and use it when it suits me best and saves me time and effort! This controlled feeding system ensures each butterfly is fully fed, keeping them strong and vibrant. I must say, that all my butterflies for release are fresh and wing perfect, even weeks after emergence. In most situations, they have never flown before they are released. Nigel Venters Page 16 By Nigel Venters Butterfly Boutique