In southern states citrus trees are preferred making them pests for commercial orchard owners. The eggs are about the size of a pin head (or 1/16" in diameter), and when dry turn to a burnt orange color (see below). This egg is two hours old, and the orange coloration is a type of glue to secure the egg to the upper surface of the leaf. I thought it was curious they were being laid on the top of the leaf but then I learned about the appearance of the caterpillar and it all made perfect sense: the caterpillars look like bird droppings and that is where bird droppings would be, not on the underside of the leaf. I do not know of any predator that would go after bird droppings. Great camouflage.

(Note: Image above taken with Nikon Coolpix 950 while being hand-held to a Nikon 20X Field (micro) Scope.)

I need to look back on last years notes to see just how long it takes for the eggs to hatch. I collected three today and plan to look for more tomorrow. Last year I harvested 61 and they all made it to chrysalis. Many I gave away as to rear that many at once along with all the other lepidoptera I raise in the summer would be impossible. If you would like to raise a giant swallowtail, I would be happy to share them with local residents provided I am successful finding as many eggs this year as last. You will need to have access to prickly ash (leaves) as a food source. Come see me at the store; I will provide you with rearing information, too. Captive rearing usually has a sixty to eighty percent success rate; in-the-wild less than one percent of lepidoptera survive into adulthood.
      Louise Dawson