Butterfly Farming in the East Usambara Mountains - Eastern Arc ...

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cuttings or rootstocks. It may also be possible to grow from seed but this has not been attempted yet as cuttings are readily available. • Urera trinervis – This species can be found climbing rocks or more frequently trees both along rivers and along the forest edge. It occurs from 900 meters to below 500 meters in the Amani area. • Urera species – Another unidentified species is used by the project. It appears to be a hybrid between the two previously mentioned species. Cuttings and rootstocks work well. It is unclear where it most common. • Laportea species – The species of Laportea that is used by the project can be found growing on semi-shaded rocks along streams or roads. It is most common from 700 meters to 300 meters. It can be transplanted. No attempt to grow it from seed has been made, though this may work well. 3) The Equipment Initially, I believed that is was possible to farm butterflies with very basic and cheap equipment. However, after researching the topic for over a year, I believe that some more complicated equipment is necessary. However, even the more recent improved butterfly farming equipment is a relatively small investment considering the potential earnings. 3.1 Farming Equipment 3.1.1 Cages • Shade Net Flying Cages (30,000 TSH each) – The Amani Butterfly Project currently uses round shade net cages for flying cages where female butterflies lay eggs on host plants. The cages are 4 meters in diameter and 2 meters high. The circle is constructed by planting 8 or more poles in the ground in the outline of the circle. Typically, the farmers use cut poles from types of trees that will grow from cuttings. The poles are usually about 2.5 meters. In affect, the farmers create extra shade and humidity for their cages. It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for the poles to sprout, depending on the weather conditions. Around the outside of the poles, farmers bend thinly cut bamboo to form a frame for the circle. 21
Then one piece of shade netting is wrapped around the outside of the bamboo. Another piece is sewn to cover the top of the cage. Finally, more bamboo is tied in a between the growing poles inside the cage and pushed up to form a small dome of shade net. The shade netting on the cages is reported to last for 5 years by the manufacture. A finished cage is pictured below. • Mosquito Net Cages (3000 TSH each, the bulk price for one 6x6 mosquito net) – Originally, I believed that mosquito net cages would be sufficient for flying cages. However, after experimenting with both types of netting, I discovered that most butterfly species fly much better in shade net cages. The problem with mosquito netting is that it is very fine and butterflies seem to bounce of the netting as they fly, where as with shade netting they usually avoid hitting the netting. As a result, the butterflies are much more active in the shade net cages and thus can lay more eggs. Mosquito net cages are useful, however, for rearing larvae. The fine mesh prevents most parasitic wasps from reaching the larvae. Unfortunately, they are not very durable an usually only last one year outdoors. • Clear Plastic Cages – Some possible alternatives exist for both flying cages and larvae rearing cages. One promising option is to cover the existing shade netting cages with a layer of clear plastic. This would greatly increase humidity and temperature in the cages. It would also in theory make the cages wasp and ant proof if the plastic was buried into the ground. Ventilation would probably be required along the joint between the walls and the ceiling. This could be accomplished with a strip of fine netting or cloth. This method would increase the cost of each cage by about 15,000 TSH. It might also be possible to abandon netting all together on the sides of the cages and just use it on the roof to reduce the amount of sunlight entering the cage. A cage like this would need to be tested in January and February to make sure they are not too hot. For the rest of the year, plastic cages may be ideal for Amani’s cool and often rainy weather. Such cages would probably last from 2 to 5 years, depending on the quality of plastic. • Thin White Cloth Cages – Cloth cages may prove more durable than mosquito net cages and would prevent all unwanted insects from entering larvae rearing cages, while still allowing some light to pass through to the host plants. Cloth is more expensive however and so small rearing cages the size of one 6x6 mosquito net might cost as much as 8000 TSH. 3.1.2 Planting Bags: • Black Plastic Tubing – The project uses 10 inch black plastic tubing to plant most of its seedlings. The tubes are very durable and should last for several years. They generally require more watering than bags since the bottoms of the tubes are open. • Plastic Bags – Some groups have substituted regular striped shopping bags for black plastic tubing. The bags are generally a little more expensive and not nearly as durable as the tubing. They do hold more water since the bottoms are closed. It is often necessary to punch a few holes in the bottom to prevent the soil from becoming mud. 22
Page 1 and 2: Butterfly Farming in the East Usamb
Page 3 and 4: Summary This report documents the f
Page 5 and 6: Since the end of walking transects
Page 7 and 8: diapause, some species of butterfly
Page 9 and 10: seems to be rapidly recovering in t
Page 11 and 12: • Charaxes violetta - A medium si
Page 13 and 14: • Pseudacraea boisduvali - Female
Page 15 and 16: • Papilio pelodurus - This specie
Page 17 and 18: sales for the dead stock market wou
Page 19 and 20: seems to be relatively easy to tran
Page 21: • Sorindeia madagascariensis - Th
Page 25 and 26: 3.1.9 Hanging Traps Hanging traps a
Page 27 and 28: • Collecting Eggs - Removing eggs
Page 29 and 30: • Providing technical assistance,
Page 31 and 32: • Since September 2002, the Diplo
Page 33 and 34: 3) History of working with Communit
Page 35 and 36: frames, has often been of poor qual
Page 37 and 38: so that groups consisting of 15 mem
Page 39 and 40: during the first few months of the

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