Save your hair; there's a few of us who still have some Once you start working with indigos you'll wonder why you didn't do it years ago; you'll really enjoy working with them. You asked some great questions; questions that many of us who have quite a bit of experience still cannot fully answer. It is extremely difficult to trace many of the available lineages back to wild caught adults. Chuck Elliott may be able to help out as he started working with them long before many of us. I do try my best to make sure I am working with as a genetically varied colony as possible; but, once again, we can only guess at times. Although I would NEVER advocate the taking of wild indigos, it sure would be nice to obtain a group of w/c adults, with the proper permission from the various commissions, to allow certain private individuals to work with them....but, I don't see that happening any time soon.

I would like to hear what others have to say about this.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

>>so...
>>I have had the indigo bug, probably for about 7 years, but haven't done anything about it yet. i have been successful with kings and then with pines. thus... i've done my research so with any luck 2006 will be the year i shave my head and fill out the paper work. my questions are...
>>
>>-does anyone know approximately how many indigo hatchlings are produced each season?
>>-are bloodlines monitored by any/many breeders in order to prevent excessive inbreeding?
>>- this may be a loaded question but it is related to the previous- at this point, can any captive bred populations be traced back to legal wild caught adults such as a long term colony prior to protection?
>>thanks much,
>>dave
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

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