How do these guys get loose!! When that happens here they get missed sometimes when they emerge.

I have about 40 cats that are in position now and some still walking, walking walking!!

Penny

Hi Penny, I think I counted about 100 chrsalids so far but I have no idea how they get out or how they go unnoticed long enough to be in chrysalis before I notice them. I once had an Anise swallowtail on my pillowcase for two years before I realized for sure it was dead. Fortunately, it was not my favorite pillow and I could set it aside for that long.

I also have a bunch outside going into chrysalis as we post, so to speak, because I eventually became overwhelmed with the number I had inside and got scared that some might die from overcrowding. But I covered the vines with veil to protect them from the wasps and yellowjackets. And quite a few are now doing there thing. If I find them on their march I bring them inside again and put them into one of the enclosures.Murray

Thank goodness I am not the only one who has escapees! I can't wait to tell DH about this, Murray! :)

I just got 'scolded' the other day for having some escapees, AGAIN. DH said, "Um, Sherry? There's this caterpillar walking around in circles in the bathroom. You wanna get in here and do something?" Then, "Hon? I saw THREE caterpillars wandering around. Aren't they supposed to be inside a container?"

Of course, just yesterday, I found two Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) larvae wandering about while I was watching my mother-in-law in the bathroom. I SWEAR they were pupating but I guess not!

Sheesh. No wonder we find butterflies flying about the house!

That's too funny!

I haven't had that problem, yet.

The problem I do have is spiders showing up out of no where and getting into my cages. I have every freaken crack, hole and crevasse duck taped and they still find a way in. I've declared a war on those little b@s*@rds!!!!

Edna

Edna,
I have the same problem in my classroom! My poor little wee baby Walking Stick Bugs are just prime 'meat' for spiders. I swear, I can't find the !@#$% buggers either. Last year I finally found ONE and boy, was he a big fatty! It felt good to squish him since he'd gobbled up all the internal juices of about 100 baby Stick Bugs. Grrrr...

the problem we have down around Orange County, California is...the Caterpillar Hunter Beetle! Have you SEEN this thing? It is one of the UGLIEST black beetles I've ever seen in my life! I saw my first one two weeks ago, crawling out of my butterfly sanctuary. I didn't know what the heck it was so I captured it. Since then, they've begun to appear EVERYWHERE and it's crazy. They've been on the news even as they are in classrooms, in hallways in office buildings, you name it!

When I found out what they were called (Calosoma semilaeve) I flipped out. Squish 'em! Smash 'em! Eeeeuw! A young boy I know has been bitten by one twice. I've now talked with my class about them and told them they need to decide for themselves whether they want to kill them or let them be since they are considered 'beneficial.'

Here's an article on them.

Here is a link that might be useful: OC Register article on Caterpillar Hunter

Oh my goodness, Sherry and Edna, the spiders are awful for two reasons and one of those reasons is that I have the old Arachnophobia issue to deal with myself. Fortunately, the ones that get into the cages have usually been the real tiny ones and I am pretty brave when it comes to them but what about those beetles? I haven't read the article yet but plan to do so right now after I post this. I have never heard of them and hope they don't find their way here. I do have too many water beetles and other types that I can't even identify well enough to know if I have a problem when I see them in the yard. So far, wasps have been the biggest problem for me. The other day I went outside and found two of those yellow jackets tearing apart a young caterpillar and it made me sick.

I also noticed today that I have a battus philenor chrysalis on my recycling bin so now I have to figure out what to do to relocate it. If you have any suggestions let me know. I may have to use a neighbors bin until it ecloses.

Talk to you later. Murray

I just read the article and 1 inch is not tiny to me. I hope that is not what I am seeing in my yard. If it is it is dead meat as they used to say. I didn't invest all this time and money and work to feed ugly beetles from who knows where. That made me sick. I hope the descriptions were exaggerations regarding the alleged numbers of beetles people are seeing. And the idea of some beetle feasting on that person's toe makes me shiver. I remember reading about people in leprosy clinics being eaten (toes and fingers) during the night by rats because the poor people couldn't feel the bites. Creepy!