Hand Pairing vs. Greenhouse Natural Breeding

[Glaucus]

I'm not sure if any study has been done on this topic or not. I'm curious to
know what your opinions are on using one method over the other for reering
Swallowtails. As the easiest butterflies to hand pair, many people rely on
this method. However, I have heard some reports that aside from frequent
failures, the females often produce low numbers of ova, a high percentage of
which are not fertile. Conversely, relying on a more "wild" method, for
example a greenhouse or large flight cage, will only produce matings if both
sexes are interested in doing so.

I have had very poor results with netting wild females, presumeably that
have mated already, and obtaining ova in a greenhouse atmosphere. Last year,
I collected a number of various species that were egg-laying in the wild,
and placed them in a 10' x 10' greenhouse, only to have very very few eggs
laid. Alternatively, the only successful hand pairing I've ever had was with
Luna moths. Any ideas or experiences???

Thanks everyone!

Marc in Chicago
glaucus at earthlink.net



 
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