What are the little brown balls appearing in my cup of caterpillars?
Those little balls are “frass”, or caterpillar waste. It means your caterpillars are eating and growing!
How many times will my caterpillars shed their exoskeletons?
Five times! Your caterpillars will shed their exoskeletons four times while they are eating and growing. They shed once more after they have attached themselves to the lid of the cup, just before they pupate.
Why are my caterpillars suddenly inactive?
Like you, caterpillars need to rest and digest their food. But just wait! Your caterpillars will become more and more active as they eat the food at the bottom of the cup. Eating and growing is what they do best!
My caterpillars keep climbing to the top of the cup, does this mean that they are ready to attach to form their chrysalis?
Your caterpillars will climb around exploring their cup, so may go up and down many times before they are ready to attach.
When they have moulted 4 times and have grown to around 10 times their original size, they will then be ready to attach from the lid and form their "j" shape. This is normally around 7-10 days into the cycle, but can vary depending on the time of year and internal temperatures.
My caterpillars seem to be running out of food. What should I do?
Your caterpillars are shipped with more than enough food to develop into healthy butterflies. If the food appears to be running low, it is a sign that your caterpillars will be close to pupating.
Why are the caterpillars eating the paper disk?
Sometimes your caterpillars will instinctively chew through the paper at the top of the cup. The caterpillars will still form a chrysalis on the lid of the cup as they normally would.
Why are my caterpillars turning red?
If your caterpillars turn red and begin to disintegrate, they have been infected with the bacteria, Seratia Marcescens.
This bacterium occurs if condensation has been allowed to form in the cup. Please be sure to always keep your Cup of Caterpillars away from windows and out of direct sunlight. Sunlight will cause the inside of the cup to heat up and form condensation.
Please contact us with some photos if this happens to your caterpillars.
My cup has some mould in it, what do I do?
Although not a common problem, mould can develop if condensation has occurred either during transit or in the home/school. This is due to extreme temperature fluctuations.
If your caterpillars are already in their “J” shape/at the chrysalis stage and some mould develops, transfer them over to the habitat after two days of their chrysalides hardening rather than the advised three; just be extra careful with them as they are at a very delicate stage of their transformation.
If your caterpillars are less advanced when mould develops, please email us a clear photo of the cup and we can advise.
All my caterpillars have pupated except for one. Should I wait to transfer them into my butterfly habitat?
Your caterpillars are roughly the same age. This last caterpillar just might need a little more time to ingest enough nutrients to make the transformation. Just give him a little more time. If you are still waiting for them all to transform and some of your chrysalis are beginning to show the butterfly wings already you will need to transfer those chrysalides into the hatching habitat.
Why is a chrysalis forming on the side or bottom of the cup, and what should I do?
Sometimes chrysalides form on the side or bottom of the cup. This tends to happen when a caterpillar knocks down other caterpillars on its way to the top of the cup. If the fallen caterpillars don’t have time to climb to the top again, they will form into chrysalides where they have fallen.
If this happens, wait for the chrysalides to fully form. After 3 days, gently scoop them up with a plastic spoon, remove all the silk and frass (this is very important), and lay them on a paper towel at the bottom of your habitat, place them around the edges so they can emerge safely and crawl up the side of the net to expand and dry out their wings.
My caterpillars have attached themselves to the paper under the lid of the cup. How long should I wait before moving them to their butterfly habitat?
It is very important that you do not disturb the chrysalides for 3 days. You can then transfer them over to the habitat using the chrysalis station or log.
What is a “chrysalis”?
A chrysalis is a pupa. When a caterpillar changes into a chrysalis, it is "pupating". Chrysalides are always bare. A cocoon does not surround them.
What is the black thing hanging from the tip of the chrysalis?
It is the remains of the last exoskeleton shed by your caterpillar before pupating, or changing into a chrysalis. This will normally drop off when the caterpillar wriggles while changing, but it does not cause any harm if it remains attached.
What's happening inside the chrysalis?
The caterpillar parts are liquefying and re-arranging to become the cells, tissues and organs of the butterfly. In a few days, you will be able to see the outline of the wings of the butterfly beneath the pupal shell!
Why are my chrysalides shaking?
This is a natural instinct to ward off predators. If a chrysalis feels threatened, it will begin to wiggle and shake.
A chrysalis fell to the bottom of the culture cup, what should I do?
When you are ready to transfer the chrysalides over to the habitat (3 days after the last chrysalis in the cup has formed), gently scoop the fallen one out of the cup with a small spoon.
Be sure to very gently remove all of the silk and frass surrounding the chrysalis, this is very important as any remnants may impede the butterflies emergence. This can be done with a cotton bud, either dry or slightly damp, never wet.
Once it is clean, lay the chrysalis on a piece of paper towel on the floor of your Butterfly Habitat, ensuring it is placed along to the edge of the netting so the butterfly can emerge safely and crawl up the side of the net to expand and dry out its wings.
What do I do once my chrysalides have formed?
Carefully remove the lid of the cup. The lid then needs to be inserted so it stands up right in the chrysalis station or chrysalis log. Your chrysalides should hang down in a natural position.
Why should I place a paper towel under my butterfly habitat before the butterflies emerge?
Tiny drops of meconium may fall to the floor of the habitat after your butterflies hatch out of the chrysalides. Place a paper or cloth towel under the habitat to ensure that the meconium will not stain your furniture.
Can I help my butterfly escape the chrysalis?
No. It is best to let nature take its course. Sometimes a butterfly may experience difficulties emerging from the chrysalis. The most frequent cause of these difficulties is the strands of silk that have adhered to the surface of the chrysalis. These strands may coil around the chrysalis and make it very difficult (or impossible) for the butterfly to successfully emerge. To ensure that this does not happen, you MUST remove all of the silk and frass from the chrysalides before moving them to your butterfly habitat.
What is the red liquid I see as my butterflies emerge?
Your butterflies will expel a red liquid called meconium. This is a completely natural occurrence. Meconium is the leftover part of the caterpillar that was not needed to make the butterfly. This is stored in the intestine of the butterfly and expelled after the butterfly emerges.
