Raise Painted Lady Butterflies Fun and Easy—You Can Do It!
Carolina's painted lady butterfly kits have everything you need to raise beautiful painted lady butterflies. No experience necessary! We've been culturing these butterflies for years, and our kits utilize methods and materials that guarantee success —even for first timers. You'll be supported at each step with everything you need.
Find the Kit that Fits Kits are convenient and effective ways of experiencing painted lady butterflies for individuals, homeschoolers, and classes. They contain everything needed to successfully raise butterflies from larvae to adults. And after the first use, simply order replacement components, reuse the kit, and save money! See the descriptions that follow to find the kit that fits your needs.
Butterflies in the Classroom Kit Butterflies in the Classroom Kits are designed for the classroom. The Classroom Kit contains 33 larvae. Each student (or pair of students) transfers a larva into an individual culture vessel to study and observe it as it matures to an adult. We also offer a Demo Kit that contains 10 larvae. Both kits are available with live caterpillars or with a prepaid coupon for the shipment of caterpillars upon request.
Painted Lady Butterfly Amazing Bugs™ Kit The Painted Lady Butterfly Amazing Bugs™ Kit is ideal for individuals, homeschoolers, and small groups. It contains 5 larvae in a single culture vessel and everything needed to rear them to adults. This kit is available with live caterpillars or with a prepaid coupon for the shipment of caterpillars upon request.
Try butterfly breeding After the adults emerge, you can try to breed them. For successful breeding, the butterflies need 12 or more hours of light each day and a live plant in the habitat on which to deposit their eggs. We recommend the mallow plant, one of the painted lady's natural hosts. The eggs hatch on the plant and hatchling caterpillars feed on it. However, one plant will not provide enough food for the caterpillars, so we recommend our Painted Lady Culture Medium as a supplemental food source. Try butterfly breeding, and with some luck, you can observe the entire painted lady life cycle and enjoy another generation of adult butterflies.
Live adult butterflies available, too Of course the easiest way to raise live adult painted ladies is to let us do it for you. We sell healthy adult butterflies that are great for life cycle displays and even for releasing outside the classroom at special events, such as Earth Day.
If you intend to keep the butterflies in the classroom and/or breed them, you'll need a habitat. We recommend a flight cage such as our Butterfly Sanctuary. You can either provide flowering plants (petunias, etc.) or sugar water for food. To prepare sugar water, dissolve 2 teaspoons (or 2 packets) of sugar in ½ cup of water. Soak a cotton ball in the solution and place it in the flight cage. Check the cotton ball regularly and replace it when it dries or becomes soiled. Note:Never place an open container of liquid (sugar water or other) in the flight cage; the butterflies will fall into it and drown.
Adult butterflies are shipped in large cups containing folded paper and up to 15 butterflies per cup. Their life span is one to 2 weeks. For large quantities of adults, we require 3 weeks advanced notice.
Support before and after the sale Our painted lady butterfly kits are designed to produce an easy, fun experience for customers at every level of expertise. However, sometimes a problem or question arises. Help is as close as your computer. Simply download our free Painted Lady Butterfly Carolina™ CareSheet. It should answer your questions; but if you need additional help, call us at 800.334.5551 or email us at caresheets@carolina.com. Enjoy your butterflies!
Of course the easiest way to raise live adult painted ladies is to let us do it for you. We sell healthy adult butterflies that are great for life cycle displays and even for releasing outside the classroom at special events, such as Earth Day.