An estimated 15,000 or more caterpillars have woken up hungry in our aerarium and are devouring one devil’s-bite plant after another.
A total of around 700 plants were purchased to provide a sufficient food source for our caterpillars. The plants are still young, and some still have very small leaf rosettes. Some of the young plants have already been transplanted into larger pots so they have enough room to grow.
The plants are “fed” in a sort of rotation. For this purpose, about 150 plants are kept in a greenhouse supported by a 600-watt sodium vapor lamp. This additional light and higher temperatures enable the plants that have already been eaten to regrow more quickly. After about 2 weeks, the plants can be replaced.
When replacing the eaten plants from the aerarium, the pots must be checked for caterpillars first. Then caterpillars can be transferred to the regrown plants.
