Jody's Cats J'd Up

Black swallowtail caterpillars at Jody's
at the top and right assuming J position

I got a text from Jody on Sunday morning that her latest black swallowtail caterpillars had J'd up. That is the position they assume when they are ready to become a chrysalis. This brood will be overwintering. She already has some overwintering, so she asked if I wanted them. Sure, I said! I picked them up after church.

The sticks in the plastic container, above, are for them to make a chrysalis in the proper position for eclosing. They spin a silk thread that harnesses them to the stick. They must be upright. But these decided to be a chrysalis on the enclosure itself. Just great, I thought. Now I have to be extra careful with the enclosure. 

I checked them today (they are in the cold garage for the winter), but something is not right. One is a chrysalis but the other is doing nothing.

This one looks okay so far.
You can see the tattered shed skin on
the very bottom of the chrysalis.

This one could be parasitized.
The two need to be separated.

There are many parasitizing wasps and flies out late in the season, so one or both of these could have been parasitized. I want to separate them, but since they are attached to the enclosure itself, it would require me to cut up the enclosure. It's Jody's, not mine. So I'll think of another way to quarantine them.

Here's hoping for the best! Unruly children can be a pill.

_/\_/\_