[adcat]

Not only did I lose my baby caterpillar which decided to hang as I mentioned in another thread, (where i thought it was dead and later found it half turned into a chrysalis lying on the ground where it had fallen) baut last night the next pumpkin fed caterpillar hung up and he also didn’t have any white sticky stuff gluing him to the branch. This morning I found him on the table fully chrysalisised (?) but still very moist . I tried blu tack and everything to hang him up but after a few falls it didn’t look so good. Eventually I hung it by a bulldog clip but its all squashed and flat so I’ve lost the 2nd one. Any suggestions Jaqui as the last one is going to hang today I think. How do I keep them secure if they have no glue?

[adcat]

Thanks Jacqui, I got your email. My cats came from a rural area (Te Toro near Waiuku)where they could have had sprays etc used around them, I don’t know. Most of my hatchings have been perfect, it’s just the ones that were fed on Pumpkin that didn’t seem to survive. My new plants from Shaun ( MISFIT) now have eggs on them after a visit from a beautiful huge monarch a few days ago. Is she too late in the season? I notice the hatchlings are getting smaller & smaller compared to her.
Have posted some new pics of one who got brought in by the cat a day after I let it go, so I put it in my monarch hospital and fed it on nectar/juice . The pictures show it clearly drinking for those that are interested.

Cheers

Adrienne

http//nz.msnusers.com/natureshots

[Jacqui]

Hi Adrienne – have been looking at your photographs – don’t look good. I would suspect Oe, but it’s hard to tell at this stage. However, I’ve written off to find out more and referred them to your photographs. Will let you know what transpires.

Jacqui

[adcat]

Can anybody tell me why my sick caterpillars ( 2 now) go through a prolonged period of wriggling and kind of pulsing and don’t achieve anything but they also don’t seem dead?

see my photos group to see what stage I mean.

Released another small butterfly this morning and it seemed fine. I love the way they walk all over you before they take off.

[Jacqui]

<<should the chrysalis be hard before you tie it around the black bit? Mine was very soft and wet still .>>

Definitely. You must wait until the crysalis is firm and dry before you try and move it. By the way, the “black bit” (stem) is called the cremaster.

Cheers

j.

[adcat]

Here is a link to my pics of my sad caterpillar who isn’t going to make it to a chrysalis
http://nz.msnusers.com/natureshots

[adcat]

Thanks for tht , I’ll remeber it for next time

[Anonymous]

I was deparate once as I had a chrysalis which had nothing to hang with, no black bit at all.
I got a ‘vacated’ chrysalis shell and cut away the bottom with just the ridge and domed part still attached to it’s branch. Then I put superglue in it and gently put the chrysalis without a ‘hanger’ into that and made sure it had stuck. It worked, and the butterfly hatched fine! It didnt seem to have been affected at all with the glue.

[adcat]

Thnaks for that . It was very upsetting to see it disintegrate and not to knkow what to do about it. Yesterdays monarch is still with me, it doesn’t see to want to leave!
So that makes up for everything. Just a question though, should the chrysalis be hard before you tie it around the black bit? Mine was very soft and wet still .

Adrienne

[snufflesnz]

Hi adcat, I tie cotton round the cremaster (black bit that they glue to the silk) and then secure it to a branch. I have had about 40 successful butterflies this season, by tying cotton round the cremaster, that either failed to attach themselves to the silk or were eaten off a plant by other caterpillars.

Sara.

[Author]

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