Black swallowtail chyrsalis how do I know if it is in hibernation

by Dena
(Atlanta, GA)

Hi, I have a black swallowtail caterpillar that is going into the chrysalis stage today. How do I know if it will hibernate overwinter, or will decide to emerge before then? I live in Atlanta, GA and it will be very warm here for another month. I think it will emerge, but maybe not? I'm just wondering how to prepare the kiddos and where to put the chrysalis if it does hibernate until spring.
Thanks

Karen says:
My guess is Dena that it will emerge because you live in Atlanta where the climate is much warmer than it is here in the Northern States. I have a couple of caterpillars that just went into a chrysalis and am not quite sure what will happen. Maybe if yours hasn't emerged in a month or month and a half you could put it outside in a garage where it would be cooler. I have had black swallowtail chrysalis that have actually been in my house and overwintered and then emerged in early spring. Sorry to not be more specific but they seem very unpredictable.

Anyone else want to share their experiences with black swallowtails overwintering?

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Success with chrysalis
by: Judy

In the fall of 2010, I found a caterpillar on my parsley. I put it in a cage where it formed a chrysalis. We put it in the garage over the winter..a very cold one here in Michigan. Much to our surprise, it emerged in late May. This past winter we had 7. All but one emerged.

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