Tropical butterfly and moth pupae from Costa Rica: Pre-Orders
We are happy to announce the first list of pupae coming from Costa Rica. This list includes several species of neotropical butterflies and moths, that can be purchased and combined all together in a single parcel. These species, the diurnal ones in particular, require a special care and need to be shipped by express courier, to guarantee their safe arrival. Some of them may hatch very fast, in about a week.
All the species can be pre-ordered until the end of stocks, no payment is required. Payment confirmation will be sent only when the exact import date and pupae quantities will be confirmed (1 week before arrival of pupae – likely around 15-20 of July). All pupae will be received by us on Monday and sent out with express courier on Tuesday, in order to be received before the weekend. All the news and updates will be communicated in our news section or through the Time To Breed newsletter.
Lepidoptera species list:
Here you find the list of the species (Papilionidae, Nymphalidae, Saturniidae families) that will be available in the last week of July. Prices vary for each species and are intended per pupae. All species listed here can be combined together in a single parcel. Very high quality pupae that are produced in specialized butterfly farms, respecting the local wildlife.
Unfortunately, for these species, is not possible to provide the exact number of males and females requested by clients. By the way, we will do our best to provide a reasonable sex ratio in every parcel.
Note about Caligo MIX and Heliconius MIX: for Caligo sp. and Heliconius sp. only, we will receive a mix of species (listed below). You can choose the quantity for each. In case of shortage of a particular species, it will be substituted or mixed with another one from the same genera (all species will be separated and labelled). We will do our best to match every request with the desired species. No worries, if you get a different one, they do all feed on the same host plants.
IMPORTANT! ALL THE PRICES LISTED HERE ARE INTENDED AS FINAL PRICES, NO ADDITIONAL VAT WILL BE CHARGED.
| Species | Price each pupa | Host plant | Hatching time (after pupation) |
| Morpho helenor | 4,00 EUR | Fabaceae as Wisteria, Trifolium or Arachis | 14-16 days |
| Papilio cresphontes | 3,40 EUR | Citrus | 10-12 days |
| Papilio anchisiades | 3,20 EUR | Citrus | 10-12 days |
| Caligo MIX (eurilochus, telamonius, illioneus) | 3,30 EUR | Musa (banana), Canna, Zingiber | 12-14 days |
| Eryphanis polyxena | 3,30 EUR | Bambusoideae (bamboo) | 10-12 days |
| Opsiphanes tamarindi | 3,30 EUR | Musa (banana) | 10-12 days |
| Heliconius MIX (hecale, melpomene, charitonius, eueides isabella) | 3,30 EUR | Passiflora cerulea | 9-10 days |
| Rothschildia lebeau | 3,60 EUR | Ligustrum, Prunus, Ailanthus, Citrus, Syringa | 2-3 weeks |
| Eacles imperialis FEW IN STOCK | 6,50 EUR | Prunus, Quercus, Liquidambar, Rubus, Acer, Pinus and much more | 3-4 weeks, possibly univoltine |
If you are looking forward rearing these species, we have found some valuable hosts that can be used for them, please look up to the table and find the suitable one. Whether you need additional information on rearing and breeding techniques, you can contact us in any moment or simply use the live chat tool of www.timetobreed.com.
If you want to read an overview on how to care about butterflies and moths at home, please read or section dedicated to Lepidotera Breeding.
Please note that is normal that some of the adults, diurnal butterflies in particular, may hatch with some imperfections and, at a low percentage, unable to fly. This is normal and happens in low rate to any live pupae livestock of this kind.
Pupae shipping: options and guarantees
The Lepidoptera species listed above require special handling. Most of the do hatch very fast and need to be shipped and received as fast as possible in order to ensure safe arrival. We offer 3 different types of delivery, within EU only. DPD courier is suitable if you ordered mainly Saturniidae and you may like to have few diurnals too. Anyway, we strongly recommend the TNT/UPS service, which ensure the arrival before Friday of the same week. On TNT/UPS shipping only, we will assume the full responsibility for butterfly pupae hatching in travel. Saturniidae pupae are covered by guarantee also with the slower DPD shipping. All of the shipping options listed below are tracked and way faster than parcel shipped with the postal service, price may vary according to the destination country, contact us for a price quotation.
| Shipping option | Delivery time | Approx. Price | *Guarantee | Tracked |
| (UK) – DPD Next Day | 1 day | 12 GBP / 14 EUR | All pupae | YES |
| (EU) – DPD courier | 3-4 days | 24 EUR | Saturniidae pupae only | YES |
| (EU) – TNT or UPS Express | 1-2 days | 30-50 EUR (depending on location) | All pupae | YES |
How to order live pupae from Costa Rica.
Pre-ordering butterflies and moth pupae from Costa Rica in now possible. The precise date of import will be communicated in a following post. Diurnal butterflies hatch very fast, thus they need to be shipped immediately upon arrival with express courier delivery only. Unfortunately, all the species listed in this article are available for EU clients only.
Write us to PRE-ORDER Costa Rica butterflies – Click here to find the form
Write us to confirm your interest ([email protected]), no payment is required for this first pre-order. Please indicate the following informations:
- Full delivery address
- Species and number of pupae each
- Shipping option (DPD, TNT or UPS express)
Update on the Covid-19 pandemia in Central and South America
During the last weeks, several south and central american countries registered a substantial increase in covid-19 infections. Costa Rica authorities have declared that the situation could get critical very quickly. By the way, our import is still scheduled but for safety reasons, we will not take any pre-payment until the flight date is confirmed. Finger crossed for all the people in Costa Rica, and all over the world, that are fighting with the Covid-19 wave.