London Pupae Supplies is one of the world's foremost suppliers of tropical butterflies - most customers are garden centres, zoos and butterfly exhibitions but the smaller, private customer and enthusiast is also happily received. LPS is now based in Oxfordshire, England where pupae received from breeders are sorted for quality and age(a small quantity of the pupae inevitably have parasitic wasps or disease or have been damaged in transit and must be removed from the bulk).

(Above) Parthenos Sylvia butterflies mating

Pupae are then dispatched to our customers, packaged with cotton wool in polystyrene boxes and card. Note that the butterflies are always transported in pupae form because as such, they are effectively inert and only need 'due care and attention' rather than any specialised treatment; they suffer no distress in this form and are on their way to living out their natural lives in a naturalised environment!

The pupae we supply are mostly reared on our own farms in the Philippines and Thailand, staffed by locals who breed multigenerational butterflies in captivity, therefore not affecting the indigenous ecosystem. Equally, this type of farming treats rainforest as a sustainable resource, rather than allowing the land to be cleared.

To give us a broader range of tropical pupae, we also use breeders in Uganda, Kenya, Argentina, Indonesia, China, North America and Costa Rica - all of which adhere to the stringent standards of quality control that we expect of our own farms

We are very proud of the quality of pupae and reliability of service which we offer - facts that keep regular customers returning to us.

(Above) Papilio memnon lays eggs