The "dark side" of butterflies: killer butterflies and predator butterflies. How to feed butterflies Who eats butterflies

One of the most beautiful views insects are fluttering butterflies. What kinds of them just do not happen: both large with bright colors and small, and pale, barely noticeable and nocturnal moths. There are a huge number of their varieties in the world, and some of them will be discussed in this article.

general description

Butterflies belong to the family Lepidoptera characteristic feature which is the presence on the wings of special scales, which are called chitinous. Lepidoptera include not only this group of insects, but also moths and even moths.

Butterflies have a long proboscis, which they periodically fold under their heads. With it, they move the nectar of flowers into tiny cavities.

Lepidoptera reproduce, like many insects, by laying eggs, which later become larvae and have a different name - caterpillars. While the caterpillars are growing, they can shed several times. Then they turn into pupae. Or only after that a new butterfly is born.

The most attractive types of butterflies

As mentioned above, there are a huge number of species of fluttering insects. There are more than one hundred and ten thousand individuals, each of which is unique and attractive in its own way. Let's take a few examples:

The largest butterflies reach about fifteen centimeters in size. In addition to those listed, there are many more varieties of these insects. This includes cavaliers, nymphalids, whites, peepholes, wavelets, pigeons, bears, silkworms and many other varieties.

It should be noted that some of these beautiful insects can inflict agriculture huge harm. For example, volnyanki, leaflets. They can harm not only crops, but even forests.

And there are species that live only one day. For example, a silkworm or a one-day butterfly. Such types of insects turn into a butterfly only for the purpose of breeding.

What do butterflies eat

One of the most interesting questions- What do butterflies eat? Its useful to note, that the insect begins to look for food only when when the protein accumulated by the caterpillar begins to decrease, and it needs energy in order to lay eggs.

In general, to say that butterflies ride is not entirely correct, because they can only drink. They drink nectar from flowers with a proboscis specially adapted for this, which they fold under their heads. When unfolded, it can reach up to twenty centimeters, and sometimes more. It depends on how deep the calyx is.

First, insects feel the plant they are going to drink from with their paws, thereby checking whether it is edible or not. Only then do they straighten their proboscis and begin to drink nectar.

Beyond the nectar, the butterfly can eat the juice of fruits or berries. Insect larvae can be eaten:

• leaves,
• flowers,
• seeds and even fruits of plants.

They do this thanks to the presence of a mouth apparatus. This is what butterflies eat.

What do butterflies eat at home

As strange as it sounds, but Lepidoptera can be kept at home. Watching such insects at home is very interesting. And, I must say, it is not difficult at all. A butterfly can be bred at home from a chrysalis or caterpillar that was found on the street.

First of all, you need to pay attention to where the pupa or caterpillar was found, that is, on which plant. And, accordingly, stock up some food. This is necessary because not all insects are omnivores and they may require certain types of food. Others, on the contrary, easily switch to other foods.

When butterflies hatch, they can be given artificial nectar to drink, which you can make yourself. That is, make a solution of sugar with water or honey. It also needs to be diluted with a little water. You can cut some juicy fruits and berries and the insect will be able to drink the juice. You can use it when feeding insects and baby apricot puree.

At home fluttering beauties fed about once a day. First, they are given a taste of the food. The proboscis is gently straightened with a pin and dipped in food, then she begins to drink.

Dangers of Lepidoptera Insects

Because butterflies are still medium-sized insects, many dangers lie in wait for them. Mostly these are birds - that's who can eat Lepidoptera. For example, titmouse. They can become insect killers when their larvae are taken out.

They should also be wary of insectivorous insects, some types of flies, etc. But most of all they should be afraid of caterpillars.

Despite the foregoing, it should be noted that the best environment The habitat of all Lepidoptera species is the wild. That is to keep them at home. long time do not do it. Therefore, after the insect is hatched at home, it is better to release it into the wild after a while.

The short life of butterflies, their caterpillars and pupae is full of dangers. They are hunted by birds, hedgehogs, the 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, ktyrs. AT summer days ktyrs sit on the branches of trees and, frozen, guard their prey. As soon as a butterfly or other insect flies past, they rush to the victim and, having dragged it into cover, 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 ktyri 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 riders. They lay their eggs in the body of a living caterpillar, and their larvae from the inside literally devour the caterpillar alive. Gray or brownish tahini flies
lay eggs on the body of the caterpillar, and the larvae that appear soon dig into it. Ticks and spiders ruthlessly destroy butterflies, which eat insects that have fallen into their webs. Butterflies are constantly threatened by pathogens - fungi, bacteria and viruses.

If a female diurnal 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 thrive as a species. Therefore, they have something to oppose the enemies.

Butterflies - Lepidoptera belonging to the type of arthropods. Lepidoptera species include insects such as moths and moths and another 157 thousand individuals.

By structure, the butterfly is divided into two main parts:

1. Body - consists of the head, chest and abdomen. oral apparatus represents a long proboscis that folds to a small size. With it, butterflies drink flower nectar. However, in some species, the mouthparts are gnawing. The head is decorated with two antennae and eyes. They are necessary for orientation in space and trapping odors. On the thoracic region are the legs of the insect. The abdomen looks like an elongated cylinder.
2. Wings - there are two pairs of them (back and front). Usually the size of the hind wings is smaller than the front ones. The span can reach 30 cm. Upper layer made up of scales various shapes. The pattern and coloring depends on the species, sexual characteristics and habitats. Many representatives of Lepidoptera have learned to use the color of the wings to camouflage from predators.

Kinds

There are many classification systems for Lepidoptera, but most of them are difficult to understand and easy to confuse. A simple and at the same time informative version of the division will be presented here:

1. Toothed moths are the smallest representatives. The wingspan does not exceed 1.5 centimeters. Mouth apparatus gnawing type. This order includes 160 species. The color of the wings is monochromatic. More often dominated by silver or copper colors.
2. Tailless - small insects with a wingspan of up to 2.5 cm. In addition to increasing in size, everything converges with the previous detachment.
3. Heterobatmia is a rare order of butterflies, which includes only 10 representatives.
4. Proboscis - a recognizable and large detachment. Their wingspan reaches 28 cm. Includes 150 thousand species. Coloring, sizes vary greatly between different individuals. The main families can be distinguished:

• Sailboats - wingspan 5-30 cm. Color and pattern of wings, may be blue, black or red spots different shapes and size. The general background is yellow, beige or white. Representatives: Apollo, Alexanor, Archon, Swallowtail, Goliath Birdwing, Golubyanka).
• Nymphalidae is the most numerous family of diurnal butterflies. The size of the wings is from 5 to 13 cm. Their forelimbs are very short and fluffy, which is convenient in collecting pollen. The coloration is very varied. Red, black, orange and white colors predominate. Some representatives: Urticaria (Peacock eye), Chocolate, Admiral, Mourning.
• Whites are another large family. It has about 2 thousand various kinds. The wingspan is from 2 to 10 cm. The most common colors are yellow and white with pronounced black streaks. Representatives: Kapustnitsa, Limonnitsa.
• Moth hawks are an extensive family with approximately 1200 species. Representatives of this family differ from other butterflies in body size. It is large, muscular and narrowed towards the back. The wings are narrow and small. However, even with such parameters, hawks are champions in flight speed (50 km / h). Most species of this family are nocturnal insects. Representatives: Brazhnik pine, oak, poplar.
• Scoops - they are also called Nochnitsa. Numerous family of moths, including about 35 thousand species. Appearance something like an owl. The wingspan is from 2 to 31 cm. The body is covered with a thick layer of hairs. The color of the wings in most cases is brown or gray. Representatives: Scoop clove, bindweed, fringed.

1. Dangerous butterflies - even these beautiful insects have representatives dangerous to humans. The first of them is Zheltoguzka. Wingspan up to 2 cm. Color is white, sometimes with gray spots. The abdomen is covered with a thick layer of hairs. The caterpillar is fluffy and big. Hairline, in contact with human skin, causes an allergic reaction. The place turns red, begins to itch.

Another representative is the Common Bear. This is a species from the owl family. It has a beautiful color (bright red, orange and brown colors, on a white or yellow background) and a large fluffy body. In this case, poisonous hairs are also a danger.

Another important type of butterfly is − Silkworm. Belongs to the family real silkworm. Involved in the production of silk. It was domesticated in China as early as 3000 BC. e.

What do they eat in nature?

Most butterflies feed on flower nectar. This is the most preferred food of these insects. The next delicacy for them is rotten fruits that have lain on the ground and lost their hardness. Butterfly proboscis is suitable for "eating" fruit. They contain vitamins, sugar and water.

Rare species of Lepidoptera prefer to consume many trace elements. Because of this, they have to eat clay, animal waste, sweat. Some representatives of scoops are predators and consume the blood of humans or animals. They have no teeth, but their trunk is very sharp.

When a butterfly is in the form of a caterpillar, it eats young plants, grass, leaves. Because of this, gardeners dislike butterflies (for example, cabbage).

What do butterflies eat at home?

Often, Lepidoptera are purchased as a "pet". However, this role is more often played by tropical representatives. And a logical question arises: how to feed butterflies at home in winter, summer? How to properly contain an insect?

Proper care and feeding are the main conditions for the long life of these creatures. You need to install a special temperature regime in a butterfly house. It's 22-25 degrees. The air must be moist. To make a house, it is better to use a plastic box with small holes for ventilation.

For proper cultivation, you need to feed them 1 time per day, sometimes less often. You can make homemade "nectar" based on water. Ten parts of water, dilute with one part of honey and sugar. In summer, use the pulp of rotten fruit. To feed an insect, you can dilute fruit juice with water. baby food. The main thing is to give the insect only fresh food. Do not store cooked food.

Many do not know what a moth eats in captivity and how to care for it. You can plant an insect in the house, flowers, the nectar from which will be food for him. This will be enough to feed the insect.

What happens in winter?

Some species of butterflies live only during the summer. Other Lepidoptera wait out the cold in the chrysalis: the insect is alive, but is in a state of suspended animation. It is unlikely that it will be possible to wake up an insect; it will wake up from hibernation itself when the conditions for life become normal. Adult individuals hide from frost in trees, under the bark. certain kinds fly to warmer climes like birds.

In order for the butterfly to fall into suspended animation, a decrease in temperature is necessary. At home, while maintaining warm temperature, the insect will not fall asleep.

To the question "What do butterflies eat?" one could answer briefly - nectar. They love the nectar produced by various beautiful flowers. Moreover, unlike many insects, butterflies can see the color red, which allows them to better navigate in search of food.

And in today's article, we will talk in detail about what butterflies eat at home and how they survive in wild nature.

Diet in the wild

We all know that every butterfly was originally a caterpillar. So, in the caterpillar stage, she eats a lot, providing herself with food even after she becomes a butterfly. But the protein reserves that the caterpillar deposits in its body are not enough. When they are used up, she has to look for food to maintain her vitality.

It would be wrong to say that butterflies eat, since their way of eating refers to "sucking". They don't have a mouth as such. Instead, there is a "folding" proboscis with which the insect sucks food.

It is clear that sucking something coarse with a proboscis will not work, so the entire diet of a wild butterfly mainly consists of nectar and pollen.

Another favorite delicacy is rotten fruits (pears, apples). They cannot chew, but sucking the juices out of decaying fruit is easy. Moreover, they are rich in sugar.

Also, many may have noticed that they eat bird droppings and manure. The fact is that it contains many trace elements that they need for a normal existence. Therefore, they do not disdain such a "fragrant" delicacy.

They also love salt. But it is very difficult to get it in the wild. Therefore, many insects in the summer get it from human sweat. You can often see butterflies landing on sweaty people in parks. They do no harm to a person, but simply suck sodium out of sweat.

The diet of domestic butterflies

They are often kept as pets. Moreover, keeping butterflies is not such a difficult task if you grow an omnivorous insect. Separate types Butterflies are very picky eaters and feed on certain nectar from certain plants. These pets are not suitable for home keeping.

In summer, insects can be fed with flower leaves, pollen, etc. But in winter they will have to prepare nectar for them. For this you will need the following ingredients:

1. 2 tsp water;
2. 1/5 tsp honey.

Take a container and pour water into it. Add honey and mix thoroughly. This solution is fed to insects.

Also, you can make gruels from fruits such as bananas, apples, oranges, pears, etc.

How to feed a pet

Especially if you have caught a butterfly in the wild and not raised in your terrarium, then there may be problems with feeding the insect. It is very difficult for him to explain that there is food on the plate, so sometimes you have to help:

1. If the butterfly is agitated, then wait until it calms down and folds its wings. Now we carefully take them and bring it to a container with nectar. If she is hungry, she will immediately begin to suck the liquid. If not, then wait and repeat the above procedure.
2. Problems can arise when she is scared. In this case, the insect will not eat even if it is hungry. Therefore, she needs help. Bring the insect to a container with nectar and a toothpick, carefully, try to unfold its proboscis and get wet in the nectar. It should immediately start sucking on it.
3. Some species have taste buds on their paws. If your insect is one of these species, then you can lightly soak its paws in the nectar so that it understands that the food is edible.

Content Nuances

We figured out what butterflies eat, now let's talk about how to keep this exotic insect at home.

First, she needs a home. It should not fly freely around the apartment, so you will have to equip or purchase a special insectarium.

Secondly, it is necessary to maintain a suitable microclimate. They love warmth and at any sign of cold immediately fall into hibernation. Optimum temperature for their existence - 23-28 degrees Celsius.

Thirdly, the level of humidity is no less important. In dry air, the butterfly will die very quickly. To increase humidity, spray the apartment or insectarium with water from a spray bottle. Do not be afraid if the droplets fall on the insect. It's even helpful. This procedure should be carried out 1-2 times a day.

Fourth, give Special attention their place to sleep. If you do not have an insectarium and they just live in an apartment, then most likely the insects will spend the night on curtains or on indoor plants. If the pets live in an insectarium, then you will need to build a resting place for them.

Branches are perfect. They need to be laid out so that the butterfly can sit comfortably (they sleep while sitting).

What happens in winter?

Most species simply hibernate. They find a secluded corner (often under the roofs of houses, in sheds) and sleep until spring. In the spring they wake up and continue their life cycle. Some species die, postponing offspring for the future. There are species that fly to warmer climes, like birds.

Caring for these insects is not difficult. In food, in fact, they are not whimsical. It is enough to build or purchase an insectarium, periodically spray it with water from a spray bottle and prepare nectar once a day.