Current EGGS and LARVAE
If you are a beginner and need information on rearing from small caterpillars, or hatching out pupae, please order the All Colour Paperback BUTTERFLIES. INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT SENT WITH EACH SPECIES, you need to acquire basic skills and this book is a simple way of doing so.
DUO American Moon Moth luna with American Oak Silkmoth polyphemus 10 eggs of each
Two very fine North American Silkmoths. Luna larvae feed on Walnut, Maple, Osier Willow, Birch. Polyphemus larvae also feed on Osier Willow, Oak, Hawthorn and other trees. The large larvae are renowned for their silver spangles, like drops of mercury down their sides. These will produce another generation of moths this season, though polyphemus cocoons sometimes remain until the following spring.
With this offer you get two species for the price of one!
DUO PACK of Small Tortoiseshell and Comma Butterfly. Ten larvae of each.
Both species feed on Stinging Nettle. Help encourage these butterflies which are suffering terribly at the moment.
DUO Giant Peacock Moth pyri and Tau Emperor
Both European Silkmoths, not found in Britain. These are the largest and about the smallest of the European Saturniids. Pyri larvae are very colourful and often varied in the colour of their tubercles.They feed on Hawthorn, Sloe, Plum and most fruit trees. Also Osier Willow which can also be used as foodplant for tau. Other tau foodplants include Lime, Oak, Birch, Hawthorn and undoubtedly others. Baby tau larvae are decorated with disproportionately long branched spines, which are lost at the final moult. Pyri spins a cocoon. Tau pupates in leaf litter on the ground. The moths emerge the following spring. Two species for a bargain price.
THE MINI SILK FARM
A complete outfit for rearing silkworms from egg to cocoon, and reeling your own raw silk. Everything is provided: a small batch of eggs, food for the entire life of the silkworms, all the rearing equipment, detailed educational documentation and instructions, and a unique, miniature reeling machine that has been designed and built specially for the MINI SILK FARM.
There is even a bag of cocoons so that you can practise reeling, and don't have to wait to rear the cocoons from the egg.
Normally Silkworms feed on Mulberry leaves. This is an uncommon tree that is not always readily available, so we are providing a substitute food, which is a powder that comes with the necessary instructions for preparing the artificial diet in the kitchen. You will have a supply of fresh food always available for the silkworms throughout their life of about a month.
The Mini Silk Farm can be bought at any time of the year. The eggs are stored in a fridge until incubation. Although rearing in summer is easier because of temperature, you can rear silkworms almost throughout the year, if you can keep them at about 25º-28ºC. Eggs supplied in November - January will need to be refrigerated for 8-12 weeks before incubation.
The instructions guide you through easy rearing, preparation of the artificial diet and the reeling process. The Mini Silk Farm is fun and unusually educational.
This includes the eggs and Artificial Mulberry Diet, sufficient to rear all silkworms from hatching to cocoon spinning. The reeling equipment is not included, but this outfit has all you need for rearing about 20 Silkworms and it has all the important instructions and information. Eggs supplied in November - January will need to be refrigerated for 8-12 weeks before incubation.
English Swallowtail Papilio machaon britannicus
This unique race, unlike its European counterpart, lives only in fenland and it now occurs only on certain Norfolk Broads. This is a very special species with limited availability. There may be a shortage this year.
The butterfly's markings are distinctly darker and the colouring richer. Larvae are easy to rear on Fennel, Carrot tops, the flowers of Parsnip (wild and cultivated) or on its fenland food plant Milk Parsley Peucedanum palustre. There is a partial second brood in late summer. Winter is passed in the pupal stage. This is one of the most beautiful of our butterflies, certainly
Artificial Mulberry Diet for Silkworms
Until now it has not been possible to rear silkworms without their natural foodplant Mulberry. Mulberry is often difficult to find but we are now able to offer a very convenient artificial diet that can be used as a substitute food, in any part of the world and at almost any time of the year, providing you can keep the silkworms at 25-28 degrees C. Eggs supplied in November/December will need to be refrigerated for 8-12 weeks before incubation.
The diet is sent as a sachet of powder that is easily prepared in the kitchen. It comes in two sizes that give sufficient food for the entire life of the silkworms, enough for 20 and 50 Silkworms. The powder can be kept for a year or more in a fridge. Made up diet can be refrigerated and kept for some eight weeks. The life of a silkworm kept at the required temperature is about 5 weeks.
Artificial diet takes a lot less time and trouble than rearing on leaf. More importantly this enables rearing when Mulberry cannot be obtained. Eggs supplied in November - January will need to be refrigerated for 8-12 weeks before incubation. Rearing Silkworms is very educational and suitable for schools and families.
European Swallowtail Papilio machaon gorganus
Easy to rear on Fennel and other Umbelliferae, such as carrot tops, Parsnip and Wild Parsnip flowers and fresh leaves. Very attractive caterpillar, bright green, striped black and orange. Double brooded.
SILKWORM EGGS Bombyx mori MADAGASCAN GREEN COCOON variety
Please read the introductory notes and Silkworm Instructions at the head of the silk section.
Have you ever seen a green silkworm cocoon? Few people have. Actually this is a very pale yellow/green. The silkworms are white or grey. This unusual race originates from
In winter orders will be booked for supply in the spring.
If you don't have Mulberry leaves you can rear Silkworms on artificial diet. See diet listed in this section and order with your Silkworm eggs if you want to solve the problem of finding foodplant for the Silkworms.
SILKWORM EGGS Bombyx mori BLACK SILKWORM variety
Please read the introductory notes and Silkworm Instructions at the head of the silk section.
The silkworms of this curious race are black, with white segments. Seldom seen and quite different from other races. The cocoon is attractive pale yellow.
In winter orders will be booked for supply in the spring.
If you don't have Mulberry leaves you can rear Silkworms on artificial diet. See diet listed in this section and order with your Silkworm eggs if you want to solve the problem of finding foodplant for the Silkworms.
Eggs of the BLACK SILKWORM variety 20 for £8.95
50 eggs £12.50, 100 eggs £22.00, 250 eggs £35.00
Duo Peacock Butterfly Inachis io and Small Tortoiseshell urticae 10 larvae of each
Ten larvae each of the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock Butterfly. Both feed on Stinging Nettle. Young larvae should be kept on growing foodplant, covered with a netting sleeve, or reared in plastic rearing containers, cleaned out and fed daily as shown in the All Colour Paperback BUTTERFLIES. When larger, the larvae can be caged with cut nettle in a jar or water, on on potted growing foodplant.
Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus
The Tiger Swallowtail is perhaps
Ten Tiger Swallowtail larvae £12.95