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Post by timmsyrj on Jun 12, 2016 5:25:07 GMT -8
The only trouble with a none systemic is getting them all, I thought I had checked all plants carefully, the great water dock and common dock plants had all leaves removed and fully submersed for 2 days prior to going into the green house, the trees had no leaves on and were wiped with a clean damp cloth, the rest grown from seed and now it's an infestation, there couldn't have been that many to start with, but then it doesn't take many with how fast they breed. I'm thinking once the butterflies in there have died off i'll use a systemic pesticide everywhere in August then after a couple of weeks remove all the leaves and leave the plants closed up untill next spring, as I won't be looking for any livestock untill April/May they will have at least 8 months from treatment, the pesticide I use on my clematis for aphids only lasts a few weeks, I know this for a fact as I've often had to re spray them throughout the season.
Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on Jun 11, 2016 6:53:47 GMT -8
No Stichophthalma? I guess it would be difficult to grow the bamboo they feed on in a UK greenhouse. Adam. Sadly not Adam, though I do have a couple of bamboo species growing in the garden, Phyllostachys aureus and bissetii, the first growing 4m high and Stratford butterflies have listed Stichophthalma howqua pupae from China so you never know, one day maybe. I have had no luck with the greenfly issue, I have sprayed several times with 5% milk and still they survive, I think this year I may have to forget the breeding and use a systemic pesticide, the docks, violets and blackthorn are all showing deformed leaves as the aphids are over powering and sucking the sap. I have one I use in the garden which lasts a few weeks so it should kill off anything in there this year but should have cleared by next spring, hopefully the plants will put out plenty of fresh, aphid free growth buy then and I'll start afresh. I only have these two species in there and the Black hairstreak over winters as an ova and the Silverwashed over winter as a newly hatched larvae (without feeding) so if they do breed in there, they may survive the pesticide and be present next spring. Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on Jun 11, 2016 3:00:49 GMT -8
A few more of the silverwashed fritillary (A.paphia) Male Female Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on Jun 11, 2016 2:54:05 GMT -8
Feel free to post photo's of what you have flying in the breeding cages or greenhouse (as with mine). Here's what's currently gracing my flight area. Black hairstreaks An interesting sunshade Male silverwashed fritillary And a female silverwashed fritillary Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on Jun 1, 2016 5:28:03 GMT -8
Why are customs stopping boxes of papered specimens from Africa? because it is a package from a third world country. If you were sent a box of socks they would still checked it. Maybe so, but they don't check parcels coming from countries with CITES species in, Vietnam, China, Philippines etc and all my parcels have "dead dried insects for scientific study" on the customs declaration, I insist on this is put on by the sender and where possible a list of contents, not easy when I'm buying 1,000 mixed nymphalidae etc My thought was drugs etc but then I've had boxes from Colombia and Jamaica in the past. Rich P.S just to be clear I mean the countries have CITES species present, not the parcels. All my CITES specimens when purchased nowadays come from within the E.U since IFTA finished.
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Post by timmsyrj on May 31, 2016 23:25:21 GMT -8
[quote author=" radusho" So it is necessary to detemrine the Genus only, not species (it has nothing to do with custom officers ability to distinguish species)[/quote] Only Parnassius apollo is listed as appendix II no other Parnassius, so going on genus alone they would stop all Parnassius species, but dropping the "apollo" part and calling them only by genus and sub species name seems to work on eBay at least, Parnassius apollo nevadensis is protected but it appears Parnassius nevadensis isn't?? Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on May 31, 2016 23:15:45 GMT -8
I very much doubt that customs officers can tell genus let alone species, if they listed all Ornithoptera because they couldn't differentiate then why not all machaon group not just hospiton, and hermeli, karna and paris not just chikae after all they only see the undersides of papered specimens, also can they tell any parnassius species from apollo, hell, a lot of collectors can't. Why are customs stopping boxes of papered specimens from Africa? I don't believe there are any CITES species there but they still ask for a list of contents, and even with a list, could they identify them?
Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on May 31, 2016 3:27:35 GMT -8
I have long searched for a pair of these, mainly because I sold a female years ago as I needed the funds for a large order of Ornithoptera from IFTA and although the birdwings where amazing I still regret letting the female go, now thanks to EBay and Christoph (insects-more-com) I have managed to replace her and add the male, not A1 but perfect for my collection, I have 2 pairs plus a male from Costa Rica and eventually, when funds permit, I hope to add a pair from Ecuador. Is this race the nominate or a sub species from Ecuador as specimens I've seen (males only) resemble the Costa Rican s.sp with a shorter hindwing band? Papilio birchalli birchalli Hope you like them. Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on May 29, 2016 0:40:16 GMT -8
What's the locality for these? I would imagine this would be a secret that is taken to the grave Tom, keep scouring the jungles looking for scaffolding towers as I imagine that's where this supplier is getting them from. Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on May 29, 2016 0:37:03 GMT -8
"Hope to die with the longest series of P. antimachus females! No, they are not fakes." "I did have an A1 female but I sold her." I bet you regret selling that ? Truly Amazing series but Perhaps they are not as excessively rare as some are making out?? Like all species the sexes should appear in equal numbers so I doubt they are very rare, but rarely seen is another matter, obviously this supplier has a sweet spot, and if he has found a female zalmoxis in the same locality I hope soon the mythical antimachus x zalmoxis hybrid will soon be a part of nitra's collection Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on May 28, 2016 2:45:45 GMT -8
Good God ! Given the cost of females these days I cannot help but say --- you must have one heck of a good paying job and you must have some REALLY great contacts ! Most impressive.... I'll second the "good god" comment but the contacts can't be that "great" they've only found 2 males, lol. As for wanting to die with the largest series of female antimachus, be careful what you wish for as I think you might already have it.. No A1 females? Rich (very jealous) P.S any zalmoxis females ?
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Post by timmsyrj on May 27, 2016 11:11:24 GMT -8
Ah, but ALL orchid hybrids also need CITES permits, even though they may be multigeneric totally artificial hybrids from stock that has been bred in greenhouses for 10 or more generations. The reason is that customs officers don't know how to distinguish a hybrid from a natural species, so regulations require CITES for all of them. Adam. Also true with some marine corals and fish, I have had plenty of corals , fish and orchids over the years and never been given any CITES paperwork, licence number etc but i need to have them for my butterfly collection which are dead specimens. What a strange world we live in. All the best Alex. Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on Apr 30, 2016 23:57:10 GMT -8
"Pathysa nomius or Graphium nomius" or even Arisbe nomius?. Who knows anymore, next year they'll probably be something else anyway so call them what ever you want, mine are Graphiums and will remain so on the data labels.
Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on Apr 22, 2016 5:43:37 GMT -8
What species of violets are you using Bill, mine are garden bedding plants that the silver washed fritillaries are eating ( Viola tricolour) but I am raising seedlings of Viola odorata which is a perennial violet that gets quite large for this family, our local violets are Viola canina ( dog violets ) but they are small very sparse plants that wouldn't last long with larger larvae, certainly with the numbers I'm hoping to raise each year.
Rich
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Post by timmsyrj on Apr 16, 2016 6:59:48 GMT -8
Cheers Bill, it's taken awhile to get back into breeding again due to work, and back then I wished I'd done things a little differently so hopefully this will amend my mistakes back then. these should form a wall of violets from floor to ridge height (4ft) for my fritillaries The first residents, silver washed fritillary larvae More mixed grass (molehills) seeded with 5 types of grass to breed some British and European satyridae and hesperidae. Wall pouches of nasturtiums are for Pieris species Wych elms for White Letter Hairstreak if I can find some, they are only 2ft tall at the moment so need to establish a bit yet. Rich
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