www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Just a quick note to say that it's worth looking over nettle patches at the mo. I've just been down the local park and rescued over a dozen Red Admiral larvae, 2 Red Admiral pupae, and a Comma larva, before the council strim them out of existence. I thought it would be worth posting the pic below, which shows how variable Red Admiral larvae can be - ranging from black through to a dull yellow! And no harm was done to the critters - they've already created new protective enclosures and will be released when they emerge as adults. More pics in my blog at http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB2/b ... ?u=3&b=252
Cheers,

- Pete

yeah good one pete i resc ued a red admiral larvae few years ago and xcomma pupae b4 council strimmed them

I have never tried rearing larvae. Are there any nice straightforward guides giving the absolute basics about to tell me what to do?

I am rearing Commas at moment, one 7 out of 10 I had survived, one hatched out of pupae and died, one other hatched out over a week ago and is alive and well, but rest don't seem to be hatching yet even though they have been pupae for a few weeks now.

I have looked over many nettle patches recent and saw nothing on them yet, last year was abundant with peacock, small tortoiseshell larvae, now I dont see anything. But I'll keep a lookout!

Matsukaze wrote:I have never tried rearing larvae. Are there any nice straightforward guides giving the absolute basics about to tell me what to do?

There are a few books about - such as "A Lepidopterist's Handbook" that you can get from the AES. The basics, in my book are:

1. Use growing foodplant wherever possible.

2. Keep in natural conditions (e.g. not in full sun, if the species doesn't like this for the immature stages).

3. Don't keep them indoors. The immature stages can easily dry out and die.

4. Never remove a larva from its resting place - it may me about to moult and doing so will likely kill it.

5. If you can't use growing foodplant, then make sure you change it daily. Keep larvae in an airtight container (since it keeps the foodplant fresher for longer) and place some absorbent material in the bottom of the container to absorb any moisture that might form. Keep the container in the shade and NEVER somewhere where it can catch the sun.

Cheers,

- Pete