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Hibernation Boxes: Do Butterflies Use Them? - Page 2

© Naomi Mathews

So, partly out of curiosity, but moreso to give a knowledgeable answer to my friends and readers, I did a bit of research about butterfly houses, also called "hibernation boxes." Let me make it very clear that I have not become an expert about the hibernation needs or habits of the exquisite butterfly through my limited research. Therefore, I will only present a few pros and cons I learned about this still controversial subject and let my readers take it from there.

Dissenting Views About the Effective Uses of Butterfly Houses

Terri W., an enthusiastic butterfly gardener and one of my loyal readers from Pennsylvania, shared her own thoughts as well as comments from others about the effective use of butterfly houses. Terri wrote me this note:

"About the butterfly houses . . . I too have heard that they don't do so well in drawing butterflies. According to what I have heard, a piece of banana and wood bark need to be placed inside the house. . . . All the people I have spoken with have said the same thing--it isn't worth it. I personally won't get one."

Another personal response about using butterfly hibernation boxes was received from Nathan B. of Austin, Texas. His response was:

"If by 'hibernation boxes' you mean butterfly houses, no scientific but lots of practical. I've never seen them used by any butterflies. We even put rotten fruit in them to no avail. Just another thing to sell. Plain old bird feeders with a pan and rotten fruit works great if hung in the full sun."

An exceptional article by Claire Hagen Dole, Hibernation Boxes: Do They Work?, is one every butterfly enthusiast should read. Ms. Dole shares not only her expertise about the dynamics of butterflies and their caterpillar babies, but also her viewpoints about the use of hibernation boxes as opposed to providing natural habitats for butterflies. In her extremely enlightening article, she quotes Robert Snetsinger of PSU on this subject, who wrote:

"I have yet to see evidence to support the notion that butterflies actually need or use butterfly houses. My suggestion is, if you want to do something useful for butterflies, build them a mud puddle." (Reported in Butterfly Times, Dept. of Entomology, 501 ASI Building, PSU, University Park, PA 16802.)

Another article, Wild Birds Unlimited, Education: Butterfly, offers some excellent suggestions on butterfly gardening. Regarding butterfly houses, the author writes:

". . . They [butterfly houses] can be used as a roost in the summer months as well and as a shelter in the winter months. However, there are very few documented reports of butterflies actually overwintering in hibernation boxes."

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