How to feed butterflies and care for butterflies. Who eats butterflies? Diet in the wild

The short life of butterflies, their caterpillars and pupae is full of dangers. They are hunted by birds, hedgehogs, bats, toads, lizards, even badgers and wild pigs. Butterflies have many enemies among predatory insects. These are predatory bugs, ground beetles, dragonflies, ants, burrowing wasps, praying mantises, and blackbirds. IN summer days Ktyri sit on tree branches and, frozen, guard their prey. As soon as a butterfly or other insect flies past, they rush at the victim and, dragging it into shelter, suck the juices out of it. Ktyri are found everywhere. These huge flies dare to attack even large butterflies.

Butterflies, their caterpillars and pupae have many enemies. These are birds (1), huge moth flies (2), sucking juices from butterflies, spiders (3), luring their prey into the web, riders (4), laying eggs in the body of a living caterpillar, predatory bugs (5) and lizards (6 ).

But caterpillars have the most enemies. The most dangerous of them are the riders. They lay eggs in the body of a living caterpillar, and their larvae literally devour the caterpillar alive from the inside. Gray or brownish tahina flies
lay eggs on the body of the caterpillar, and the larvae that appear soon dig into it. Butterflies are mercilessly destroyed by mites and spiders, which eat insects caught in their webs. Butterflies are constantly threatened by pathogens - fungi, bacteria and viruses.

If a female day butterfly lays from 200 to 300 eggs, and the number of these butterflies in nature does not increase from year to year, then it is easy to imagine how many dangers await butterflies at all stages of their development. But nevertheless, although butterflies are weaker than their enemies, they prosper as a species. Therefore, they have something to oppose their enemies.

To the question Who eats butterflies? given by the author Screen the best answer is The butterfly is most vulnerable in the egg, caterpillar and pupa stages. It is more difficult to catch a fluttering butterfly, and sometimes this requires extra energy from the predator.
Most often on caterpillars day butterflies birds attack, for which they are the best prey. During breeding, parents bring hundreds of caterpillars to hungry chicks every day. It is estimated that birds destroy 23% of cabbage eggs and 22% of caterpillars. Some birds prefer to attack butterflies while they are resting, feeding, or absorbing moisture. The successful feathered hunter rubs his prey on a branch, then shakes it, after which the wings fly off and the predator eats only the body. But drongos (southern birds that resemble swifts) and swallows grab the butterfly in flight.
Many invertebrates pose a much greater danger to butterflies. Spiders, dragonflies, mantises, and predatory dipterans hunt butterflies, while beetles, ants, and parasitic wasps prefer caterpillars. Burrowing wasps and wasps lay eggs in the body of the caterpillar, less often on it. When larvae emerge from the eggs of parasites, they begin to eat the caterpillar from the inside or outside. They do not kill the victim immediately, but eat it alive. Sometimes from 80 to 100 wasp larvae crawl out of one caterpillar. To survive, butterflies at different stages of development resort to various tricks. Many butterflies are killed by predatory flies, praying mantises and especially spiders. It is believed that spiders that weave webs destroy fewer butterflies than their relatives that watch for insects on flowers. Dangerous enemies of butterflies are parasitoids - tahina flies, wasps and wasps. These insects lay eggs in the caterpillar, which does not die but continues to grow. Killer larvae grow along with it, eating it from the inside. Sometimes the caterpillar still dies, but more often it pupates. However, it is not the butterfly that emerges from the pupa, but adult parasitoids.
Well, and, of course, Man.
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Reply from Casket :)[guru]
Amphibians, fish, reptiles, reptiles.

Reply from Caucasian[guru]
The range of predators that attack butterflies is very wide - from humans to arthropods. Some wasps, having paralyzed the caterpillars with poison, drag them into their burrow to feed their offspring (they prepare “live canned food”). Other wasps feed their larvae chewed caterpillars. Relatively few arthropods attack adult butterflies, but they are still attacked by dragonflies, mantises, blackflies and spiders. dangerous predators. Among vertebrates, the main enemies of butterflies are undoubtedly birds. They eat their larvae, pupae and adults. Caterpillars often form the main diet of chicks. Various species of rodents, lizards and frogs also feed on butterflies. In some countries, lepidoptera are eaten by people. In the Philippines they eat the belly of birdwing butterflies; in Mexico, the caterpillars of some species of fatheads are fried and preserved; fried or candied pupusas silkworm considered a delicacy in South Asia.

Reply from Question[newbie]
spider

Reply from Madina Biazyrty[active]
Many people attack butterflies.






Human activities affect the lives of butterflies. Forests are cut down, fields are sown, and so the habitat of butterflies disappears. It is for this reason that many butterfly species have already disappeared or become so scarce that they need protection. The environment has deteriorated all over the world, and this also has a bad effect on the life of butterflies. Many butterflies die from toxic substances, which are used in agriculture to destroy harmful insects.
Butterflies are also caught for collections, and paintings are made from their wings.
At the same time, if we imagine that from all the testicles of only one cabbage butterfly, caterpillars hatched and no one will eat them, and then their offspring will continue to be born without loss for 7 years, then after 7 years the mass of all descendants is only one single butterfly will exceed the mass... of the entire globe.
Many people attack butterflies.
The main enemies of butterflies are birds. Birds eat pupae, larvae, caterpillars and adult butterflies. Caterpillars are especially vulnerable - many birds feed their chicks with them. One blue tit feeds its chicks 600 times a day, and during the season it brings them almost 30 thousand caterpillars.
Wasps feed their larvae with chewed caterpillars, and in addition, they paralyze the caterpillars with poison and drag them into their burrow - this is how they store food for future use. Some insects lay their eggs in a caterpillar, and they hatch inside the caterpillar, but the butterfly does not hatch.
Dragonflies, mantises, spiders, and wasps catch and eat adult butterflies.
Hedgehogs, frogs, lizards and rodents also feed on butterflies.
Bats pose a great danger to butterflies. The bat makes high-frequency sounds that are reflected from the butterfly. The mouse flies in that direction and grabs it. Some butterflies make sounds themselves to deceive bats.
In Europe, people only enjoy the beauty of butterflies. But in some countries they eat butterflies and caterpillars - in the Philippines, Mexico, South Asia, China, South America and India. They are fried, canned, and made into a candied delicacy. They are considered very tasty and nutritious. For example, in South Africa Every year they eat about 1,500 tons of fried and smoked caterpillars of the peacock butterfly.
Human activities affect the lives of butterflies. Forests are cut down, fields are sown, and so the habitat of butterflies disappears. It is for this reason that many butterfly species have already disappeared or become so scarce that they need protection. The environment has deteriorated all over the world, and this also has a bad effect on the life of butterflies. Lots of butterflies

How to feed butterflies

Butterflies feed on sugar syrup, juicy citrus fruits or crushed bananas. You need to feed the butterfly once a day. The easiest way to feed a butterfly is to prepare sugar syrup for it.

1. Stir one or two teaspoon in a glass warm water and pour it out large number on any surface or saucer.
2. Take the butterfly as shown in the picture and place its front paws on a treat.
3. If the butterfly does not straighten its proboscis, take a toothpick and straighten it yourself so that it touches the food. If the proboscis remains in the food, the butterfly eats; if the proboscis is curled up, then the butterfly is not hungry and can be fed later.

How to care for tropical butterflies at home

The butterfly must be sprayed with water 2-5 times a day. Just spray two or three sprays over the butterfly from a distance of 20-30 centimeters. This will prevent the wings from drying out.

At night, put the butterfly in a box (the size of a shoe, for example), in which you put a piece of damp cotton wool, or buy a butterfly house in our store.

General information

1. You can only pick up the butterfly by the body at the base of the wings;
2. The butterfly is active at temperatures above 20 degrees
3. You can release a butterfly to fly around the apartment. Butterflies love to sit on curtains;
4. Butterflies, like many insects, fly towards the light. If a butterfly flies into the chandelier, simply turn off the light and take out the butterfly;
5. It is more convenient to feed the butterfly in a cooled room;
6. Butterflies live from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

On our farm you can always

Butterflies in nature

Enemies of butterflies

At all stages life cycle butterflies are in danger. The butterfly is most vulnerable in the egg, caterpillar and pupa stages. Catching a fluttering butterfly is more difficult, and sometimes it requires too much energy from the predator.

Birds
Most often, the caterpillars of daytime butterflies are attacked by birds, for which they are the best prey. During breeding, parents bring hundreds of caterpillars to hungry chicks every day. It is estimated that birds destroy 23% of cabbage eggs and 22% of caterpillars. Some birds prefer to attack butterflies while they are resting, feeding, or absorbing moisture. The successful feathered hunter rubs his prey on a branch, then shakes it, after which the wings fly off and the predator eats only the body. But drongos (southern birds that resemble swifts) and swallows grab the butterfly in flight.

Bats
Bats pose a threat to moths. They determine the location and size of the prey using echolocation. The bat makes high-frequency sounds that are reflected from the butterfly. The mouse flies in the right direction and grabs the prey. However, if the butterfly's body is hairy, the sound is muffled and not reflected. This saves you from attack. Some nocturnal lepidopterans have auditory organs on the chest or abdomen. At the slightest sound, the butterfly falls to the ground like a stone, hoping to get ahead bat. Some butterflies themselves make sounds that confuse bats.