Q&A for How to Feed Butterflies

My first tip would be to put some kind of sticky substance in the feeder where the ants are climbing it from. Other than that, you could try putting water on it.

Make a solution of 3 teaspoons of sugar to 1 cup of water. Stir the mixture thoroughly to dissolve all the sugar. Use a dropper to soak a cotton ball with the solution, then place the cotton ball in your butterfly’s habitat. The butterfly will sip sugar water from the cotton ball with its proboscis.

Your butterfly probably won’t eat for the first 24 hours after it emerges from its chrysalis, but it should be ready to eat by the next day.

Butterflies need plenty of space to fly around, so it’s usually better to release them into the wild a few days after they emerge (as long as they are native to your area). If you choose to keep the butterfly, you’ll need to keep it in the largest habitat you can manage—ideally, a captive butterfly should have access to a whole room, but this might not be safe or practical in your home. The habitat needs to have mesh or net walls so the butterfly won’t damage its wings battering against them.

They will wiggle their right antenna up and down, and then the left one will either vibrate or do the same. Then they will rub one of their legs on the surface they're on.

It depends on the species. Adult moths usually eat nectar, like butterflies, so similar methods may work. However, many do not eat once they reach adulthood, so do research on your type of moth before attempting to feed it.

Butterflies feed on nectar, and you can make a sugar water solution for them to drink, just as you would with a hummingbird. They will also lick water off glass. I suggest using a small water dish with sugar water, attach it to something for them to climb on, and put a strainer over it (attach securely) so they can stick their proboscis through the holes to get the fluid without falling in and drowning.

I'm not sure what you currently feed your butterfly, but you could try offering it different foods. Butterflies usually like oranges, grapefruit, bananas, apples and cantaloupe!

Yes, as long as you don't damage the wings. Make sure he is alive first.

There are many types of food that will feed butterflies well. Fruit juice, 15% honey water, 15% sugar water, or Gatorade are the easiest.

Butterflies can eat many types of fruit, including oranges, grapefruit, peaches, strawberries, and bananas. Wait for the fruit to rot, as butterflies enjoy rotting fruit, and then cut them into slices for your butterfly to enjoy.

Butterflies eat different amounts at many different times during the day. It is never the same and can vary from a few hours to many hours. If your butterfly struggles to eat, offer the butterfly food at least once each day.

Do you know what species it is? If it is not supposed to have small wings, then you could feed it sugary drinks like juices. Make sure it is not near the other butterflies in case it is spreading a disease.

Offer it a different food. He/she might be bored of the same food, or not like it. Swallowtails love citrus, a butterfly favorite amongst all species is rotting grapefruit. If she/he still doesn't eat ,then maybe try holding down the proboscis again for longer. Careful, as they are such delicate creatures though!

Some bugs (like praying mantises) like to eat only when people aren't watching them. This may be true of your butterflies.