Decoy Butterfly
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Published on February 24, 2011
This thing was Featured on February 27, 2011
Description
Cabbage white butterflies are antisocial when they're laying their eggs. So if you stick up decoy butterflies, you can scare them off your crops. It's slightly oversize so it looks more intimidating to butterflies. Feel free to evolve the design.
Ignore butterflies attempting to mate with your decoy. They are stupid males and will not be laying eggs.
Ignore butterflies attempting to mate with your decoy. They are stupid males and will not be laying eggs.
Instructions
Print in white (or spray) and melt/glue a piece of filament into the socket on the underside of the butterfly. Warm up a strip down the middle of the "body" and bend the wings up a bit into what aeronautical types call a dihedral.
Draw a black spot in the middle of each of the two smaller wing lobes with permanent marker, and plant so that it is visible above your crops. Relax in a caterpillar-free environment.
Draw a black spot in the middle of each of the two smaller wing lobes with permanent marker, and plant so that it is visible above your crops. Relax in a caterpillar-free environment.
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grokbeer
on
March 2, 2011
said:
WARNING if you print this with ReplicatorG make sure you click "Put on platform" (under Move) before generating the GCode!
I couldn't figure out why the nozzle on my CupCake kept driving into my build platform, even after I had fully realigned my Z-stage. :'( Then I looked at the model in the RepG window and saw that half of it was below the build platform! :)
Bioluminescence
on
February 26, 2011
said:
What a good idea. I was surprised to read that Cabbage Whites are fooled by decoys, but a quick google search reveals people attempting to use all sorts of things to get the effect (eggshells, bread tags, etc). Your solution looks like it'll be an effective deterrent for the butterflies, and an attractive addition for the humans :)
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I printed a dozen of these for around the garden and after a week they seem to be working a treat! Our brassicas are caterpillar-free so far.