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.
Small Purple Emperor Apatura ilia
Rather similar to Apatura iris, but a little smaller. The form clytie has a delightful orange flush to a greater or lesser degree, on most specimens.
These larvae, which feed on Poplars and Aspen, will hibernate. Sleeving is the recommended rearing method. They need little other attention other than ensuring they have sufficient fresh foodplant.
In spring the larvae grow and the pupae will be formed in the sleeve, dramatically camouflaged amongst the foliage.
Duke of Burgundy Fritillary Hamearis lucina
It is years since we have had Duke of Burgundy larvae. Now very hard to obtain.
Curious oval larvae like those of the Blues, but not green like those, more a straw colour, with rows of black dots. They live on Primrose or Polyanthus leaves.
Not difficult to rear on a potted plant. Resulting pupae have similar colouring and pattern. Store the pupae in a fridge until May when the delightful butterflies emerge.
Small Copper Butterfly Lycaena phlaeas
The larvae feed on common Dock and Sorrel. If kept warm they may pupate and produce butterflies before winter. In nature the larvae hibernate deep in plant litter. To hibernate the larvae, keep on a potted foodplant, completely enclosing plant and pot in a sleeve, and keep out of doors in all weathers.
The Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
This Blue is probably the most wide-spread of all the Blues. The bright sky-blue of the male is familiar to most people. The larvae feed on Birdsfoot Trefoil, Medick, Rest Harrow and other Leguminosae.
The larvae are very small. If you are not an experienced breeder it would be better to choose one of the easier species to rear.
Deathshead Hawkmoth Acheronia atropos
For international destinations larvae will be sent because eggs develop too quickly in warm weather.
Everyone’s favourite. In a massive operation most booked orders have now been supplied, and we can now supply new orders. An extreme rarity, migrating to Britain from Africa. Occasionally the larvae are found in potato fields but that’s if you are lucky and these days with modern machinery the chances of larvae being found are even more remote. Due to travel restrictions there is a world shortage of Deathshead in captivity, but our breeders now have superb wild stock, which is being very productive. Orders for pupae will be supplied this summer, as well as eggs and larvae now.
The larvae feed on many plants in the potato family, Solanaceae, but you don’t have to have these to keep the larvae: they do well on Privet. They have also been found feeding on Buddleia, resulting in a pale coloured larva that matches the leaves, but this is not a recommended foodplant.
The duration of the egg stage is just a few days, and the larvae grow probably twice as fast as our native hawkmoth larvae, completing their life cycle in as little as 4-6 weeks in summer temperatures. These larvae will produce another generation of moths within weeks of pupation, but you can keep them cool in the winter months, and have them emerge in spring.
The moth is just amazing to have alive on your hand! It is furry, and squeaks – almost like handling a little mammal. It also humps its back and displays the blue markings on the body, as well as the famous skull and crossbones on the thorax. The moth needs to feed, not from flowers but from a pad soaked in weak honey or sugar solution. Moths have been found inside beehives, attracted by the sweet smell of honey.
In summer, the pupae will emerge within about 4 weeks. In autumn, to overwinter, bury the pupae in light compost that is not too damp but not allowed to dry out. The top of each pupa should be just showing. Store in a cool place (10-15 degrees C) away from predadors. Bring into the warm in April ready for May emergence.
Oak Hawk Marumba quercus
A very special European rarity. A much sought after species. The larvae feed on Oaks, with a preference for Evergreen Oaks. Pupae pass the winter and emerge in summer.
Young larvae eat their own egg shell on hatching. They don't take leaf until they have made the first skin change!
Click on picture of dried Oak leaves to see remarkable camouflage
Geranium Bronze Butterfly Cacyreus marshalli
A South African Lycaenid, a tailed Blue, the first time offered by WWB. The larvae feed on Geranium and Pelargonium, wild and cultivated, mainly in the flower buds but also the leaves. The species first appeared in Europe around 1990 and has spread around much of the Mediterranean, but also found in summer further north. There is apparently no dormant stage, but it is considered that it cannot survive in the wild in places where the winter is cold. This is an opportunity to try a new species and learn more about it.
Canadian Eyed Hawk Smerinthus cerisyi
A species from the New World with interesting differences from our own Eyed Hawk. The larvae feed on Willows, Sallows and Apple. Fast growing. For something different give these a try. This species breeds easily and is a joy to rear. Larvae do well sleeved.
Poplar Hawkmoth Laothoe populi
Fast growing, the larvae feed on most Willows and Poplars. They do well in sleeves or caged.
This is one of the few hawkmoths that produce two broods of moths in the year.
The larvae become very fat and vary in both the ground colour, in shades of green or blue/green, and in their markings which often include red spots as well as the oblique stripes down the sides.
The larvae need to burrow into compost for pupation.
Willowherb Hawkmoth Proserpinus proserpina
SCARCE! Only a few pupae available.
This rather rare Hawkmoth is a gem, seldom encountered, though it lives throughout much of western and central Europe, eastwards into Russia.
The larva is rather like a grey form of Small Elephant Hawk. The foodplant is Rosebay Willowherb Epilobium, Evening Primrose Oenothera and Purple Loosetrife Lythrum. The pretty little green moth has prominent egg-yolk coloured hindwings. The normal flight period is June and July.
Broad-bordered Bee Hawk Hemaris fuciformis Larvae
A very difficult species to obtain as eggs and larvae. Sent out in June, supplies will be limited. Larval foodplant is Honeysuckle. Not difficult to rear. Hibernation is in the pupal stage. The moth emerges with a thin layer of grey scales on the wings. Remarkably, on its first flight, the scales are shed, leaving transparent bee-like wings.
Oleander Hawk Daphnis nerii
Because the egg stage is only a few days, they cannot be supplied outside Britain.
One of the finest of all Hawkmoths. The larvae are very fast growing indeed and they consume a lot of food. It is often possible to have the larvae from hatching to pupation in little more than a month.
Larvae thrive on Privet and can be reared on Periwinkle Vinca, or Honeysuckle Lonicera. Suitable for winter or summer rearing. Oleander Nerium is a natural foodplant but it is often tough and leathery, so the alternives are usually better than Oleander.