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| I have very little experience with BST caterpillars, and now I have a problem. My BST pupated at the top of my mesh enclosure instead of on the multitudinous sticks I provided, right where top and the side walls join. He's parallel to the ground. I have to put him in another container to put him outside to overwinter, as this enclosure is large and I'm still raising other caterpillars.
Is there a way to detach him from where he is and re-attach him to a stick or something else? He will no longer have his sling...A couple of years ago I had one detach from the stick and it did fine on the bottom of the enclosure. Once I figure out how to detach him safely, can I put him on the bottom of the new enclosure without re-attaching him? |
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| Give the pupa a couple days to harden. Then spray with water. Carefully, pull the pupa off. If it doesn't come off right away, spray with water again and use a pin. Second way, using masking tape, put two pieces down very close to the back of the pupa. Press this down a bit, and then taking both pieces, you should be able to pull up the silk. I then double both pieces of sticky tape together and cut to shape and then put a pin through.
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- Posted by imabirdnut 7b North Texas (My Page) on Tue, Oct 5, 10 at 8:42
| Thanks for the picture...I will also use your technique when I have trouble with a crysalis detaching...I've tried to make a sling with tape or a twisty & sometines it works & sometimes it hasn't! |
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| The tape method worked great! The only thing I needed to do extra was put a piece of tape horizontally along the BST's rear end in addition to the two vertical pieces, because the pad wasn't coming up. It was in a very difficult spot, along the seam of the mesh cage, so that made it harder. This is GREAT because I was also able to get the sling intact, so now I have it pinned to the side of the overwintering container at its natural angle instead of just hanging by its rear end upside down! I may try to tape the whole thing to a stick at a later time so it emerges onto an angled surface, but for now this is good. Thanks!!! |
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