Where to get butterfly eggs

Florida Release Butterflies. To receive our monthly "Butterflies" newsletter! Watch and experience the joy of raising butterflies from tiny eggs. When they hatch you will have tiny eating machines. They can eat more than yout think, so be ready! All butterfly eggs need to be shipped next day air. Be sure to have on the time of arrival the correct host plant for the species you are ordering. You may order these plants through us or at your local dealer.

Depending on what type of butterfly eggs you order. Your best bet is to have a plan to attract a particular butterfly to its host plant and start your search for eggs there. Once you have found the eggs you can watch them develop in your garden or bring them in for the fun of watching the caterpillars grow and witnessing the incredible butterfly metamorphosis. Butterflies lay a few to hundreds of eggs in their life span. The huge majority of them will not make it to become a butterfly.

There are many predators and hazards in all stages of the life cycle of a butterfly. Out of a few hundred eggs, maybe only a few will make it to adulthood. So, if you want to observe nature in action then you can watch them outdoors which is also quite fun! If you have not done that before then I encourage you to give it try at least once, but beware, it can be pleasantly addictive! Newsletter for butterfly tips, sales, new products, coupons and more! It wouldn't hurt to give old Fido a roll in it also.

Any female collected in the wild will probably be fertile and already laying eggs. Female silk moths can easily be fertilized. Simply place her in a net cage overnight. Many have the ability to attract males from miles away. Pheromones, the emitted scent of the Cecropia moth, can be detected up to seven miles away.

Mating may take place through the net walls of the cage, and great numbers of males sometimes collect. This often happens in the wee hours of the morning.

Eggs become caterpillars. At first, they may be smaller than half an eyebrow hair. When your eggs are ready to hatch, they may be placed directly on the plants in your garden. Here they could fall prey to predators and parasites. For the best results, they should be started in petri dishes.

However, petri dishes cost too much, and there are plenty of other items that work just as well. For very young larvae, any airtight plastic deli type of container will do. Place a small piece of leaf or paper bag containing a few eggs in each container. If your eggs are on paper, supply a small portion of a leaf for food. They should be changed daily. When caterpillars are very small, they may be transferred from one leaf to another by one of two means.

These holes penetrate all the way through the shell allowing sperm to enter, since eggs form their hard shell prior to fertilization. The raised areas on the egg shell are called ridges, they are also formed before the egg is laid. The dark head of the developing caterpillar can be seen near the top of the egg prior to emergence.