How To Start A Butterfly Farm or Butterfly Business

Did you ever want to raise butterflies or start a butterfly business? I interview a butterfly farmer to find out how and where to start. Butterflies can be very difficult to raise and we talk about the pitfalls and common mistakes to avoid. We also talk about the different ways and venues a butterfly businesses can make a profit.
I go on location and visit Magic Wings Conservatory located in Deerfield, Massachusetts, located near the border of New Hampshire. If you love tropical plants, flowers, and rare butterflies you really need to watch this story.
Here is a link to the book I talked about in the video: amzn.to/2bUKKiD
For FREE access to all my unlisted and private stories, sign up at www.TarrinLupo.com
Music
Title Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
#butterfly #farming #butterflyfarming

[@rachaeljenneman8862]

Hahaha! Don't worry, sir. My son who is nine LOVES butterflies and raises them. #notjustforgirls

[@serenapilar9261]

So happy to see this comment years later. It's so necessary because the bias for what boys can and cant do is ridiculous. I'm a homeschool mama and my 6 year old son and I will be butterfly superheroes and help procreate and preserve butterflies.

[@ashtonyochim7544]

I love butterflies too!

[@PhenomenonAnimates]

Wait a sec I LOVE BUTTERFLIES and I am 9 to!

[@AGzz505]

I had so many people laugh at me when I was a kid when I said I wanted to have a butterfly farm. Even had people tell me theres no such thing. Now I'm gonna show them! Cant wait to make this happen.

[@elizabethcastillo3315]

Are you living your dream?

[@derektoney6832]

I have a butterfly house. It has been running for 5 years now!

[@luisroman3311]

And how do you make profit with it?

[@SmileyFaceActress]

I have honestly thought about doing this in the small town i live in. It tends to be difficult with the cold weather. This video has given me hope to maybe be able to start someday. For the past 4 years I go out and get Monarchs to raise. This year I have attempted Painted Ladies. This video is fantastic!

[@lindavincent2995]

I have a Butterfly garden and that is fun . You are always learning about host plants. And rear Monarch Butterflies. The more you learn the less mistakes you will encounter.

[@bobfootballbobert]

If you do mistakes if means your learning more :D

[@hawaiidoves]

Interesting. On Oahu, Hawaii, an invasive bird, the Red-vented Bulbul, has become populated enough where they are eating the larvae of Monarch's that the Monarch population has dwindled to very low numbers. Back in the 60's when I was growing up, Monarch's were very common on the island of Oahu. Now, you hardly see them. I planted several crown flower plants in our backyard and so the Monarch's like to lay their eggs on the leaves of that plant. The problem, is that, the Red-vented bulbul, will come and hunt for the larvae. What I am doing, is every morning, I go out and collect the caterpillars and raise them in a jar. I think at least, I am helping the Monarch's from predation. I enjoyed your video.

[@RealBradMiller]

Monarchs we're introduced in the mid 1800's, and the populations don't really move from island to island, let alone back to the mainland. So, maybe over time we will get new species altogether, where they do not migrate, or create a new population that stays within the islands. Cheers!

[@veek.6463]

My intro to butterfly farming was in 1992 when was in high school and went to Ecuador for a summer and lived at a science research outpost. I made friends with a local shaman whose wife was a butterfly farmer. I'd like to say that I focus on one type of butterfly but have at least 14 types come around just from providing 3 types of plants large scale and gone wild. If you have 10 basic butterfly plants, you'll attract them. If you specialize in a specific species and grow for them then you will attract many of hose and others that enjoy those foods. I have been working on my butterfly garden transplanting horehound, wild asters, wild hollyhocks, and adding milkweed to my one acre orchard that is full of those plants now and over 750 baby fruit trees. I noticed many many butterflies coming to the point of finding them in my hair! And then today saw it on BBC they have been picked up on radar as a massive swarm of painted ladies here where I live. Outdoors you need room and he ability to grow thousands of plants. Thousands of one species. And grow 3-15 types and let them go wild and you sure will get Butterflies. i am adding iron weed and milk Beth and flea name daisy and hops tree and more milkweed now. There is a big butterfly pavilion in Denver not far from me. If you ever want to come visit we can go there and can show you my farm. I don't make money doing it. I do it because my name means Butterfly and that is what my husband calls me and I have loved them forever. Not like I have butterfly paraphernalia or books on them or butterfly stuff- deep in my soul I love them and have to feed them. I wish the world belonged to them. They impress me so. And I should point this out- for all these butterflies there are also many bees. Added benefit to the bee population and ready? Ravens. Beautiful Ravens. Maybe 30 of them. They don't eat the bugs. They hang out there though. And once a summer get a migration of dragonflies which is astonishing. So basically do what you can. Even a small patio can be inviting but really a big area with thousands of milk weed? Forget it. You'll be sick of picking butterflies off your arms. Just don't let your animals eat milkweed. It's toxic to them. I have horses, too and so avoided it but now am adding it away from them. I love this video and am really glad you put it up. I have total respect for this work and deeply honor anyone who will save Butterflies. Thank you brother! Love!

[@laurieflores1793]

This is long must be done life put in to this

[@laurieflores1793]

Not to be mean but leave like if you just look at this and said nope to looooong

[@dantheman5817]

I'm right next to a farm that grows Bt corn the pollen from it can kill my larva. So I have another place for milkweed. I'm rearing Monarchs, and enjoying it. I've just begun. I only had two adults I set free. I'm also growing milkweeds along my rurel roads too help.

[@SuperJoybug]

I would love to start something small live in central Oregon, similar to Denver

[@ArrozConPollllo]

I want so badly to quit my security job and start a butterfly garden and farm...

[@hazeleyes611]

I like butterflies, plants and birds and I find nothing wrong with it. I'm with you. Amazing video.

[@Faith2CLE]

My sister and I love butterflies and grow plants so we can grow butterflies and we help teach people about how to raise butterflies and they are so impressed learning about them. I would love to raise blue morphos and other beautiful butterflies and also love different plants.

[@darklordluke666]

Awesome video, I'm currently looking at starting a little butterfly breeding project myself and seeing where it go's, who knows I might be able to start a little business from it if all go's well

[@TarrinLupo]

It was such a cool experience, and lots of folks are tempted to run right out and start their own. I would just start super small, it can get very expensive so work out your mistakes first.

[@richebourg9titley713]

I have a butterfly conservatory that's been going for 3 years niw

[@richebourg9titley713]

So if you are starting and want any tip then just contact me

[@TarrinLupo]

If you live in NH I would love to come interview you.

[@nesarajan7063]

Respected sir,iam Dr.Nesa,asst professor of zoology,bishop Heber college,trichy,tamilnadu,india,working on butterfly conservation.can I contact to you for training?

[@veek.6463]

That's awesome you have a conservatory. I hope it's super successful.

[@Sharkteethfossildiscoveries]

Richebourg9 Titley I'm very interested....

[@PhenomenonAnimates]

Really I am a 9 year old Boy and I LOVE BUTTERfLYs

[@missykim510]

Great video! Really interesting. I toyed with the idea of butterfly farming for 30 seconds until you mentioned that botany is a strong component. I am a plant murderer :P I don't mean to be, but they just keep dying! I'll stick with visiting places like this, and leaving the farming to the pros. Also, gender stereotypes are BS. Do what you love!!

[@nikhilsukumar23]

Mulching can help plantscstay fresh and nutrient rich.

[@sandrocamborda1086]

Sameee. Im a human murderer. I don't mean to be. They just keep dying

[@elizabethchiong7643]

You just shared things that I love to learn.

[@Brimbles2]

Thank you for this wonderful video! I loved it! Would love to see more on this subject.

[@TarrinLupo]

I will see what I can find. I might order a few butterflies next year and make a more in depth video about raising them. I know I at least want to plant butterfly garden.

[@dinamargaritab5757]

Hi! found your video very interesting, i`m from Guatemala and just farmed 22 monarch butterflies and loved it! thank you so much!

[@rsorensen3992]

Thank you! Just forgot about life for a short time

[@leapowell2410]

thank for showing this

[@evanlane1690]

Very cool interview! Thanks!

[@joy1ess]

she's discouraging everyone saying there's no profit, yet at the same time, those butterflies they're raising are keeping her and her colleagues employed and reeling in the business. rubbish. you don't need a masters or a PHD to deadhead flowers, to propagate cuttings, to learn about soil and to start a little garden. Flowers are the easiest plants to grow. A lot of them re-seed themselves, grow wild, and wild bees and insects love them. You *don't* need to go to college to learn these stuff 😂 it *is* a bit of a learning curve, but no way it is by any means, "rocket science". not only should they *not* be exclusive information, they should be shared, encouraged and nurtured onto the public. imagine every household tending to their mini flower gardens and keeping the ecosystem happy. not cool.

[@janemcguinness6321]

Thank you for this. Lots of excellent suggestions. Will use it with kids in our school garden.

[@clararestrepo4818]

Just make sure to NEVER use tropical milkweed, it’s invasive and has a lot of of the OE (a parasite that inhabits the monarchs) and to make sure to use infertile butterflybush since they are invasive, there is the “lo and behold” series and the “miss” series which are infertile.

[@todawoods7212]

Wowwww thank you for this. My dream is to have my own butterfly paradise sanctuary and I'm in NH so this video was so helpful and shoes my dreams can come true.

[@TarrinLupo]

Glad it was helpful! I hope you do it, it would be nice to visit a local one here in NH.

[@satyatn7742]

this is an amazing video with lots of info and tips. thank you for that!

[@utahblue3356]

Planning to open my own butterfly farm! I go to magic wings every summer

[@ilseaschenbrenner6348]

Thanks for the video, you have got me inspired.

[@sarw9294]

This is a fantastic video!!

[@gregtempleton9065]

Very cool...up close and hands on experiencing nature..

[@taraadcock1503]

The "scientist" that told you there is no money in the Butterfly business is wrong. You do have to care for the plants attractors and hosts. Then you have to disinfect the host plants and feed the catapillars and wait and care and collect and sell the chrysalis..........it's a process and we are just learning. Good Luck to you.

[@debrapauldavis4977]

I agree totally Tara.

[@fulyag.5098]

I read this subject in a Swiss writer book, very interesting. I havent heard it before.

[@jaysonrocha1534]

I want to learn how to create butterfly garden.I love butterfly.

[@biotasekitarkitachannel3203]

Butterfly .... I love it

[@Emunah13819]

We have Butterfly World here in South Florida. So many beauties!

[@TinRoofVintage]

Very interesting tour - I had no idea there were actual butterfly farmers. I've been to the Moody Gardens butterfly exhibit in Galveston, TX that has a small-scale breeding house to keep it stocked. They also have a rainforest exhibit as well. We need more of these types of conservatories. Thank you so much, Dr.!

[@TarrinLupo]

Thanks for watching, this place was huge! I have no idea how they keep this all running.

[@aliciagarrison2033]

I like hearing the Bach brandenburg concertos playing in the Bach-ground.

[@charleshayden9181]

Came back just to watch this video again cause it is so interesting

[@renelyn012]

Here many butterflies in my flower.. I like care.. Butterflies so beautiful

[@YvogaAZ]

Thank you!! Loved this!

[@TarrinLupo]

You are welcomed, thanks so much for watching.

[@lovelygala22]

Thank you for sharing this video keep safe sir

[@wherehaveallthetacosgone3780]

Very interesting and informative video! I want to try raising some as a hobby and your video is one of the first I came across in my research! I wonder what these places do with the butterflies when they die? I'm interested in using genuine butterfly wings to make jewelry, such as encased in resin.

[@dawncox3625]

Love Love this video

[@deeyomoma1641]

Pretty cool I’m just starting out with the common milk weed indoors trying to breed some monarch butterflies

[@cocktailparrotromeo649]

Amazing

[@dodecaheathenblue8132]

MAGICAL!!!

[@oOserkanCakmakOo]

Thank you so informative

[@jonathanfarringtontheartist]

Enjoyed this video

[@hawaiidoves]

Very interesting video. You are a very good tour guide!

[@klee88029]

Thank You!

[@rawking5150]

Very cool thanks !

[@THESHOMROM]

Wonderful.

[@preciousafusatu3087]

Am grateful to watching this am interested and am in Africa.butterflies are just awesome

[@slhram99]

Very fascinating. I live in Simi Valley,Ca and have raised about ten monarchs

[@KFInvertebrates]

I breed tarantulas for a living and I recently went to magic wings. I grabbed a ton of butterflies

[@joshlee1398]

I will have my butterfly garden from exciting gardens

[@ottertown6932]

The little round birds are called button quails, super cute!

[@JohnnyTakeAll]

*waves turtle around while gesticulating* lol

[@elisagalantini7597]

Love the intro man

[@makewithmegma]

Congratulations on 100k subs 👌👍

[@_stillyellowsnow]

And yeah greetings from freezing germany^^

[@bluepine5590]

Very nice video! I have reared a number of native species where I live and most are very easy. Do not forget the moths! Some can be very beautiful such as Tiger and Silk Moths. Diseases can take over and kill livestock. Some folks soak leaves briefly in bleach mixed with water to prevent diseases. I worry about this only because It can allow weak larva to survive that do not have genes for resisting diseases. My Buckeye Butterfly larva got sick once but a few survived that came from the same rearing cage. No leaves were treated. The website insect net is a great place to learn about rearing and you can also buy livestock. Remember the USA dos not alow exsotic butterfies or moths from other countries unless you have a permit and build you building or containment area to specific specifications (lots of red tape, forms, $$$ to deal with).

[@Lena-uh3ky]

Interesting but I don't think I could sell butterflies. That lady knows a lot. Great☺

[@Reyairia]

I imagine their biggest source of revenue would be selling them in display boxes. I see those boxes being sold often and I wondered how it could be legal since I've heard many butterflies fall into threatened status. This keeps them from being poached from the wild.

[@b-aquinopaulezekield.6671]

Watching this for a highschool project

[@Yeshuaseekinggirl]

Dream job.

[@kcoulter117]

Interesting

[@stevensau8941]

I am interested, on butterfly farming this is a great job and I am a Lepidopteran from Papua New Guinea.

[@sazgarmothman]

i love your vedio im a startup in this bussenise

[@Yourhighnessnona]

Amazing! Is this where the people who sell mounted butterflies get their butterflies from? I wonder if you can start a butterfly farm not for tourism or to sell the alive butterfly, but to sell the corpse :) What do you think?

[@jeffliggett8947]

solo cool!

[@jeffliggett8947]

sooo cool

[@imronimron5866]

Because is beatiful

[@kennethwickline3137]

Nice video...thanks for sharing; however, I have a comment regarding the summer plants. You have privet and scabiosa on the list. I am not sure about other parts of the country but in Texas those two are on the list as non-native and invasive species. However, they are still sold in our nurseries....go figure.

[@_stillyellowsnow]

Really nice video^^ I kind of collect pinned butterflies (have 3), because they are very expensiveI hope you make more videos about it so I can one day grow my own ones^^

[@TarrinLupo]

I would like to try raising them to see what is all involved.

[@veek.6463]

Oh my god so sad to do that. Have to squeeze their thorax and suffocate them to pin them. So sad to me. I find them lifeless and bring hem inside. Set them on a crystal and give them a little pool of honey water and at night they will fly around if ai turn on a light. Is their last night of life usually but they are happy. I play them music and set them of crystals and they always in some way thank me. Land on my nose or whatever and look in my eye and then die. I could never kill a butterfly. That's like killing an angel. Please don't. Just photo them and draw them. I will draw them for you.

[@saltlifegull4091]

Love the video. No butterflies this year in NW Florida and my milkweed is blooming everywhere. So sad. How can I buy some catepillars? You're a manly man, so no apology for loving butterflies;))

[@jamesfrederick.]

U forgot that there is another way to make real money “but it’s kinda sad” you kill and sell the perfect butterfly body’s in glass cases

[@jackar3896]

Very interesting my friend

[@TarrinLupo]

Thanks so much for watching, It was a pretty cool place.

[@kristymcmillan1987]

I'm doing bees RN but thinking about this too

[@lindavincent2995]

Coolist

[@YOriginalY]

I need help!! My 7th butterfly is out of his shell (I don’t now the right word for it in English) when I wasn’t at home and I noticed that he has some of the shell (/skin I don’t know) on his head and he tries to take it off but he can’t. What should I do? And I need to release them tomorrow because I am for two weeks not home

[@markgiddy6]

Alicia was awesome she knows her stuff. Love it.

[@BelethThorn]

Not sure how I feel about selling them.. I myself raise and release monarchs.. but I suppose if in the end they are released it's okay.

[@veek.6463]

I wouldn't sell them to be released at weddings and stuff. I'd feel so bad for hem in places where there is pollution and no food plants. No thank you. I just create he food and let them stay. I'd feel terrible sending them to release where was nothing to eat like that. I agree. I couldn't sell them. Not mine to sell. Better than me anyway. By a lot. Love!

[@dantheman5817]

Not really bad idea. They need too be in there natural locale. You might interduse an envasive or sick species

[@pradbis]

My sis got SO excited when she saw this. I have an ant farm.

[@abigailgalloway3114]

I’ve always wanted walking sticks. How lucrative do you think that would be? 😆

[@imronimron5866]

I like papilio blumei butterfly

[@MrGoodKingBad]

the birds are cordon bleu finch then the harlequin coturnix quails then the common green rail

[@kamellakhalifa]

Where can I buy butterfly and moth pupa?

[@chingu1432]

My caterpillars are dying :(. it has been 21 days since I got the larvaes (I thought it was going to take 10 days or so). They were doing just fine until it started to die before forming chrysalis. Most of them got pretty big and they are starting to die. What should I do?

[@bonnie2781]

What were some of the things they did before dying? Unfortunately there are many diseases that affect them and sanitation is key. What did you end up doing?

[@Bluebirdt120]

chingu1432 there are many reasons why they may die. Chemicals are at the top of the list...pesticides, insecticides, even fertilizers. There are also many insects that can kill them...wasps and spiders are killers. There are other insects that use the caterpillars as a host and lay their eggs on them. As mentioned above, there are a few diseases that cause them to die off also. Ive been raising butterflies for a few years now. Youre not going to cure everything. The best thing to do is, "go natural." Let nature take its course. If i have 100 caterpillars and 90 make it, thats great. You wont save them all. I also have them all.outside and let nature do its thing. A lot of people bring them in the house and put them in an enclosure. To eavh their own but, there are many things inside your house that can kill the butterflies/caterpillars also. Plant some of thier flowers and host plants to start and let them do thier thing. Good luck.

[@tropicalseedlings]

The birds you like are Chinese Painted Quail aka Button Quail or King Quail

[@mynilaamynilaa7828]

From where i can get different types of butterfly eggs...?!

[@dantheman5817]

Plant local Host plants in your yard and necter flowers. They will come.

[@dantheman5817]

I started a Monarch butterfly garden this summer. I had all casualties except 2, I set free. I'm learning a lot, I'm not in for commercial reasons. I just want too help conserve what we have here. They are like Canary's in the coal mine. We need too stop destroying are eco system.

[@stiffchick1]

Those tiny ground dwelling birds look like quail? Maybe a variety of button quail? (About the size of a lemon)

[@TarrinLupo]

They were cute.

[@brandonnorthrop3624]

Chinese painted quail also referred to as king or button quail although real button quail have some slight differences

[@Fstk_the_Birb]

One question... How and where i can found caterpillars in nature

[@tiagobarbosa6059]

In hostplants

[@Fstk_the_Birb]

@@tiagobarbosa6059 Thanks

[@NYREPS]

Did you used to live in virginia?

[@TarrinLupo]

Yep, grew up in Northern Va and left after H.S.

[@marshall886]

How do you get money from butterflies?

[@Rome274]

I raise monarchs in my conservatory . Monarch butterflies are slowing becoming extinct because of wasps, preying mantis, sprays ect

[@tayh3645]

I know this is an old comment, but I still feel it needs to be said for others who may be reading through the comments; their numbers are most assuredly declining, but the cause is not anything that you mentioned. It has to do with habitat loss. All monarchs migrate each winter to some of the same locations in Mexico. These locations are quickly becoming more and more scarce, both by human expansion as well as from natural disasters such as the more recent hurricanes that have damaged the habitats there. And more locally their habitats are also being destroyed. They require Asclepias species in order to propagate. Natural stands of these plants are becoming more and more scarce as humans continue to expand and destroy what once was prime location for these butterflies. While there are certainly monarchs that are lost to predators and chemicals, those statistics pale in comparison to the impact that their habitat loss has had on the population at large.

[@iluvumichelleq]

Is it still profitable to do this

[@karanotari9940]

My channel is karan otari where i have put some videos of my butterfly, shoot on mi phone.From the beginning when it laid eggs and then becomes a butterfly

[@LynneTelfer]

starting with a male cabbage white small butterfly. not the best start, was hoping for a female :L now i need to catch a female, i raised this male btw

[@brendengarcia9816]

That last butterfly was a snack for the turtle who is probably a vegan

[@LeslieLynchKnutson]

right!

[@michaelstewart7036]

Why is it always monarchs and painted ladys for sale?

[@kasthuridaniel3903]

Can any one help me pls.anything likethis in bangalore.