In summer you can enjoy colorful butterflies that regularly visit your garden. As summer comes to an end, visits become less frequent until the insects eventually disappear from your thoughts entirely. But they need your help, especially in the cold season. By providing butterflies with species-appropriate winter quarters, you can help them overwinter. Here you will find all the important information and tips.
How can you help butterflies overwinter?
Butterflies overwinter in frost-free places. If you find a butterfly in your home, you should carefully place it in a ventilated box and store it in a cool, protected place (5-10°C). You can release him in the spring.
How do butterflies overwinter?
Like numerous other insects, butterflies go into hibernation at the end of autumn. They remain motionless in one place while they slow down their energy metabolism. Most of the time they look for frost-free buildings. It is not uncommon for a butterfly to fly into inhabited houses.
Butterflies in the apartment
Two species of butterflies in particular are often found in apartments:
- the peacock butterfly
- the little fox
If you find a butterfly in your four walls, you must under no circumstances turn up the heating to warm the insect. At temperatures above 12°C the animals awaken from their winter torpor. Due to the lack of food available, the butterflies starve. However, releasing the insect outdoors is not a solution either. It would freeze here after a short time. Instead, proceed as follows:
- Cut a small hole in the lid of a cardboard box.
- Catch the butterfly and carefully place it in the box.
- Place the cardboard box in a cool, protected place (basement, garage,).
- Close the opening with a beer coaster, for example.
- Make sure that the temperature in the box remains constant at 5-10°C.
- In spring, remove the cover.
- Ensure that the butterfly can leave its winter quarters (garage, garden house, etc.).
