Butterfly breeding is becoming an increasingly popular activity. Some people breed them solely as a hobby, wanting to try something new and unusual. Well, others are interested in breeding butterflies at home as a business. Indeed, with a competent approach and proper organization of work, this activity can bring good profits. So let's tell you more about it.
Pros of the solution
Let's start with the fact that this is a very interesting process. Just imagine: you have a wonderful opportunity to observe all the transformations that a living organism goes through - from eggs to adult butterflies. Although most specialists, trying to save time, do not buy eggs, but ready-made pupae that turn into butterflies. But this is also a very interesting activity, especially if there are children in the family - they will be happy to watch metamorphoses and will better understand the biology of insects than just reading books or textbooks.
This solution also has advantages if you are interested in breeding butterflies at home as a business. Reviews from the owners indicate such an advantage as the opportunity to earn big money in a small space. For example, to grow some plants or flowers, you will need a much larger area.
In addition, even compared to such fast-reproducing animals as rabbits, breeding butterflies at home takes a matter of days, which is very important for people who want to make a profit as soon as possible, and not over several months. This also makes it possible to quickly decide what the approximate profit from each batch is, whether it is worth pursuing such income, or whether it makes sense to look for a more profitable part-time job.
Therefore, every person who loves everything new and interesting should try to breed butterflies.
Who needs butterflies?
At first glance, the question is really relevant - who would even think of paying good money to buy butterflies? However, in practice, there are almost always customers for such an unusual product. Basically, these are people organizing some kind of celebration - most often weddings, birthdays and other fun events that should be remembered for a lifetime. In such cases, you can arrange a whole fireworks display of butterflies. Yes, this pleasure is not cheap. But a hundred large, beautiful tropical butterflies flying out of the box at the same time will definitely become one of the most vivid impressions for guests at any holiday.
Gifts made from butterflies are also quite popular. For example, you can give a romantic girl a small, beautifully packaged box. When she opens it, dozens of beautiful butterflies will fly into the air. Yes, they will fly apart (that’s why it’s better to make such gifts outside). But the memories of a gorgeous and unusual gift will last a lifetime.
What you need to get started
In general, insects can be hatched from eggs laid by the previous generation. But this is a rather complex and lengthy procedure that requires serious investment. Therefore, in most cases, professionals, when telling beginners about breeding butterflies at home, recommend buying pupae. Their cost can vary significantly - from hundreds of rubles per piece to several thousand. However, if you buy in bulk (several dozen or hundreds of cocoons), you can seriously reduce costs. And when breeding, ordering a dozen cocoons is a waste of money. The fireworks will be too liquid.
You can purchase dolls in many online stores. Yes, you can try to catch meadow butterflies, but in color they cannot compete with exotic guests. So it’s still worth spending a certain amount on buying dolls.
Suitable conditions
The next point in the instructions for breeding tropical butterflies at home is creating ideal conditions. After all, these insects are surprisingly fragile creatures. Unsuitable temperature or humidity may well have a detrimental effect on them, causing death or at least a too prolonged exit from the cocoons.
Butterflies feel best when the air humidity is about 70% and the temperature is +28...+32 °C. Of course, creating such conditions in an entire apartment or room is very difficult. Therefore, it is better to limit yourself to a small area.
Some people buy spacious aquariums - a very convenient solution, but expensive. But you can watch the development of butterflies and track any changes in time.
The more economical ones prefer to simply build a small greenhouse from construction polyethylene. It will cost a maximum of a couple of hundred rubles, and if you wish, you can always roll up the film and put it in a closet so that it does not interfere if you decide to temporarily stop breeding butterflies. This trick won't work with an aquarium.
In the arranged place, you need to fix the wooden slats - the cocoons will be attached to them using suitable glue. Make sure that the distance between them is large enough. Otherwise, butterflies emerging from cocoons will interfere with each other and may even cause serious harm. After this, all that remains is to wait, making sure that the breeding conditions are quite comfortable.
What to feed butterflies
A very important stage in breeding butterflies at home is creating a food supply. In nature, they feed on nectar, which they collect from flowers. Of course, it is impossible to create conditions close to natural in an apartment or even a spacious house. We'll have to improvise. Fortunately, butterflies also do not disdain various nectar substitutes.
For example, you can use honey - the same nectar, only processed and thickened by bees. Dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:10 and pour into a small container - a plastic lid or a large flat dish will do. The main thing is to buy real honey, and not colored diluted sugar.
You can also use regular fruits. For example, cut an orange or tangerine into pieces and treat them to butterflies. They will happily suck juice from fruits using their long proboscis.
Food costs will be minimal - one large orange is enough to feed a hundred butterflies for several days.
Security level
Butterflies are very fragile creatures. Therefore, you need to provide them with the highest level of security if you do not want them to lose their presentation.
First of all, you should firmly remember: you cannot take them with your hands. Pollen easily sticks to your fingers, which means that the most elegant design created by nature itself will be damaged. The cost of such butterflies is sharply reduced. In addition, some of them, after such exposure, lose the ability to fly, which is also extremely undesirable.
You should also make sure that there are no narrow gaps in the aquarium or greenhouse where butterflies will be hatched and kept. Often, when insects get there, they get stuck and begin to fight. As a result, pollen is lost, the wings become wrinkled or even break. Of course, there will be no benefit from such a crippled butterfly.
What to do with the remaining butterflies?
Alas, any project for breeding butterflies at home involves certain losses. For example, an order was canceled at the last minute, leaving several dozen butterflies left. And these beautiful insects are a very perishable commodity. Their lifespan is short, so you need to come up with some way to, if not make a profit, then at least reduce losses to a minimum.
Fortunately, there is such a way out. Butterflies euthanized with ether can be inserted under glass or even entire paintings can be created from them - real works of art. Yes, it is not always easy to find a buyer for such a product. But it also has a huge shelf life - sooner or later it will be possible to sell it.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. From it you learned what it takes to start your own butterfly breeding business. Well, or at least acquire a new, very interesting and unusual hobby that will bring a lot of positive emotions to both adults and children.
It is unlikely that anyone can resist the incredible beauty of butterflies. The graceful shapes and unsurpassed colors of the iridescent wings are simply amazing. Nowadays, these insects can be found in all countries of the world. Today, science knows more than 200 thousand species of butterflies. Among them there are tiny ones only a few millimeters long, and giants with a wingspan of up to 30 centimeters.
It is impossible not to take into account the fact that these beautiful creatures have long been not only an object of research, but also a promising and highly profitable business. Now breeding winged flowers is a beauty that brings profit.
Who buys butterflies?
The main consumers of these wonderful insects are various holiday agencies.
The pigeons, which were previously released during wedding celebrations, have been replaced by the so-called “live tropical butterfly fireworks.” The cost of one such butterfly fluctuates around 1500-2000 rubles, but no one will order one butterfly, otherwise what kind of fireworks will you get?
When ordering, the moths are slightly cooled (so they don't have the urge to fly) and placed in a beautiful and colorful holiday box decorated with ribbons and holiday paper. After the box with the “surprise” is delivered to the special event, it is heated at the right moment and the butterflies are released, eager to fly. Such a mesmerizing spectacle will not leave anyone indifferent, and the guests will certainly enjoy it.
Butterflies are actively used by holiday agencies in big cities, where this business flourishes, but not every agency can boast of such an unusual and colorful service. As for provincial, small towns, in most cases there is no gift from butterflies.
Also, only a few people know that to grow butterflies at home, you don’t need to create a whole laboratory with various flasks and glass boxes. To do this, just read the following recommendations, and you will be able to breed these beautiful creatures right at home, and also build a good business from it.
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Breeding moths at home
The first thing that will most likely come to your mind is to find the largest and fattest caterpillar in the area, put it in a three-liter jar and wait to see what comes out of it. But the downside is that from this breeding you will only get a type of butterfly that will not please you with its special and bright colors, because this is the way of breeding butterflies as a common hobby, and we need a good and profitable business.
Therefore, you are more likely to be interested in tropical species of butterflies. They have a simply wonderful appearance and are quite large in size. It is clear that you won’t be able to find them in the nearest forest, and therefore you can purchase them either from entrepreneurs who practice butterfly breeding, or order them online. Prices for pupae of tropical species are approximately 50-300 rubles per piece. Delivery is carried out by courier (directly to your home) or by mail.
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Prerequisites
Your task is to provide insects with conditions that are as close as possible to the places where they live. Therefore, be patient, gather your willpower, and you can start breeding, and then a good business with a stable income.
At home, caterpillars, cocoons and moths are kept in special aquariums - insectariums. It is worth considering that different types of butterflies require different sizes of this aquarium. It is even interesting that large species of butterflies can die if the “living space” is too small for them; this is also worth paying attention to. In insectariums, high temperatures and high humidity must be maintained, as if in a tropical forest. To do this, you can use heaters and humidifiers, which are easy to find in any pet store.
The feeding problem is a little more difficult to solve. You will need to fork out money for a greenhouse, because you need to feed the insects with special tropical plants, and you will have to grow them yourself. Keep in mind that you will need a lot of so-called food, because caterpillars are real gluttons. But when it comes to feeding butterflies, things are simpler; they are fed with natural honey, sweet fruits and sugar.
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Important!
Dry twigs must be placed in containers for raising butterflies. They are needed so that after birth the butterfly can hang upside down and dry its wings; this process usually lasts several hours. If this doesn't happen, your marigold (or many marigolds) will never be able to fly, and you are unlikely to sell it to your customers.
Butterflies:
- find caterpillars and raise butterflies from them;
- catch butterflies and create conditions for them to reproduce.
The second option includes the first method.
Butterfly Breeding: Stage 1
So, you need 2 butterflies - a male and a female. To know the differences between them, you should observe your pets. Males are the most active and almost all the time, females are calmer.
Make sure the environment where you keep your butterflies is favorable, and there is enough food and space. If all is well, you will see a pair of butterflies mating. This may take from up to 8 hours. Make sure nothing will disturb the animals in any way.
Butterfly Breeding: Stage 2
Almost immediately after mating, the female will look for a place to lay her eggs. She prefers to put them aside so that the caterpillars have something to eat. Therefore, when breeding butterflies, you will need fresh leaves. Then place these leaves along with the eggs in a box where the environment should be warm and humid, but make sure there is good ventilation.
Very young caterpillars need more moisture than older ones. Give them fresh leaves every day.
When caterpillars are born, they are extremely small and touching or moving them can be fatal. When the caterpillars reach their final stage of development, they will try to find a suitable place to pupate. Typically, caterpillars move around a lot and try to find a good place to make a cocoon.
When you see this behavior, make sure you have enough free space for all the caterpillars to pupate. Once you find the cocoon, carefully move it into a separate box without the caterpillars. The box should be spacious and it is better to have a little humidity; to do this, moisten a napkin and place it on the bottom of the box.
Butterfly Breeding: Stage 3
The pupa is an intermediate stage between a caterpillar and a butterfly. Hang the cocoons on strings so that it is convenient for the butterflies to later get out of their shelter.
Butterflies remain in the pupal stage for several months, so carefully monitor the ambient temperature and humidity.
Some species of butterflies do not eat at all. Only their caterpillars feed, and such butterflies themselves do not have a proboscis. These species are easy to keep in your home. Butterflies that feed need nectar or sweet water and know how to drink. Nectar can be given in fresh flowers. But it’s easier to make syrup by dissolving sugar or honey in water according to 7 parts water and 1 part sugar. Pour the syrup into a cup and change it every day.
Butterflies are a very fashionable and unusual gift or interior decoration for events. They are given as gifts in boxes, released at holidays, butterflies are used to make “fireworks” and other beautiful ideas for using such an exotic insect.
Ordinary and uninformed people think that only professionals can breed and store butterflies in special premises. This is wrong. Even one person can start this type of home business. Let's tell you in more detail.
Storage conditions and breeding of butterflies
Butterflies are grown from pupae (larvae), the average cost of one pupae is 200-300 rubles. To raise butterflies at home, you need to collect insectarium.
Insectarium- a special room, similar to an aquarium, for breeding insects.
You can assemble the insectarium yourself, or you can purchase a ready-made one. Many novice entrepreneurs use aquariums or just ordinary glass cabinets for these purposes. Inside you need to place the perches to which you will tie the pupae.
Since it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature (24-26°C) and humidity (80-90%) in the insectarium, special equipment for insectariums is placed inside or an automatic heating element with a temperature sensor and an air humidifier are installed. Don't forget about ventilation.
It takes 1-2 weeks for a butterfly to mature from a pupa. Once the butterfly has hatched, it must be caught, placed in an entomological container and stored in a cool place for sale. Before releasing the butterfly, you need to warm it up a little.
Of course, you can raise butterflies from the caterpillar stage, but caterpillars are very finicky in storing and feeding, and your goal is business. Therefore, the easiest and fastest way is I bought the pupae - after 2 weeks I sold the butterflies and bought the pupae again. And so on in a circle.
Watch a video on how to properly breed tropical butterflies
Tropical butterfly pupae are sold on specialized websites or from local sellers at pet markets or stores. Also, the sellers will advise you on how to properly “hatch” the butterfly and keep them in marketable condition.
Who are your clients?
Your first clients are private individuals. You can sell butterflies online - from your website or bulletin board. Or, you can establish partnerships with large establishments specializing in holidays and events - restaurants, cafes, amusement parks, holiday and event agencies (weddings, birthdays, etc.)
The average cost of an adult butterfly is from 500 to 2,500 rubles. Usually purchase 3-5 butterflies at a time.
There are not many subtleties in this business, and there are also no serious risks, unless, of course, you purchase pupae from good sellers and not from scammers who, under the guise of tropical butterflies, can sell pupae of local wild butterflies such as cabbage butterflies.
As you understand from the business idea, the butterfly breeding business is a very home-based business and can be done by one person.
Especially for KHOBIZ.RU
Butterflies have always been exotic representatives, which cannot be said about aquarium inhabitants and predatory animals, which are increasingly kept in apartments as pets. Most people like moths for their wing shape, varied colors, beauty, sophistication and lightness. Breeding butterflies at home does not involve any difficulties, since they are not demanding in their care.
In order to contemplate this beauty at home, you just need patience.
To become the owner of such pets, you can do this: rear them yourself, or buy butterflies at a farm or nursery. To witness all the life cycles of such pets, you should give preference to the first option, but if you choose the second method, all these stages will be skipped.
Start of the process
Butterflies are representatives of insects that undergo holometamorphosis, that is, a complete cycle of transformation, so breeding butterflies involves them going through all 4 stages:
- The first stage is the appearance of the egg;
- The second stage is the birth of a caterpillar from an egg;
- The third stage is the formation of the pupa;
- The fourth stage is the emergence of the butterfly from the pupa.
Before you start breeding butterflies, you need to find the right specimens. The task is quite difficult, since finding caterpillar eggs is not so easy due to their small size, which can easily be half a millimeter. To be able to get the eggs you need, you should follow the butterfly, as it can lay eggs in just 1 or 2 seconds. And, therefore, even by lightly touching a leaf, a butterfly can leave its offspring there. However, finding a ready-made doll is also quite likely.
Quite a large number of representatives of these insects can be located in dry leaves, soil, between boards and other places. To grow a butterfly from a caterpillar at home, you must also take into account the time of year. Because if you find pupae in the natural environment during the end of the autumn period, they should certainly be placed in the refrigerator for a couple of days. From such pupae that catch your eye in nature, not only butterflies, but also hymenoptera insects can appear, therefore, you need to be careful and attentive when choosing such specimens.
Caterpillars
The main difference between the caterpillar, which will later become a butterfly, is the presence of three pairs of front legs. Caterpillars should not be handled as they may be injured. Therefore, in order to transfer the caterpillar to the place you need, you need to tear off the leaf on which it is located, and then move it with a cotton swab.
To witness the entire transformation of such a pet, you can place it in some transparent container or three-liter jar. However, if you are going to raise domestic butterflies on a more professional level, you should purchase an aquarium that will act as an insectarium.
The bottom of the home of future butterflies can be covered with a small amount of napkins, and you also need to provide the caterpillar with the food leaves necessary for nutrition. The best leaves are those on which the caterpillar was found, and they should be changed quite often to avoid drying and rotting. To give the vegetation freshness for a longer period, you need to moisten the napkins using a spray bottle.
To prevent escape, the glass container should be covered with a lid, after making holes in it.
When the caterpillar has grown to its maximum size, it stops feeding, gets rid of excess fluid with liquid excrement, and may also change its color - such actions indicate readiness for pupation.
Rebirth
The appearance of a butterfly from a caterpillar, as well as breeding butterflies at home in general, is quite a fascinating process. The caterpillar produces something like a sticky web, from which it creates a cocoon for itself. Cocoons can be of various types, for example transparent and soft or opaque, hard and elastic. The type of its cocoon directly depends on the type of butterfly; for example, moths tend to create their cocoon directly on the ground. On average, pupation lasts only 2 or 3 days. Next, you should consider which species you are growing, since the pupa of different species may hatch at different times.
For example, wintering pupae - they must be kept in the cold for at least a month, and possibly more. For pupae, you need to create a certain temperature regime, namely 26-28°, and humidity from 60 to 90%. This will ensure the normal development of the butterfly and also protect it from drying out. Therefore, keeping the container moisturized is extremely important.
When a butterfly emerges, its first action is to hang upside down, a process that allows it to spread its wings and lasts for several hours. To ensure such conditions, you need to place gnarled branches or a strip of toilet paper in the container. If the butterfly does not have the opportunity to hang, its wings will not spread out, and therefore the insect will not be able to fly.
The best treat for domestic butterflies is honey or sugar diluted in water. Such pets are tame and are not afraid of human presence. The main condition is to behave carefully so as not to harm the insect.
Tropical species
Breeding butterflies at home is also possible using tropical species. These species differ from local ones in a wide variety of colors and color saturation. To grow such representatives, you must first purchase their pupae. Today, purchases can be made via the Internet. The price of butterflies directly depends on their size and type. To purchase tropical species, the wingspan of which reaches 12-15 cm, you will need to shell out about 3 - 10 dollars, but butterfly pupae with wings 8-12 cm will cost 2 dollars. The best place to raise domestic butterflies is a greenhouse or winter garden. But it is also quite possible to use an insectarium, you just need to maintain the required temperature and humidity. Butterfly pupae should be placed in it and after a few weeks you can admire the beautiful spectacle.
Having figured out how to grow a butterfly at home, you can not only become the owner of exotic inhabitants, but also get an additional source of profit.
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