Care Tips for Baby Caterpillars- Raise Healthy Monarchs

233 Comments

1. I planted tropical milkweed for the first time this year. Its been a rainy September here in San Antonio. By the time I get to go out and explore my gardens again I realize that plenty of eggs have hatched and larvae have grown quite a bit! Feasting on the milkweed happily. I have plenty of trees nearby but also a healthy bird population in the neighborhood. I don’t want to bring anything indoors so is there anything I can do to help them survive outdoor elements and predators?

   1. hi Escovee, to deter birds/flying insects from snatching your caterpillars, you can always put mosquito netting over plants.

2. Greetings!
   Im raising about 9 cats from egg stage that I brought indoors. Those little guys seem to be doing fine. Although some are surprisingly smaller than their larger counterparts.
   I have about 15 larger 5th instar about 3 inches in length or so that I brought into a habitat with some potted milkweed from the nursery. Within a few hours they began dying. Green stuff everywhere I’m guessing vomiting. They wriggle a lot before they succumb to whatever it is got a hold of them. The nursery assured me no pesticide was used. I thought I saw a tiny spider in the habitat and I took care of it. More cats seem to be dying. My little guys which are being fed the nursery milkweed this all the milkweed we have now seem to be doing okay. Any thoughts on the cause. Should I isolate? I purchased two of your habitats and those are being used. My black swallowtail about 4th instar passes away too it was not in a habitat. Did not die the same way.
   Please help.
   Thanks!!!

   1. Hi Magdalena, this sounds like pesticide exposure…I would find a different nursery:

      tainted milkweed

3. Hi Tony,
   Thank you so much for you awesome work!
   I released my first generation of monarchs last month and now I am raisins another indoors.

   Unfortunately, aphids are taking over my tropical milkweeds outdoors. Is there a way to control them without hurting the additional cats that are also on those outdoor plants?

   1. Hi Christian, if you treat plants you need to remove eggs/caterpillars first. Here are:

      Short and Long Term Strategies for dealing with Aphids

4. Hi Tony-

   1st time raising cats found on our garden milkweeds. Thanks for your great, info-filled blog. Very helpful. Successfully raised/released 5 so far. Next batch of 4 in “J”/chrysalis stage. Also watched female lay eggs- so brought in a few eggs+hatchlings (8 total). All doing well growing. Your blog has been a great resource!

   Pam
   -Chicago

5. I’ve seen people use small clear containers that you get sauces in at restaurants to place a single baby caterpillar or egg in. How do you keep them moist? How much air do they need? I’ve tried poking holes in the top but after a few days they usually crawl up to the top like they’re needing more air (or they might just be molting?). Am I doing it right? Do you place a moist towel under the leave cutting or lightly mist it daily?

   I have so many caterpillars and more coming (I saw ladies laying eggs) that I need to figure out some additional ways to raise them. I finally saw the eggs that she was laying so I want to try to bring some of them in to keep them from having parasites get them before I find them as youngsters. What’s the best way to bring in leaf cuttings with eggs on them?

   1. Hi Aleisa, you don’t have to poke holes in the containers. more info in this post:

      Food Containers for Monarch Hatcheries

6. Hi tony I just purchased cages from you and the books etc. I am in Ohio and have 10 catepillars in a cage now and one that is already in form to become a butterfly. just waiting

   I am wanting to know how late in the year you can release them because it seems they need to migrate by October and some are just babies..

   I am using a bird cage with screen all around it so they can’t get out and have snippings of the milkweed in a container with pantyhose over the top so they can’t fall in the water.. that is the best I could do until the new cages arrive.

   I have had a lot of catepillars over the past couple years but have never brought any in to a safe environment until now so I am very new to all of this.

   1. Hi Angela, in Minnesota we have released into October without issue. We usually bring in our last eggs by the first week in September and any caterpillars we find after that. They are pretty good with knowing when to stop laying eggs and start migrating…

7. Hi Tony,
   You have a great site, thank you! I am in Maryland and wondering if the 5th instar caterpillar on my milkweed is the migration generation or not. I am also curious if it is helpful to bring them in at that stage to safely pupate and eclose, or if efforts are better spent on the eggs and tiny caterpillars. There are lots of them out there from which to choose for raising.
   Thank you!
   Elise

   1. Hi Elise, you can always bring them inside, but you can’t be sure what a caterpillar was exposed to outdoors before you found it. Most of the caterpillars we bring inside are ok, but some have pathogens or parasites. If you have the choice, I would go with eggs…

8. Hello Tony: Thank you so much for your generous sharing of your monarch knowledge – and for all your work. This year I found 15 caterpullars; 8 monarchs have flown away…. the rest will be ready in a couple of weeks. I was not really prepared to invest “in monarch time” since some serious family health problems required my time…… but I could not resist when I happened to see caterpillars of various sizes. I was pleased when all of them had turned into chrysalids. Work done! But….. I saw a scruffy caterpillar on a pathetic looking milkweed – I could not walk away from it….. it is already fat and doubled in size. Ah well.
   Take good care.?
   Hedy, Lac Gauvreau Quebec

9. How long does it take an egg to hatch?

   1. typically 4-6 days.

10. Hi Tony,
    Recently found a monarch egg and it finally hatched!!! My first cat!
    It seemed to nibble a bit on the original leaf cutting but now has stopped eating and stays in one place.
    Have been using fresh leaf cuttings that have been rinsed off and dried and still not eating .
    What do you think is wrong?? He’s kept in a small container with dry paper towel and covered with
    Five mesh on top. He does move if I make him.
    Any info is much appreciated!

    1. Hi Jeannie, they are less active when they are about to molt (shed their skin). I would continue to monitor and make sure the caterpillar has fresh milkweed…good luck!

11. Hi Tony,
    I live in PA and I am still finding eggs on milkweed that I bring in to feed my caterpillars. Since it is the 13th I am looking at mid October before they emerge from the chyrasalis. Do I raise them in my tents or put them outside on my milkweed and let nature take its course?

    1. Hi Susie, if you bring them inside to raise, they will at least have a chance to survive…

12. Hi,
    Having reared one caterpillar successfully to release (sadly lost one as well), now have a 2nd group reared from eggs — 3 massive cats, much larger than the first two ever became. We have two types of milkweed as food, common milkweed and narrow leaf milkweed, both from safe sources — however they don’t seem to want to eat the narrow leaf milkweed. We’re almost out of common and I’m getting worried…. is it a case of once their favorite flavor is gone they’ll turn from chocolate to vanilla as it were, or is it possible they’ll just reject the narrow leaf? If so, is it true organic butternut squash will work as a substitute? I believe they have between 1 and 3 more feeding days. Thanks for any advice!

    1. Hi, I would use the narrowleaf milkweed before the squash as there isn’t much known about the effects of feeding them this alternative…they may not like narrowleaf as much as common, but they will eat when they are hungry enough…

13. How hot is too hot? We’ve been experiencing a heat wave in San Diego county. Temperatures on our porch, where our little “ranch” is situated, have been as high as 110 degrees in the last few days. Is that dangerous to the health of our eggs, caterpillars and chrysalides?

    1. Hi Rob, I’m not sure the max temps they can withstand…it’s been close to 100 a couple times in our porch and they have been ok…as long as there is good air circulation and they aren’t getting too much direct sun, they should hopefully be ok. You could also bring them indoors until it cools down…good luck!

14. This is Sunday morning. Friday evening I found a monarch cat in my birdbath. I put it in a glass with milkweed leaves, covered it with a coffee filter (with holes poked thru) and left it. I was off doing stuff yesterday (Saturday) and noticed this, this morning.
    The cat has started to grow a green gel over it and is stuck on the glass bottom. If the cat is 2″ long, the gel is covering 1/3″ on one side.
    Any suggestions on how I can help this fella?

    1. Is this green section at the back end of the caterpillar? could be anal prolapse:

       Anal prolapse

15. I have one milkweed plant I put in my garden several months ago. About a week ago, 10 Monarch cats appeared. After a few days, I only had one, which I transferred inside to his own little kritter box. The milkweed plant has lost all its leaves, but the stems are still there. Should I just water it, and it will spring back to life with new leaves, or should I cut it way back, or ???

    Caren Hanson

    1. Hi Caren, maybe a good time to cut back and treat the plant surrounding soil with hydrogen peroxide to kill potential pathogens:

       treating milkweed with hydrogen peroxide

16. Recently I have seen a pattern on some of my cats — it’s as if someone had run a black dotted line, or stitched a line of black running stitch along the back of the cats, end to end. I wonder if this is a symptom of something? I’ve isolated them; they seem healthy enough and eat well.

    1. Hi Daisy, I’m not sure but isolating and monitoring them is what I would have suggested…good luck!

       1. I’ll report back what I learn.

          1. Last June I had a cat with the same black strip all the way down his back. It was narrow and looked somewhat like a pen mark. It was a little deformed, its head was at an angle and he had trouble with the chrysalis, but he did come out as a beautiful butterfly and flew away without any problems. (it was a female). So you never know, I guess.

             Nancy

    2. I noticed that black line on many of my cats a few months ago, so separated them from the others. The butterflies that emerged were NOT healthy, so I believe that IS a sign of a virus. Most were weak, had trouble emerging, didn’t have strength to fly, etc., and didn’t live long.

17. Hello Tony,
    I have a question about hatchlings. After having 7-8 cats of varying sizes get eaten by wasps within a few hours, I decided to bring some eggs inside and try to raise them to release. I have 10 eggs, 6 ready to hatch with dark heads, one just hatched, and 3 not quite ready. My concern is canibalism, since I have a instar 3 maybe, that ate 2 eggs when he/she was at instar 2, while I was prepping containers. Should I separate each egg/hatchling? I read 3/4 per container, but also that they sometimes cannibalize. If they hatch the same day are they safe together?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Carrie, it’s best to separate small instar 1-2 caterpillars from large instar 4-5. Still, if the milkweed is fresh, I have not found this to be an issue. Yes, eggs should always be kept separate from caterpillars but if you space out egg containers you should be fine…good luck with your monarchs!

18. I found several of my caterpillars on the ground today clinging to blades of grass below the milkweed. Since most of them didn’t look quite big enough to form a chrysalis yet, I put them back on the milkweed. I did see one of them fall off the top of the plant where the stems are thin. Should I assume they are on the ground by accident and will find their way back? Or should I help them back up? Or do they go to the ground for a reason?

    1. Hi Lana, you never know what might have happened to them outside (predators, disease) but sometimes they will leave the plant to molt (shed their skin). You can place them back on the plant, but if they keep falling there is probably an issue. If they are healthy, they should be able to find their way back…

19. thanks tony, yep, it seems to be a bona fide monarch. it’s feeding like crazy on an asclepsia tuberosa (railroad annie), not a thick-skinned wild milkweed. right now at midnight it’s raining like crazy so i hope it’s not getting beaten into the ground. i’ll check first thing in the morning. i hope the little guy knows how to take cover.

20. 8/22/2017 – my husband found a munching monarch cat on an asclepias tuberosa volunteer. because it’s self-seeded, it’s not near other plants nor it is near a good overwintering, protected area. last year we had one that hid behind the rose trellis on the wood and it did fine. i prefer not to bring it in but i do want to give it winter safety. we have asclepias tuberosa about 6′ -7 away from the trellis and it gets half day sun. if i move the cat there, will it find the trellis and survive the winter? we have more plants in half sun in the back yard near a small trellis and large bushes for a windbreak. where is the best place to relocate the cat outdoors for winter survival? if someone anwers my question, where can i find the answer and when? thank you all.

    1. Hi Barbara, monarchs don’t overwinter as chrysalides. They overwinter as butterflies in Mexico and coastal California.

       1. then i’ll expect it to become a butterfly and leave before frost if the tuberosa leaves hold out. or will that happen naturally when the leaves give out?

          1. since it’s not eating milkweed, is it a monarch?

             1. hi Barbara, check this post for more caterpillar photos to confirm your find:

                21 Tips for Raising Monarch Butterflies

21. Hi there. I’m currently raising some queen butterfly caterpillars (with plans to raise monarchs in the fall), and I’ve noticed a couple of the small (1st/2nd instar) ones have died. Should I be worried about disease or could it just be the intense summer heat? They’re currently in a mesh cage on my shaded front porch.

    Thank you!

    1. I should also add that they’re feeding on milkweed that I’ve grown myself with no pesticides. The caterpillars don’t liquify or anything they just kind of dry up.

       1. Are you using food storage containers or stem cuttings to keep milkweed fresh?

    2. Hi Alexandra, hear doesn’t kill caterpillars unless it’s pretty extreme. Here’s some info on monarch/queen diseases:

       Butterfly Diseases and Parasites

22. Hello!
    This is my first experience raising monarchs from eggs I collected. I have three cats that hatched two days ago. I have them on leaf pieces in the bottom of a plastic container. The little guys keep wandering away around the bottom and up the sides of the container. I cut another piece from a new leaf and coax them onto it, but pretty soon they wander away again. I have one in particular that just won’t stay on a leaf piece. Should I just let them wander or put them back on a leaf as soon as I notice they’ve wandered off again; or should I try something else?

    1. Hi Rita, if you use cuttings in a larger cage, they usually stay put as long as you take good cuttings:

       Using Cuttings to Feed Caterpillars Otherwise, in a small container, they should not have any problems crawling back when they are hungry…they may be crawling off to molt (shed their skin)

23. You have made it sound much more complicated than it really is. I have been raising monarchs for almost 50 years, and I have never sprayed any water on them for them to drink. They get all the moisture they need from the milkweed leaf itself. And yes the milkweed leaves are going to wilt and dry up, but it is almost impossible to keep them in good condition, no matter what you try, for more than a day. Just go out and get a fresh milkweed leaf. I use netting, that you can get in a dollar store, in the wedding section, to cover the tops of my containers.

    1. Hi Mary, I’ve watched caterpillars drinking water from sprayed leaves and I’ve watched them do this outside after a rainstorm so I can only imagine that not having any water for two weeks (besides what’s inside the milkweed) is stressful to their systems. If you believe the longest you can keep a leaf fresh is a day, then I invite you to try leaf and/or stem cuttings and then come back and share your thoughts…happy raising!

    2. Hi Mary I had two Monarchs hatch just 20 minutes ago and the Leaf it is on had drops of water on it after eating his shell he went for the water drop. Thank you for sharing Mary. Carolyn

       1. I transferred my baby cats to a milkweed plant that I keep indoors. I only water the plant from the bottom. Should I be misting the leaves where the baby cats are feeding? Thank You, Ruth

          1. Hi Ruth, you can lightly mist over them once a day…they drink the water droplets.

24. I have a cat that went into his J stage 4 cocoon he is attached to a metal sifter or strainer once he is all through and in the Cocoon stage can this be safely removed and somewhere else or is it best just to leave it where it is

    1. Hi Bob, if predators can access it, you might consider moving it. Otherwise, you could leave it too…

    2. It is best to leave it unless you can detach it without touching the actual cocoon. If you can remove it with tweezers from the attached part and reattach it somewhere safe, this is fine. If you touch the cocoon at all, it will not survive. I know from experience.

       1. Hello Bob,
          Monarch caterpillars become a chrysalis or pupae, they do not spin cocoons as many people think they do (moths make cocoons).
          I have had many caterpillars pupate in an undesirable location. They weave a silk circle surrounding the silk ‘button’ holding them secure. I use a piece of scotch tape and press it carefully next to the button stem and gently pull the tape off. It grabs the silk and removes the chrysalis easily from its location and you then can transfer the tape to something like a coffee filter (my fave) and it’s easy to rehang until ready to eclose into a beautiful monarch in 7-10 days. BUT do wait 48 hrs after it pupates to move the chrysalis.

       2. Cindy you might have had some toxic residue on your fingers. I moved one years ago and it successfully eclosed

25. I have been watching a Monarch lay eggs on the leaves of vines. She also lays them on top of milkweed leaves. I’ve been able to find 20 eggs and three newborn cats. And now there are two Monarchs laying eggs on five milkweed plants. I also found two swallowtail cats. It’s getting busy.

26. Hi Tony
    I brought in 6 caterpillars yesterday and I have the in mason jars. What is the best for covering the jars.
    Thank you
    Deb

    1. Hi Deb, on kritter keepers we’ve used pantyhose…nylon is a good breathable material, so that or something similar.

    2. There are a couple of guys in our community who keep the cats in a shallow plastic tub covered with mesh. They bring them to the local market and this seems to work well. The cats form cocoons on the mesh.

    3. Have 17 cats in various stages right now. 4 pupated today and 2 of the 4 are only about an inch apart! I’m new to raising Monarchs so a little leary about moving a chrysalis. Think these two will be ok so close?

       1. Hi Cheryl, an inch apart should be OK…as long as they aren’t touching

    4. I use ball jars (wide rim) for my 5th instar caterpillars a few days before they pupate and cover with a coffee filter and rubber band. You can even prick pin holes for are.. It makes a great spot for the cats to pupate upon as well.. Then I remove the filter w/chrysalis and hang until it ecloses. I also write the pupation date on the side of the filter to keep track of them.

       1. oh yes…coffee filters are a good idea too. I don’t use jars so I keep forgetting about those. Thanks Anita!

27. Help! I have two milkweed plants and have been documenting every stage of metamorphosis! It’s incredible but the wether has turned a bit cooler in la and I am finding that the caterpillars aren’t making it… They start to spin and then die… How can I help them survive? Do I bring them indoors and of so how?

    1. Hi Stacy, the temps in Louisiana aren’t cold enough that they should be killing caterpillars. I’ve brought in caterpillars after a night of frigid temps (33° f) and they were fine. This is likely a pesticide or parasite issue. Here’s more info:

       Monarch Diseases and Prevention

28. Hi Tony, I am in Southern California and BRAND NEW at raising Monarchs, but loving it. My heart is truly with the animals, etc. of the world and preserving their well being. My question is: I have a Instar 2 Monarch. He was hatched in a mesh case on the flower part of the milkweed and was taken inside at the moment I discovered him. The cutting he is on is the one he was hatched on. He eats the flower buds, then travels down onto a leaf and rests for a long time and has repeated this procedure for the last 3 days. He is growing nicely and looks great. He is not eating the leaves. I am wondering if he is going back to the flower buds because that is where he was born and if that is normal rather than eating the leaves.
    Thank you for this awesome site and for all you do for our little creatures. Blessings

    1. Hi Tracey, some prefer munching on blooms, especially when they’re small because they can hide in them. Keep in mind, it’s also easy for small predators like spiders to hide in blooms. If you bring flowers in, search them carefully…good luck!

29. Hello butterfly lovers, I have a Silky Gold milkweed and the other day I had 10 caterpillars crawling around on it until they ate all the leaves in less than a week and now they are all gone… I only have the one plant in a pot and its pretty tall but I guess not big enough and there are no other plants around it. Does anyone know if they migrated elsewhere or died off? Is there anything i can and/or should do in the future?

    Thanks for your help,
    Bri

    1. Hi Bri, one milkweed plant can not sustain 10 hungry caterpillars. If there was no other milkweed in the area, predators probably found them. I would plant more milkweed…good luck!

       1. When my caterpillars (inside a butterfly cube in my house) needed wilkweed faster than mine was growing, I drove to a field that had lots of wild milkweed and took a few leaves from many different plants. I washed them carefully . I have had to do that several times..

30. Manhattan Beach California

    Third instar on outdoor geranium plant x 3days and not moving. Geranium plants outdoors potted next to (2) potted milkweeds with plenty of all stages of instars.

    Is “geranium third instar dead”? Is he infected? Should I cut the leave off? ( I am concerned he may be infected).

    (2) cats recently in “J” formation and then apparently attacked by “the fly”. Long strings hanging during “J” formation.

    Help…

    Do not want to start indoor raising.

    1. Hi Debbie, it sounds like you are having an issue with tachinid flies. They lay eggs inside the caterpillars. here’s more info:

       Monarch Parasites and Diseases

31. Wow -it took like 10 min just to scroll thru all the replies to ask a question. Lol. I kno we’re talking ab monarchs but I have swallowtail babies and one of them is literally ab to run off & make a chrysalis. Problem is, he was done w/ all the parsley and I was foolish enough to pick him up to place him on a new plant. When I did, he squirted out a stinky liquid. I know they emit a stinky smell thru their antennas that protrude when startled- but I’m worried the liquid isn’t normal & I might’ve squished the guts out of him!! I tried searching the web on this but can’t find any info if I squished him half to death or if they can squirt liquid out of their abdomens? I read other caterpillars & butterflies can but no particular info on the liquid coming out of a swallowtail caterpillar. I think I have eastern swallowtails ? I’m in Florida! Just moved from Tampa to Brooksville ( central fla) I’ve raised monarchs & swallowtails before but never picked any of them up unless I was releasing the butterflies. Do u think I killed him?? He seems to be ok right now but I feel he might die later ☹️ Also I thought I read it’s safer to bring them indoors as eggs?? They have a higher success rate this way? Bc I keep mine outside & have noticed quite a few die from parasites 🙁

    1. Hi Rachel, all swallowtails purge before they form a chrysalis. Check out the ‘purge’ photo for this eastern tiger swallowtails:

       Caterpillar Purge Photo

       If this is what happened, there’s nothing to worry about…

    2. I think your caterpillar is fine. It’s just probably going on it’s post purge ‘walk-about’ to find a place to become a chrysalis. Facebook has a page SIMPLY SWALLOWTAILS where you can find lots of help and advise.

32. Hi Tony,
    I live in Clearwater, Florida and the Monarchs are gone now but before they left I tried clipping the cuttings off of milkweed and bringing them inside. I did exactly as you said by putting them in a small container with stones to hold them up but they just wilt and dry up . I have tried and tried to keep the milkweed leaves in water but no success. Every time they just wilt and drop over. What am I doing wrong? This is my first year in trying to bring them inside. I also have so many yellow jackets so I am constantly fighting them.

    1. Hi Marcella, here’s some more info on using stem/leaf cuttings and what to do if they are wilting:

       Using Milkweed Cuttings to Feed Caterpillars

33. We are going out of town for 4 days and I was going to take my tiny babies with me (camping in an RV). I have plenty of new plants but are they too new? I want to just take a small pot (2″) inside a tall food storage container. It should be plenty of food, but will it have the nourishment they need…I have 6. Plus 8 I’m leaving on mature plants in the greenhouse. Hopefully they will be ok ?

    1. Hi Hollie, as longs as it’s enough milkweed to sustain them, small plants are fine. Have fun on your camping trip!

34. Hello, im new to raising morarchs actually just started this year, i found 4 eggs and 1 tiny cat, i dont know what type of milkweed they are on but i gave them some common milkweed i found in a friends field, the eggs succesfully hatched but one is starting to worry me, its grey and i have not seen a black tip yet in about 24 hours. They are all eating but i would like to start a monarch garden and i would really like to know the favorite type of milkweed for monarch babaies and mothers looking for a good place to lay eggs, i live in southern indiana, please help! ( i would also like a few extra tips on monarch gardens for begginers please )

    1. Hi Madison, please check out this post for more info:

       How to Start a Monarch Butterfly Garden

35. About 2 years ago I started raising Monarchs.I have raised closed to 350 and released them. I kept running out of milkweed so I have bought Giant Milkweed. They prefer regular milkweed but will eat the giant. I now have 5 Giant and about 25 reg. milkweed. So far this year I have released about 20 but my busy season starts the end of September and goes to the end of December. When it gets too cold I bring the cage indoors. I live in SW Florida so it stays nice through the beginning of January.

36. What wonderful information for my Monarch fascination! Thank you!

    How will aphid eggs (I assume aphid – they are yellow) harm my caterpillars? What can be used and how applied?

    1. Hi Kathy, those aren’t eggs, but actually aphids. If you look closely, you can probably see them moving. Here’s more info:

       Stop Aphids on Milkweed

37. Last night my kids and I found 7 cats and 1 egg. We brought them all in the house, but since last night, 2 of the TINY cats we found have died and one of the medium size (maybe an inch long) has also died. The medium guy died while shedding his skin, he split open and died. Usually my success rate is MUCH better than this! Any clue as to what has happened with our little cats? I’m guessing they had something wrong before we brought them in (parasites maybe?).

    1. Hi Courtney, it could be parasites, or exposure to pesticides. Bringing in caterpillars always has more risk than eggs. Here’s more info:

       Monarch Diseases and Caterpillar Killers

38. Hi Tony, quick question: is it appropriate to intervene and collect seemingly healthy Monarch caterpillars from milkweed in the wild and try to raise them at home under at least semi controlled conditions, or is it better just to leave them to Nature so-to-speak?

    I found a patch of wild swamp milkweed a few miles from my house while I was riding my bike yesterday and there were at least four really large/fat/developed Monarch caterpillars, and 5-6 much smaller Monarch caterpillars, plus 2-3 dead monarch caterpillars (including one that I think spiders were wrapping up and pulling away).

    Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

    1. Hi Joe, I usually bring in at least 10-20 caterpillars over the season. They can be the victims of predators at all stages. The one caveat is that caterpillars can have diseases/parasites when you bring them in so keep them separate from monarchs you started raising as eggs. Our survival rate bringing in caterpillars this season is about 90% which is a nice surprise, when it can be as low as 50%. Still, that’s much better than the 5% survival rate outdoors.

39. I just lost two caterpillars for what appears to be no reason and have no idea what happened–maybe you can help?

    The younger one, Dusk, hatched out two days ago, ate his eggshell, and then just quit–crawled up the side of his container and sat there. While several of his hatchmates did something similar, they all decided, when placed on fresh leaves, to get back to business and eat. He went back up the container. I know that sometimes their mouths get gummed up and they starve, but as far as I know, he didn’t even touch the milkweed.

    The older one, Curly, is even more of a mystery. Like Dusk, I found his egg inside and brought him in, so he’s never come into contact with anything that he shouldn’t have. About four days ago, he stopped eating and was just lying on his leaf, getting to the point where he tipped over on his side. He still responded when I nudged him, but it was like he couldn’t keep his grip. The second day of this, he had green liquid coming out both ends, which I read is a symptom of pesticide exposure–but I don’t use pesticides at all, and the last use of RoundUp was months ago and far away from the milkweed plants I feed to the caterpillars. I moved him to fresh milkweed and a new container, and he seemed to do a little better, but yesterday started to vomit again and had watery poop, so I moved him again–and I even tried gently washing him in case whatever was afflicting him was on his skin. This morning he was dead, kind of shriveled up, and in a puddle of liquid that I’m assuming was vomit or its back-end equivalent. I don’t understand –what happened? I fed him from the same leaves his siblings got, and Larry and Moe are fine. Not only that, but I’ve never had this happen before.

40. One of my ? turned black. I wish I could send a picture.
    He is still eating and moving around on plant. I isolated him in his own cage and plant.
    Wondering if I should destroy him so he does not suffer if he is affected by a parasite or OE. Cannot find a reference that matches his problem. He is 2 nd or 3rd instar. When I brought him in from garden, he looked fine. Now it is black with yellow stripes and looks normal except for unusual color. Please advise.
    Thank You, Suzanne

    1. Hi Suzanne, if the caterpillar is completely black, it probably has a virus. If it just has thicker black stripes, I would isolate and monitor. I have not had any issues with ‘thick-stripe’ caterpillars developing into healthy butterflies. good luck, Tony

41. Dear Tony,
    Thank you so much for your newsletter and all the information on taking care and raising monarchs. I found you last year when I raised my first group of monarch babies. I’ve been raising black swallowtails for a few years but I must say last year when I witnessed Mrs. Monarch laying her eggs for the first time I was hooked! My milkweed garden is bigger than ever this year and so far have released 14 monarchs and taking care of 21 more eggs/babies inside. I enjoy seeing them transform everyday and think they are so beautiful in all their stages of life. Also, after a stressful day at work there is nothing better than butterfly egg hunting and finding those little gems. So far I’ve had good luck with rubber banding plastic tight over small glasses of water and poking holes for the milkweed leaf.
    I really appreciate you, your website and links and thank you again for your passion and all you do!
    Keep up the great work! Best regards, Cassandra

42. Hi Tony ,
    This week I released seven Monarch’s ,hoping they would mate and lay me some eggs.
    Four Males and three Females ,if they don’t lay me any eggs guess I’ll have to be looking else wear .

    You would think with all the different kinds of Milkweed I would have some eggs .
    I sure hate to go looking out in fields for fear of them having
    Remember I am in Lancaster,Ohio

    Have a great week Tony !

    1. Migratory monarchs have immature reproductive systems that will mature later so they can mate in the monarch colonies in Mexico.
       They may also not be genetically diverse enough. Late in the season they may lay unfertilized eggs and wait to mate to increase their offsprings life expectancy in favorable environments and to save energy for the migration.

       1. I’m not sure about that last part Angela. Unfertilized eggs are layed by females that have mated, but have not received enough sperm sacs to fertilize all of their eggs.

43. I have a question for you. The peak Monarch migration season in my area (Southern Nevada) is at the end of September.
    A group of volunteers and I donate our time in a demonstration garden where 26 different kind of Milkweeds are now growing. We are planning to watch for eggs starting in early September and bring them indoors to raise them.
    Raising them to full maturity is a lot of work and there is only so much we can do. I was thinking of raising them to a third or fourth instar stage and releasing the larger caterpillars on Milkweeds in the garden.
    From your experience, would larger caterpillars be more immune to predators… or would they just make a better target and a juicier meal?

    1. Hi Anne Marie, there are so many potential monarch predators, and unfortunately, many don’t seem to care that milkweed toxins could make them sick. If you raise on milkweed cuttings, raising is less work so that might be an option. If you release large caterpillars, be sure to spread them out so some will have a chance to survive:

       Using Milkweed Cuttings to Feed Caterpillars

44. I’m so glad I found this site! I live in southeastern PA and am finding oodles of eggs. I have at least 60 eggs, over 50 caterpillars, 32 chrysalises, and have released 34 butterflies. I have also given other monarch raisers about 60 caterpillars to alleviate crowding at my house. These have all been found on my plants. I love hearing from other monarch raisers.

    1. Hi Susie, congratulations on all your success out east! and yes, it’s fantastic that so many across North America have come together to help support monarchs…raise on! 🙂

45. Hi, Tony!

    Would you mind posting another photo of what a Monarch butterfly’s egg looks like if it has been parasitized? On my milkweed plants growing in our garden, I find a number of different beings and am not always sure who’s who with the exception of the highly annoying aphids. I can send a photo of what I see that looks like some sort of an egg–very round and brown but similar in size to a Monarch egg–a bit larger, though. I am also seeing what I am hoping are ladybird beetle pupae but just not sure. It is such a busy place out there where the milkweed grow! Tired of losing my caterpillars and eggs to those dreadful wasps, I bought a Monarch collapsible cage and have about five eggs on cuttings plus I placed a potted milkweed plant inside the cage for the caterpillars to eat from as they grow. I just learned that I need to mist so I will buy a spray bottle later today. This is so exciting! ~Kate 🙂

    1. And I forgot to thank you for all the amazingly helpful information and photos and resources. This is wonderful!

    2. Hi Kate, congrats on finding eggs! I don’t have any more photos of parasitized eggs. I just threw out a couple this week. Luckily they haven’t been too bad this season. If the ‘eggs’ you’re seeing are larger than monarch eggs, you’re seeing something else. Try this fb group for a quick ID:

       Insect Identification Group

46. Need help here in SE Michigan. I have successfully raised Monarchs in 3 prior years–from 10 to 15 each time. During these prior years, almost all eggs hatched, and only had one hatchling die. (3rd instar, with obvious symptoms). I do follow “best practices”, and raise them on fresh, rinsed Common Milkweed, never touching the eggs or cats.

    This season: Collected 9 eggs and 1 hatchling July 27-29. 2 eggs hatched by the 30th. One cat died within 24 hours of hatching. The other 2 died within 24 hours of each other–one at second instar, one at 3rd instar. They both seemed sluggish, then laid on their sides and died. No obvious symptoms that point to a cause. Very concerned that NONE of the other eggs hatched.

    Started over (disinfected everything) August 7. Collected 11 eggs from a different location- great patch of pristine common milkweed. NONE of these have hatched, or show any sign that they are going to. I am still watching, but I have a sinking feeling. Help? Apprehensive to try again.

    1. Hi Kestrel, sorry to hear about your first batch of monarchs. It sounds like they could have been exposed to pesticides…nothing you could have done. As for your current eggs, if they are still cream colored and look normal, I would give them more time to see what happens. Waiting is the hardest part…good luck!

       1. Hi Tony,
          Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, none of the 11 eggs collected on August 7 have hatched.
          Went hunting on August 10….collected 4 eggs, and a second stage Instar.
          The instar appears to be doing well. No new hatchlings.

       2. Although I too had very good success last year raising Monarch caterpillars in Northern Michigan, most of the 10 or so caterpillars that hatched out in the last week became sluggish very quickly and just died for no apparent reason. I have clean cages and there are no pesticides sprayed where we live in the midst of a National Park. It has been extremely dry though this summer (only a half inch of rain in the last 3 weeks), and even though I have put milkweed clippings in water and misted them, I am wondering if the milkweed doesn’t have the kind of nutrients needed because of the dryness. We are getting some decent rain now and I will keep trying, but it has been very discouraging.

          1. Hi Jean, I’m not sure what the milkweed looks like, but it’s hard to believe that would be the cause of all the caterpillars dying that quickly. I hope you are able to figure out the issue…good luck!

          2. Hi, I too have had no success whatsoever raising Monarchs in Michigan this year even though I’ve followed the best/safe practices. My butterfly garden has only hand raised plants from a butterfly nursery or from seeds I collected in previous years. Not one of the Monarch eggs survived beyond a few days time, progressing the same way yours progressed i.e. hatched, got sluggish and eventually died. My swallowtails on the other hand are goin great guns.

             Here, my butterfly garden is installed as close to the middle of my yard as possible, so as to be furthest away from the neighbors who spray. Actually, they let their young children spray. I truly think it’s the spray causing the low survival rate in my yard but then the swallowtails are thriving. So I’m at a loss but will keep trying.

47. Hi! 2 years ago I raised and successfully released about 45 monarchs on the common milkweed that grew in my front yard in Minnesota. Last year my milkweed looked terrible and I only had about 4. This year my milkweed has looked good and I have had more plants than ever. I was very excited that I would have lots of luck this year but there are NO eggs at all anywhere. I am so depressed. What am I doing wrong?? Any ideas.

    1. Hi Barbi, a wicked winter storm hit the monarchs’ overwintering colonies in Mexico just as they were starting to migrate north. Unfortunately, this really set back the eastern population. It has been slow in most regions, although Minnesota has had more activity than most. You aren’t doing anything wrong, it’s just a bad year. I hope you see some soon…

48. My milkweed leaves are speckled with some kind of disease or predator, and the caterpillar eggs hatch but won’t eat the leaves and die off after a few days. This occurs regardless of if they are hatching outside on the bush or even when I hatch the eggs inside. What is the problem?
    Thank you

    1. Hi Elaine, sorry to hear you are having problems with your milkweed and monarchs. Can you provide more details about what’s happening with your milkweed?

49. Hi have been reading the blogs, really helpful information. I have a healthy swan plant and have discovered 5 tiny caterpillars and I am worried they will not make it as the frost are due in a couple of weeks. I have been reading about cages – can someone please tell me how to make one please. My swan plant is about 5’3″ and has plenty of leaves. I was thinking of making a net covering supported by poles that will cover the whole plant and hopefully help protect the plant and caterpillars from the frost.
    Thank you

    1. Hi Marie, if you need a makeshift cage you could try an aquarium. some people also raise caterpillars in jars. You can cover the top with something breathable like tulle or pantyhose and than put a rubber band around so it stays in place and they can form a chrysalis from it. I would suggest separate jars so you don’t have to bother the chrysalides to feed remaining caterpillars. Good luck!

       1. I made two highly useful cages by turning tomato cages upside down, turning the prongs inward, & covering the cages on the sides & small end with screen mesh that I stapled in place. These fit over all but the largest milkweed plants & provide a nice surface for chrysalises. For feeding, cleaning, & releases, simply lift the cage. These are really cheap & light weight & I use them for both Black swallowtails & Monarchs.

50. I have one cat and she/he poops soooooo much. She was found in my house, so she is doing good,eating lettuce and I think is about to go to the next stage, I’m feeding her great and is probably is resting.

    1. Hi Wolfina, it’s definitely not a monarch if it’s eating lettuce. Regardless, congrats and good luck with your caterpillar!

51. This is my second time raising monarchs. Late December I spotted a mama laying eggs in my garden. I collected as many as I could because it was about to freeze. None survived outside that I can tell. And unfelt unwieldy none inside made it past 2nd instar. I tried to keep the milkweed moist and fresh but the babies just dried up. Any tips to help me in the future?

    1. Hi Jane, it’s a lot easier to keep milkweed fresh if you use milkweed leaf/stem cuttings. You can find cuttings info and photos on this page:

       Raising Resources Page

52. Hello Tony
    This is a great website. i am a novice, my first time to raise butterflies being this summer… i have established a nice butterfly garden this spring and am learning so much from these blogs. I am trying to help out with their survival in my own minuscule way but face heartache and disappointment in myself when these beauties do not survive over what i perceive as mistakes i have unknowingly made..
    My question ( this time :/ ) involves how many caterpillars can safely be in a container together? i have medium pop up bags and had 3 nice plant cuttings in each with 6 to 8 caterpillars on each. I have had a HORRIBLE situation with deaths from OE apparently with a recent batch of eggs. i had a load of eggs laid in my garden over the summer. i may have overwhelmed myself and tried to raise too many at once. I had to travel to get a milkweed source for them since my garden didn’t have enough to sustain and I am afraid i had tainted milkweed. i have read in this site that some people bleach off their milkweed at 1 T per 1 gallon water. Is that true? if that will increase my survival rate i will definitely do that next year. i cleaned my bags and cages daily. i will have enough milkweed to sustain them next summer from my own garden so i will not have to trust in another source. i am just curious on the numbers you raise at one time and how many can be in a container together. Thank you Tony for sharing your knowledge with us “newbies.” suzanne in pleasant view tennessee

    1. Hi Suzanne, congrats on joining the raising community to help support monarchs. These are the cages that I use personally with the limits. If you are having problems with OE I’d start with lower numbers (start at just 20 in the large pop up) until you can get the disease issues sorted out. Everyone has issues when they first start out. The most important thing is that you learn from them raising forward…good luck!

       Monarch Caterpillar and Butterfly Habitats

       PS…I only rinse milkweed with water, and that has worked well for raising healthy butterflies.

53. Thank you Tony..I spent all afternoon reading the question and answer section on your website. I have learned so much about so many different topics . This was my second summer trying to raise Monarchs and have had some success and some failures this year. . tachnid fly infestation was the worst and super hot weather. 100 plus and I started bring the caterpillars inside …I think I did not mist enough…now I know how to put the leaves with eggs on another larger leaf.

    One thing that I have learned that might help others- I have stared putting the milkweed cuttings in the little vials that florists use ..they hold enough whet to keep the leaves fresh for 2 or 3 days .

    I am in Southern CA in the San Gabriel Valley. Last year I still had caterpillars in December when it finally turned cold. I think the Monarchs winter over here???
    Ginny Belba

    1. Hi Ginny, I am glad you have had some success this season and are continuing to improve your process. Yes, I also suggest stem and leaf cuttings, which keep the milkweed fresh much longer, and also keep the caterpillars from crawling around in frass…

       Southern California has a year round population, and the monarchs can usually handle the so cal. “cold” in December and January. Good luck with the rest of your season!

54. Hi Tony,
    So if the cat I found does not eat milkweed, is it not a Monarch? It was on a parsley plant. When I put it in it’s new home, it just crawled around on the leaves then died in a couple days. Thanks so much.

    1. Hi Ruth, you probably had an eastern black swallowtail caterpillar. They have different host plants for caterpillars including dill, rue, and parsley:

       eastern black swallowtail caterpillar photos

55. Hi, Tony — This is my first time attempting to raise monarchs, and I have some questions in general about timing. It seems to me that some stages of my monarchs are taking longer than expected. Peak migration for my location in Indiana is Sept 14-26, with a 9/22 midpoint. I am just seeing my first chrysalis look as if hatching is imminent – that one formed August 22 from a 4th instar I brought in and isolated. I have 2 others that formed 8/24 and 8/30. Beyond that I have 5 other 4th instars and 4 3rd instars brought in and isolated to feed, 16 kittens raised from eggs and varying in size from 3/4″ to 1-1/2″, and 6 late bloomers from eggs, just now 1/4″ – 1/2″. The eggs were not collected that far apart time wise, but the earliest ones hatched while in my garage for about a week during very warm weather. Our nighttime temps got into low 50s for about a week, so I brought everything inside, and have kept it there. House temps are mid 70s, and there is a lot of air movement from overhead and floor fans. Would the change in temps slow processes that much? Should I move them back to garage now that temps and humidity are back up — and I mean up! Mid-80s and HUMID. Also, everybody seems to dry out much faster in the house than they were outside, but of course they are bigger too! Do I keep spritzing when a cat forms its “J”? I lost two who could not complete transform to chrysalis, and another that fell, writhed, and went to goo. (I was ready to release everybody to their own fates, except your site was so helpful in realizing what was happening, and that they likely were already at risk when I brought them in – thanks for that!)

    1. Hi Mary, warm temps speed up metamorphosis, and cool temps slow it down. I only spritz caterpillars when they are on the milkweed. I don’t spray hanging cats or chrysalides. Keep in mind, even if you have some that don’t make it, the survival rate is less than 5% outdoors. You will not be perfect when you start, but your system will evolve and you will have more success as you get more raising practice…good luck!

       1. Thanks for the reply. As far as timing, how do any of the butterflies I successfully raise fit into the migration — do they just stick around and feed after release until the migration moves through this area? Best to release as soon as they can fly? A sad day here as another fell out of his ‘J’ and wasted away, and also had my first hatch, but he dropped straight to the floor of the container, where it lay on its back. Although I was able to suspend him via his grasping a cotton ball, he only held on a half hour or so, and left wings creased and never opened correctly. Hoping once the kittens raised from eggs mature (or sooner with some of the larger cats brought in and isolated would be great too!) I will see more success!

          1. Hi Mary, the butterflies will typically feed for a bit in your garden if they have a lot of nectar flowers. They usually migrate when the winds are blowing from the north.

56. Hi Tony, Sorry if I posted this somewhere else. I’m having a problem navigating this site and keep getting lost. Maybe I posted in the wrong section.
    One of our chrysalides had been flattened on one side from hanging against the side of the container. She can’t balance well and her wings are a bit wrinkled from being compressed. She can fly as I accidentally found out when I took her onto our screen porch and had a hard time catching her. Is there any chance that she would improve enough to release if she exercises like this? We’ve got her in a mesh hamper in the house and take her out on the porch in the afternoon after it cools down a bit out there. How often does a butterfly feed during the day? I put a jar lid of fruit juice, orange piece and mashed banana plus butterfly flowers from the garden. But I don’t know if she’s eating or not.

57. First year doing this! Have a healthy and vigorous 2nd (?) instar caterpillar – the kids named “her” “Cattie Woodlawn”. S/he has been such a hit that we went actively looking for more eggs. We found six and have had them sitting on cuttings in little containers; its going on 4 or 5 days and nothing has happened. The eggs have stayed translucent white and one or two almost appear to have a slightly darker pin point inside. What’s going on? Are they still viable and might hatch? Or are they permanently dormant?

    1. Hi Heather, congrats on raising your first monarchs! I’m happy to hear you’re all enjoying the experience. If your eggs are turning completely dark, they could have a parasite. Be patient with the one that rare still cream-colored. It can take 4-7 days for eggs to hatch. Here more egg info if you missed this post:

       Hunting and gathering monarch eggs

58. Hi Tony,
    thank you for all the great information. My mother raised Monarchs outside with nets and this is my first year of trying to take on raising them indoors. I only got one egg last year and it didn’t make it but this year I have 36 =) sadly I have lost several 🙁 they are newly hatched only about 2 days old. But the ones who didn’t make it wander around the tank and then just go stiff and dark and die… I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong? =( I have several of the larger cats and they seem to all be doing well. I live in CA and I know we get the Monarchs a little later in the season here but I don’t want to lose the rest of them 🙁 I am going to try the bleach solution you talked about to really sterilize the tank but it is so heartbreaking to see them go stiff and die. I even separated them and kept them for 24 hours to see if maybe they were just molting but they never moved again. Any help or suggestions would be great I want to raise as many healthy babies as I can. Also I have 3 different kinds of milkweed growing narrow leaf, common and showy. Some of my plants are healthier than others and I have been rotating the leaves for the cats… do you think changing between different types of milkweed would affect the cats and possibly kill them? =( I really don’t want to lose any more…
    Thank you in advance,
    Shelly

    1. Hi Shelly, it sounds like you might be a bacterial or viral issue killing the monarchs. Check out NPV on this page for more info:

       Monarch Diseases and Prevention

       Switching milkweed species when raising caterpillars is fine and won’t hurt the caterpillars. good luck!

59. I can’t believe it! After many of my caterpillars fell off the Milk Thistle and walked away or got eaten by birds, my first butterfly emerged today!! YAY!!! So happy, had to share!

60. Hi Tony, I have really been enjoying reading through this site in preparation for starting my own butterfly garden next year. I recently discovered some Asclepias sullivantii (prairie milkweed) growing wild on my property for the first time since I moved here, and have been monitoring it every day looking for mature seedpods and monarch activity. The plants are a little pitiful, as it’s their first year and they have been ravaged by tussock caterpillars, but today I found a lone 3rd or 4th-instar monarch cat as well as two (still white) eggs. We haven’t seen monarch butterflies around here for years, so naturally I was thrilled to find these little guys. However, I’m worried that the meager supply of milkweed won’t last even three little caterpillars through their metamorphosis; I’m doing what I can to preserve the milkweed that is there, but I won’t have my formal butterfly buffet set up until next year. Do you know of anything I can do now with the few healthy, young plants left to propagate enough new growth to last the cats through the year? I’d hate to see them starve!

    1. Hi Gaby, it is too late to propagate stem cuttings for this season if that is what you’re talking about. My best advice would be to use stem cuttings to feed caterpillars so the milkweed stays fresh longer. Are there any parks around your area where milkweed grows wild? You could always collect leaves and store them in the refrigerator. Rinse them before serving to caterpillars. Good luck!

61. We have had a couple monarchs having difficulty getting their abdomen out of the chrysalis. What could be the problem? I saw that you mist the milkweed with water and I haven’t. Any help is appreciated.

    1. Hi Georgia, sorry to hear your monarchs are getting stuck in their chrysalides. This can be a symptom of dehydration. More often, it is a symptom of OE infection. I will be talking about this in the next couple raise emails. Here’s more info about OE:

       OE infection in Monarchs

62. Hi Patti, monarchs that can’t fly should still be able to mate. I know several people who have done this successfully. I don’t breed monarchs so you will want to find another resource to get breeding details…good luck!

63. As of today I have released 127 healthy butterflies and I have several chrysalises, caterpillars and eggs. My common milkweed is gone (I had a lot in my garden!). I have butterfly weed and swamp milkweed, but not enough to feed them all. I found a native nursery where I was able to buy poke, sullivant’s and whorled milkweed, but they’re small and won’t grow fast enough to do much good for this year. I ended up having to go out and look for some. This is where my problem started. I located some common milkweed out in the country and brought it home and washed it and fed it to a small group of 3rd-4th instar cats. I watched closely and sure enough some of them started leaking green. I immediately took all of the cats out of their container and moved them onto the last 3 large common milkweed leaves from my garden. I threw away the tainted milkweed and put the cats in a new clean container. I put the leaves on a paper towel so I could see if the cats were still sick. This was about 6 hours ago. Most of them seemed to be “resting” for a while, but now they are all eating and seem ok. Last year I didn’t have the amount of milkweed in my garden as I did this year and witnessed some of my cats die from pesticide ingestion. It’s a terrible thing to see. I’m hoping that I was able to get them out fast enough to save them, but I won’t know until tomorrow. I was able to find a safe spot, though. My mother lives next to a small field of wildflowers and milkweed. Monarchs are all over and as far as we know, pesticides are not used near it. But the wind can carry it from a distance, so after I check for cats and eggs, I soak the milkweed in a tub of water hoping is helps.

    I am thankful that my success rate this year is 95%! I have followed your suggestions and found a few of my own that have worked. One thing I did that worked well for me was using the shoebox containers. I use the large shoebox and sit it upright to allow for a vase of cutting to stand in it. I cut a big hole in the lid and hot glued screening and put lines of hot glue on the inside top of the container for the cats to attach. The lid with the screen allows me to see inside and of course for air. I like this method because it is similar to having a vase of milkweed sitting out. I can’t do that because of my pets, so this is my version. It works great and the cats seem to like attaching themselves to the lines of glue. Clean up is a breeze too.

    I did encounter something I have never seen before. I had 2 cats that were missing some of their prolegs. I isolated them and they acted normal, ate a lot, got big and fat and formed beautiful chrysalises and 8 days later emerged as big beautiful healthy monarchs. I checked their abdomens and the white lines were clear and perfect. I don’t have a microscope to check for oe that way, but they were perfect. I know it is said that an imperfect cat makes an imperfect butterfly, but I think these ladies were just different, because they were definitely perfect.

    1. Hi Melissa, sorry to hear about the tainted milkweed, but hopefully you switched it out soon enough.

       It’s fantastic to hear you have such a high survival rate, and that this system is working for you with a couple of adjustments. Keep doing what you’re doing…you are making a difference!

       PS…I got “nothing” on the prolegs comment. I’ve never seen that before…

64. Here is our situation: We have a fruit and vegetable farm on the outskirts of Minneapolis. We grow three ( or four) crops: strawberries, blueberries, sweet corn, and weeds. Our work season begins in late March or early April and ends sometime in November when we cover the strawberries with straw mulch. We don’t have time to hatch caterpillars and raise them and ultimately release them. We’re lucky to eat three times a day. What we envisioned in our quest for increasing Monarch numbers was to increase their food supply by planting milkweed and not using pesticides. What we have that is uncommon in our locale is open land. We thought we would designate about 1/2 acre to milkweed plantings. We have read many of the comments and the answers given and we simply don’t have that kind of time. Our summer hobby is trying to get six or seven hours of sleep a few times a week! Knowing what you know now, can you help us out by providing a template of behavior for us in our quest to be part of the solution for the Monarch population? We have already planted bee friendly plants on several plots in different parts of the farm and our beekeeper indicates a spike in honey production since we have done that. Any helpful suggestions will be greatly appreciated! – Bill and Nancy Bauer –

    1. Hi Nancy,

       it sounds like you are running a BUSY operation! In order to attract support monarchs throughout the season you want several varieties of milkweed that peak throughout different times of the year. In Minnesota, good options would include:

       common as you early milkweed

       swamp as your summer milkweed

       tropical as your late summer/migration milkweed

       The first two options can be fall planted…the third could be grown late winter/early spring a greenhouse.

       If you want to attempt attracting mass monarchs you would also need late-summer blooming plants because that’s when we have the most monarchs in our region:

       Butterfly Plants

       Milkweed doesn’t have to be maintained, but if you don’t want it to seed excessively, you can cut off some/most of the seed pods in late summer. Tropical seeds aren’t a big issue as many are killed off over winter.

       This should further increase your honey production as bees like milkweed flowers. honey bees especially like tropical in my experience. Hope this helps!

65. I have a question. I found a female monarch who emerged during the week’s long rain and her wings were twisted as a result. Feeding well on nectar but she’ll never be able to fly. Is there any hope of getting a batch of fertile eggs from her to place in the garden to forward her generation’s efforts if I leave a male in with her in a mesh cage with potted flowers and milkweeds?

66. I didn’t realize there were so many different varieties of Milkweed! If I put several different types in the same growing area will the Monarchs go from one plant to the other or will they stay on the original plant they were hatched on?

    1. Hi Erin, monarchs typically have no issues switching milkweed varieties. I routinely switch between common, swamp, and tropical.

67. I decided to try bringing a couple of cats home and raise them to butterflies. Two out of the three have made it to the top and went into their chrysalis. I was fine with that but now I’m finding more baby caterpillars on the milkweed. I only have one other smaller tent to use so trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Was thinking the newer babies needed fresh milkweed but afraid to do anything until I know how many are there. They are SO amazing!!

    1. Hi Joy, congrats on all your baby monarchs. It’s important for new caterpillars to have fresh milkweed. I would move all the small caterpillars to the other cage as long as it’s an escape-proof habitat for small cats. good luck!

68. I have a monarch female that loves my garden…i follow after shortly after she has laid her eggs and i am now up to 60 in 3 days!! Wow!! I may be up to my armpits in caterpillars. My question is, when you bring your eggs in, do you cut off a small portion of the leaf that the egg is on or do you remove the whole leaf? thanks!! Suzanne in pleasant view tennessee

    1. Hi Suzanne, since we have a large supply of milkweed I take the whole leaf and then cut more off inside. If you have a limited supply you could use a pruner to cut leaf pieces off the plants. Good luck!

69. We have Milkweed plants in our garden. Monarchs have visited them and assume they have laid eggs. But have been no baby catepillars for the last 6 months. Any idea what might be wrong, as we had many in the past. (we live in Southern California and it has been very warm).

    1. Hi Diana, if the monarchs are laying eggs but you’re not finding any caterpillars, they are probably being eaten by predators. there is a long list which includes ants, wasps, and spiders…I would diversify your milkweed and plant in several areas if possible. Check for eggs regularly and whenever you see monarchs…good luck!

70. This is our first experience at rearing monarchs. At first we were going to ‘let nature take it’s course’, but when we realized we had lost half of our caterpillars, we decided to ‘rescue’ the surviving eleven. We set up two netted butterfly rearing cages with plenty of swamp milkweed for 11 cats to munch away on. The cats were various sizes. However, you can imagine how shocked we were to discover that in two days, 6 of the cats climbed to the top of the net and became chrysalises! They seemed just too small. Now we’re wondering if we did something wrong for them to begin their metamorphosis stage so quickly. I read somewhere that if there’s not enough food for a cat to eat, they will pupate. But, there was plenty milkweed available for all of them! All 9 of the little pupates look normal, no dark discolorations or signs of disease as of now, just not as big as we feel they should be for a normal-size monarch to emerge. Help! We’re scared of what is in store for us when the monarchs emerge.

    1. Hi Joanne, you have done everything right on your end. If there are tachinid flies inside the caterpillars, the chrysalides will develop dark spots. Eventually tachinid maggots or pupae will fall out of the chrysalis. They can be picked up off the cage floor and tossed and will not affect other chrysalises in your cage.

       If they don’t develop spots, they are just small butterflies. Like with people, it happens sometimes. good luck!

71. Great article! What is the proper method for planting milkweed seeds? How long does it take them to germinate. I live in Central Florida. What would be the correct time for planting them?

    1. Hi Mal, keep in mind I’m writing from a more northern perspective here in Minnesota. In Florida, tropical milkweed seeds should be soaked in warm water 24 hours before planting to increase and speed up germination. You would want to plant in winter when the temps are cooler to give your seedling time to get acclimated before it gets too hot. I would also consult with a local gardening source to figure out the best times to plant in your region. good luck!

72. How do you hide Milkweed from the wasps?

    1. Hi Betty, I plant several species of milkweed and plant them in several areas of the garden. They still get some caterpillars but they can’t find them all! Wasps, and other monarch predators are part of a healthy ecosystem, even if they are frustrating at times…

73. I lost my 3 monarchs to I am assuming OE, it was devistating, I felt horrible. I am empty caged at the moment and trying to decide if I am ready to start again. My milkweed outside is full of eggs and yet I haven’t seen too many hatchlings outside which leads me to believe I need to get some back in. I wasn’t a aware of making sure to mist my leaves, another lesson learned. I have released 14 healthy butterflies though, which makes me a feel better. They are just such a beautiful site.

    1. Hi Shari, if you have disinfected your cage, I would give it another go. Remember, only 1-5% survive outdoors so any amount you can raise is helping! Bring in a manageable number and raise them well. good luck!

74. I started raising Monarch Butterflies this year in May. I have released 50 so far. Now I am having trouble with some kind of yellow bugs on them. I also got that parasite that you were talking about. Is there a good way to get rid of these?

    1. Hi Judith, you are probably talking about oleander aphids, which are a common milkweed pest. Here’s more info:

       How to Keep Aphids from taking over your Milkweed

75. Hi Tony,
    How do you keep the leaves that the eggs are on from drying out when they have been removed from the milkweed plant? I have tried several times to harvest the eggs and keep them in a container until the cats have emerged but the leaves had dried up and the eggs along with them.

    Lynda

    1. Hi Lynda try putting them in a sealed food storage container or a kritter keeper with pantyhose. Mist the eggs lightly with water once a day. You can see the kritter keeper idea here:

       kritter keeper caterpillar cage

76. Hi Tony, I just discovered this site recently while trying to learn how to raise butterflies, so this is my first time posting. Things are going pretty smoothly so far except for one larva that attached to the side of the plastic container and pupated there. The back of the chrysalis is slightly dented/flat and there looks to be a slight arched seam that continues from where the gold dots are on the top. Other than that there’s no abnormalities. Will the butterfly be damaged by this?

    Also, what could’ve possibly snipped off all my new milkweed tops (also chopped off all the parsley at the stem)? Even one of my 4 mature milkweed stalks was chomped off at the ground. Whatever it was, it ate the Common but ignored the Sullivant’s and Swamp milkweed. Are there some animals that aren’t affected by the toxins?

    1. Hi Susan, welcome to the exciting world of raising butterflies! The chrysalis you are describing sounds like it has minimal damage so my guess is the butterfly should emerge without issues. As for your milkweed, both deer and rabbits will eat milkweed. It would appear they they, and other animals, have adapted to the toxins…

77. Tony, I really appreciate all the info! I’ve started ordering the 12″x12″ black habitats from Raising Butterflies. While I was there I noticed they sell 5 gal net paint strainers to put over potted plants. I got 2/$4 at Home Depot. I used one on a 1 gal. can with Tropical MW in it. It worked great! The elastic at the bottom keeps the cats in & collects the frass. To clean I just pulled the elastic away from the pot & the frass fell out. This is by far the easiest system I’ve found, as long as I have potted MW!

    1. Thanks for sharing Marti. I mainly raise on cuttings now, but the paint strainers are a convenient idea for potted plants. Glad to hear they are working well for you!

78. Hi Tony,
    This is my 2nd year raising cats & have my share of losses along the way at various stages. Many just stop eating, wander around the milkweed or just do nothing for a few days then die. Sometimes they’re curled up other times laying on their side. On a few occasions green liquid came out. My milkweed’s home grown, no pesticides used, I try to keep sanitized with hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach. Any idea what it might be?

    1. Hi Sharen, based on the symptoms you’re describing, it sounds like pesticide exposure. Is there any spraying going around in your area…like for mosquitoes?

79. Hi Tony,
    I have a few med. size cats that are doing okay but have lost a lot of 1st and 2nd instars (8 at least) which quit eating for 2-3 days and then turned black and died. Also the latest eggs taken from milkweed are not hatching. I assume that is common with late season eggs. (Live in northern Indiana). Hopefully the older cats will continue thriving. This is only my second summer doing this so am learning daily.

    Have a question about milkweed bugs. I see gobs of their nymphs on my swamp mw pods. I want to harvest the seed. Do the bugs eat the seeds or ruin them so they are no good to harvest?

    Thanks for all you do………..

    1. Pam, this sounds like a viral issue with your small caterpillars turning black and dying. I would sterilize your cage with a 20% bleach solution before raising any more caterpillars.

       As for harvesting seeds, stick to plants that don’t have infestations and you’ll have higher germination rates. good luck!

80. Hello Tony. What a great informative site this is. I have learned so much. This is my 1st year to raise and what a year it has been. I planted a nice butterfly garden and it has been such a joy to me! i have over 30 milkweed plants in my garden consisting of 4 different varieties. A female monarch found my butterfly weed quite tasty and left me 23 little gifts!! I feel like i am always on a wonderful Easter egg hunt..i am a bit overwhelmed going from 4 successful monarch releases in the summer (all males!!) to having 23 eggs now. I am using your website as my “go to” and these latest postings are perfect timing for me as i have all my eggs on little leaves as you have suggested..thank you so much Tony!! Suzanne

    1. Hi Suzanne, it sounds like you are on the perfect schedule with your eggs to follow along live! I’m sure with 23 eggs you will have your first female of the season. Congrats on your first year success and good luck with the rest of your monarchs…

81. Love your website! We have raised a few monarchs in the past, but this year we have taken the whole summer to raise generations of butterflies! Both my husband and I, along with our three kids have so much fun finding eggs and caterpillars and then watching them go through each stage. We made it to the MN zoo to see the Flight of the Butterflies at the IMAX! We live in a suburb north of Minneapolis…how do I know when the butterflies that we rear will be the last generation that migrates? We have 4 in Chrysalis, 3 that are in the 4-5 instar, and a few that are younger. Will these guys migrate or should we go hunt for eggs?! We are lucky to have swamp and regular milkweed growing in our yard and nearby! We ordered stickers for migration, but not sure when to put them on the Monarchs. Thanks for your help :).

    1. Hi Liz, typically any monarchs eclosing Sept 1 and after should be migrating so that would be a good time to start tagging butterflies in our region…good luck!

82. Hi Tony – I have learned so much from you. Started raising Monarchs 3 years ago. The first and second year I raised about 20. But this has been a banner year here in central Florida. So far I have released 86 beauties. Sadly, just lost the last 6. Chrysalises turned black and butterflies that emerged were crippled and died. Heartbreaking. Now, we have had torrential rains and they are spraying for mosquitoes with trucks, helicopters, and airplanes. I have not seen many butterflies. I have to assume they are being killed by pesticides.

    1. Congrats Shirley on a banner year raising butterflies. So sorry to hear about the spraying…that is so frustrating! Hopefully your butterflies are just taking a break from the rain, and will be back soon…

83. I had two newly-hatched caterpillars crawl out of their containers and now I can’t find them. How far might they have gotten, and what can I do to increase any chance of survival they might have? Unfortunately, it’s been about four hours since they were last known to be safely in their respective homes. Will it help if I leave milkweed nearby in hopes they will find it?

    1. Hi Kitt, sorry to hear this. I would leave out a few milkweed leaves in the area around the cage and hope they are able to find it. If you haven’t seen this post, please check out these escape-proof cages for future raising.

       Caterpillar Cages for Raising Monarchs

       1. UPDATE! One of them came back and is now safely in its home (with a lid). Hopefully, the other isn’t far behind. I’m keeping them in tupperware containers on my table until they’re big enough to hopefully not eat each other, since nearly all are younger than a day old. They have lots of fresh milkweed, so I had no idea they might still have reason to wander. I have a large tank set up as a terrarium where they eventually will be moved to. (There is a much older caterpillar currently residing there. He is probably a 4th instar, and I have a couple that are likely 2nd or 3rd instars. Can they share a habitat? I have a smaller tank that I’ll be setting up very soon.)

          Thanks for the link to your other article! As I mentioned, I’m currently using tupperware for the newly-hatched caterpillars and as a temporary home for the slightly-older ones; the lids are just temporary, so more don’t escape while I try and lure the wanderer back home. I will DEFINITELY look into some of these options–this is my first time raising monarchs, so I’m not quite sure what other things to expect. Hours-old caterpillars wandering away from a viable food supply was not one of them.

          Also, do you have any advice in regards to the care of a Tussock Moth caterpillar?

          1. Hi Kitt, glad one came back. It is no uncommon for a day old caterpillar to wander, so an escape-proof set up is essential. Try to keep caterpillars together that are around the same size. Large instar 4-5 caterpillars can eat small instar 1-2 so keep them separate. If you choose to raise them together, make sure everyone has plenty of milkweed so they don’t have to wander around looking for it.

             I don’t raise tussocks, but a lot of the same info could probably be applied. The caterpillars make cocoons though and not sure how long their metamorphosis takes. Good luck!

84. Hi there! Love this blog, I have been sort of independently raising monarchs for about 3 years now, with mixed results… Usually I go out into the wild and find the eggs, I collect leaves and replace them as needed for the growing caterpillar, this has worked very well before but this year something has gone wrong…
    I found an egg already (I am in MA) and was so excited! Brought it home and it hatched within 2 days.. the little guy was munching away until the leaf he was on got too dry (dead) I found him crawling up and out of the jar I had him in before I was able to get him new leaves. Once I did he seemed okay, crawled around like normal but didnt eat.. after a day of staying in one spot on the new leaves he died…
    was it because the original leaf he was on got too dry and dead? Was there possibly something on the new leaves that killed him? I hope to successfully raise at least one this year, and obviously I could use as much guidance as possible! Thanks in advance and I will keep reading the blog for more info and ideas!

    1. Hi Christina, running out of food interrupts monarch metamorphosis, but I’m not sure it would cause death. It probably depends on the size of the caterpillar and how long the food supply was unavailable. Milkweed fed to caterpillars should always be pesticide-free and rinsed thoroughly before serving. Good luck with your next caterpillar!

85. I found several monarch caterpillars in my fennel, but I would like to harvest that soon, and I don’t want to upset the monarch cycle, either. I have been raising milkweed, too. May I move the caterpillars to the milkweed without upsetting them? Are there any other caterpillars that look like the monarch caterpillars, that I may be confusing them with, as well.

    1. Hi Beth, he caterpillars on your fennel are probably black swallowtails and they can not survive on milkweed. You will only find monarchs on various species of milkweed.

86. I wrote you yesterday regarding Asclepia physocarpus seeds. I did not mention that I have a two year old Asclepia tuberosa plant with about 30-35 good sized caterpillars on it. I noticed now they are leaving the host plant and wandering among the many flowers on have in the plant’s region. They have almost depleted the two year old plant. I even noticed some on my Zinnias and even on the lawn. This is my first experience with Monarch caterpillars, especially good sized ones that I have and I don’t know what to do now. I have this one two year old plant that is planted and 6 four inch pots of Asclepia tuberosas with some small caterpillars on those too. I have no supplies and it has been pretty hot in my region of Ramona, California which is a 9B zone in Southern California. What to do? Any suggestions as I would hate for them to wander off and die or would they know what to do? Help!

    1. Hi Darlene,

       running out of milkweed is a shock the first time it happens…it’s amazing how much those little caterpillars can put away. When all is said and done, it takes only 1-2 caterpillars to devour an entire milkweed plant. If you can find more mature milkweed plants from local nurseries, that is an option. However, the milkweed must be grown organically (no pesticides!) or it will kill the caterpillars. Start planting more milkweed this fall so that you are in a better position to support monarchs next season. Here are some resources:

       Milkweed Seeds and Plants

       Good luck!

    2. Google Butterfly Farm in Vista, They will have pesticide free milkweed. It’s pricey, but we were where you are 2 years ago. We spent a day with them during the end of their first season. It was a comedy out of control. They have since built a vivarium and enclosed areas for plant growing. Grow for food, grow for attraction, and grow for food. We have 60 plants, but we live in Thousand Oaks. I don’t know how long they”ll last. We have over 40 eggs and cats and our friends are panicking like you.

87. When an egg is first laid. how long does it take to harden? How securely is the egg attached to the leaf? Is it hard to dislodge them? Will an unmated female still lay eggs?

    I am noticing that if I do not collect an egg when I find it, that when I return the next day or that afternoon, the egg has disappeared. There seem to be several bugs that follow the mama Monarch and lie in wait for her eggs! Mama Monarch seems to return at the same time each day. One was in my milkweed patch for 5 hours. More typically 20 min and then a return. Wish I had more in bloom nectar plants but there seems to be a lull.

    1. Hi June,

       monarch eggs are a tasty treat for predators like spiders and ants…they are also eaten by ladybugs in their quest for oleander aphids. Late in the season there are definitely more eggs laid that aren’t viable. Since there are more monarchs late in the season, it’s likely more females are mating before their eggs are developed. Out of the last 6 eggs from our garden, only 2 hatched. I only had one other egg that didn’t hatch the entire season.

88. Hi Tony, I’ve always wanted to raise Monarchs and now I’m going to do it. Just found lots of eggs and small cats on my milkweed. Maybe a stupid question but is it O.K. to put the eggs and cats in the same rearing cage? Or should I keep them separate. Your information is so valuable to me…..thank you!

    1. oooh Bernice…I am excited for you. Congrats! I would keep the eggs separate. When caterpillars first emerge, their first meal is their tasty shell…for some that is not enough. :/

89. 30 eggs last night about equal on swamp, common and tropical. This am 30 more! Mama Monarch is an early riser, but then nite temps have been mild. I try to gather the eggs twice a day as the tachnid flies seem particularly interested in them. I also remove any starting to look bad leaves (milldew, leaf spots, yellowing) to minimize spread and crush any aphids on a daily basis. Tropical seems so far least effected, they are just coming in to bloom for me now as they got a late start.
    Incarnata leaves and cuttings are easy to work with and hold up well for egg hatching or instar eating even if started on common or tropical. Most of those laid and raised exclusively on tropical seem to grow up with those darker wider black bands?? More poison, more dark pigment?

    1. Hi June, there are a lot of other flies on milkweed besides the dreaded tachinid fly…flies pollinate the milkweed too. I have never had a tachinid fly lay eggs on a monarch egg before. Usually, you can avoid them by bringing in eggs or small instar 1-2 caterpillars. MANY other predators will devour eggs though. Right now I’m checking our swamp milkweed because there are lots of ladybug eggs on it since we have had a mild aphid uprising. While I’m happy to host ladybugs, the nymphs/adults will also eat monarch eggs and small cats. There’s always something going after them. Daily checking is the best defense…

       1. Are aphids dangerous for caterpillars?
          I try not to put leaves that have aphids in with the smaller caterpillars, but I figure the big guys will just eat them.

          1. hi Terry,

             I always rinse leaves before feeding them to caterpillars. This helps keep them hydrated and also washes away potential disease spores, predators, and pests…including aphids.

90. Thanks for the quick reply. I am not planning to breed any of these eggs that make it to adults but since many will eclose in a flight cage, it could happen. It did happen to a friend of mine 10 miles up the road from here when a male and female eclosed at the same time. dried their wings and were found mating on the floor of the mesh hamper. He decided to release the male and kept the female with a blooming Tropical milkweed plant as a nectar source for another day and she has been laying eggs on the plant after every nectar sip.! 200 and counting!

    Whether the original mommas came from ‘up north’, ‘down south’ or across from Texas is unknown as where we sit geographically and climactically all three convergences are possible. I suppose, too, that once released for migration some will head due south along the coast to Florida to mingle with the small population of ‘residents’ and the majority will look for nectar rich flowers along a southwesterly course on way to Texas and Mexico. I’m thinking that the Mid Atlantic states are critical not so much for milkweed restoration but for restoring an abundance of high quality fall blooming nectar plants (ie native goldenrods and asters) A member of the Bee Keepers Assn here said they have to start supplemental feeding their hives in August now since wild native sources are so depleted or lacking in former abundance. Another rude awakening update as I thought they were everywhere. Nope. I’d like to think that any of our releases for migration could have a good meal before they leave and gain weight at stops along the way!

91. I live on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis Maryland. For a number of years we here see few breeding Monarchs but do see some migrators in Sept/Oct coming across the Bay from Cape May. NJ. So I was surprised last year at the end of Sept, when I found 18 small cats on several eaten to the stems Tropical milkweed plants beside a neighbors mailbox. Knowing they needed much more milkweed to reach adulthood I collected them and hand raised them all successfully. It was then I learned how ‘disappeared’ milkweed has become in my area as it was very difficult to find enough to supply their needs! My thinking that it was abundant, grew everywhere, etc had a very eye opening update. So I set about to gow an ample supply and enlist friends with sunny spaces to plant the trays of plugs I ordered (syriaca, incarnata, tuberosa, and currasavica) So all of our plants are young and of much less volume of edible leaves than when they are established.

    Since Aug 13 I have been collecting 20 – 30 eggs per day from the 200 or so plants I am growing in 4″ pots in my only sunny area. Yesterday a friend from Loundoun County Virginia picked up 50 eggs and mini cats to share with some veteran hand raisers in his area as there have been a derth of Monarchs there so far. We plan another transfer next week as well as they all have cages and a great supply of Milkweed.

    It can be a steep learning curve but sites like this and a network of others can surely help us all do our parts!

    My specific reason for writing this am is to gain any insight as to whether the eggs to adults we are raising up here now will be those that migrate or will they still be actively breeding as my first frost dates are in November?

    Thanks, June

    1. June, it’s so nice to hear someone is having success out east this season! It has been a slow year for many. It sounds like the monarchs really like your fresh first year plants. Each year, I leave a few of the incarnata seedlings because the mamas seem to like dropping off their late season kids on them.

       As for your question about whether your monarchs will migrate? The most likely answer is that some will and some will continue mating along the way. Cool temps and shorter days cause monarchs to go into sexual diapause for the winter…however, they won’t all go into diapause at the same time.

       I don’t recommend breeding monarchs this time of year, because the weather is unpredictable and you could end up with monarchs unable to migrate. I have raised late season monarchs the past 6 years. Even with viable tropical milkweed, they never lay eggs too late to migrate. Nature is pretty amazing…

92. This is my fist year raising Monarchs. After greatly expanding my milkweed patch this year I caught the attention of a few monarchs. Currently, I have 18 caterpillars that are a few days old, and one chrysalis.

    I have to use leaf cuttings as I don’t have potted plants, and I’ve noticed I can quell the urge of the little ones to wander away by placing a fresh leaf over them—Concave side down! so as to make a ‘tent’. They almost always abandon the old leaf for the new one; feeding on its underside where they stay. That’s nice because the frass falls below them. When it’s time to clean and add fresh food all I have to do is flip the old leaf and cover with a fresh one.

    I have the 18 split up into groups of 4-5 so as not to overcrowd and, so far, I have 18 happy little munching machines.

    1. Hi Steve, congrats on raising your first monarchs. It sounds like you have a good migration batch going! I will be discussing cuttings and cleaning methods in the next post.

93. Hi Zoe, the caterpillars eat immature tropical seeds pods and I think they eat swamp pods too. I will put some in next time I serve swamp cuttings.

    As for your second question, I have moved many “resting” monarchs for cleaning purposes, and have had zero issues. Most of the time it’s not necessary to disturb them, so I don’t. The only way you will hurt them is if you try to remove them with one hard pull instead of several gentle ones since they have usually spun silk where they are resting.

94. I also have the question about the cats eating seed pods. Is that true? I am using the peanut jar method and just throwing in fresh leaves as needed. Got gobs of seed pods.

    Also, l have successfully moved mini-cats with the tip of a leaf. Just poke them a bit and wait for them to crawl on. Which brings up another question: they always seem to have a rest period before doing an instar shed of skin or whatever that is. Any info if it disturbs their process if you poke at them during that resting period?

    Thanks, Zoe

95. Hi, I really enjoy reading about monarchs. I have been raising them for a year. This summer for some reason they would land on my milkweed but no eggs. Finally I found two eggs on a new tiny plant that was new. I put the eggs in a net cage and both caterpillars hatched today. My old plants have spots on them and yellow leaves. I take them off each day. What causes the black spots? Do you think I need to get new plants? I miss seeing all the caterpillars I use to have.

    1. Hi Lynne, if you’re talking about common milkweed it typically gets leaf spot and fungus at the end of the season and is not usually viable to receive eggs or sustain caterpillars. You’ll have a better chance for late season monarchs with other varieties including swamp and tropical.

       Yellow leaves on a species like tropical is more likely due to overwatering. No matter which variety you are having issues with, removing the leaves is a good idea to maintain plant health. Congrats on your new monarchs!

96. Hi Tony….almost all of my 20 Monarchs I got from Rose Franklin cats have totally hatched into butterflies and released. So far my total of cats including the 20 I bought is 60 plus I just collected 21 more eggs! Everything has gone smoothly except I did lose 2 cats to an unknown reason at the 1st or 2nd in star stage. I also found 5 Black Swallowtail cats on my fennel.One butterfly released, two are crystallized, an two are in the process. This is my 4th yr and I’m still learning so much about rearing them!

    1. Wow Marie, you have had a very successful season with your monarchs…congratulations! I would not worry about 2 unexplained deaths. Be sure to share tips and ideas of what has worked for you on any relevant post. It’s really amazing what we can do to help others when we come together and share info.

97. I have been raising Monarchs indoors for several years. Sometimes my newly-hatched cats do wander off. To get them back, I use the soft tip or edge of a tender leaf, lay it right next to the tiny caterpillar, softly touching him with the leaf. It will usually just crawl right onto it. Sometimes its silk is still attached to whatever it was on, so watch for that silk to hold the cat in place. I too will pick up a cat with my fingers to move it, BUT only if it is large. To me, a young leaf sounds much gentler, no chance of the tiny baby getting pinched too hard. Or if it is on a paper towel, I can just cut around the cat and place him back in his proper home. Just some thoughts. It takes a LOT of patience. Kind of like raising kids!

    1. Carolyn, I agree 110%. I am so used to picking them up it’s like second nature to me. A soft leaf is a better option for keeping them safe, and they will probably be happy to have some new milkweed…Thanks for posting!

98. Hello Tony. I’m having trouble finding swamp milkweed in the wild, and/or at nurseries locally. I found one with some Tropical, but it was aphid-infested. I only have a few cats to feed but it’s getting more and more difficult to find viable common milkweed around here. I also worry about pesticides. I know swamp MW likes wet areas also…any suggestions on locating it here in northern Illinois? Does it bloom this time of year here? I will buy seeds for next year, but need a food source NOW. All the eggs I’ve found have been on common MW, including the one about to hatch.

    Also, one of my cats periodically starts writhing and leaves the leaf. (I am feeding individual leaves due to my shortage of MW) This is the second occurrence with this cat (second instar). The first time, I thought I had lost him but he recovered, returned to the leaf and resumed eating. I had read this is probably due to pesticides. I wash my leaves thoroughly. Do you have any idea what is causing this behavior? I had 3 day-old hatchlings all curl up and die recently (different plant, harvested from different area)

    Thanks for your site and emails – you are a generous resource and your enthusiasm is contagious.

    1. Hi Barb,

       sorry to hear you might be having issues with tainted milkweed. Unfortunately, washing milkweed won’t help if systemic pesticides have been used.

       You might be able to find swamp or tropical milkweed plants on my milkweed resource page. Otherwise, get a head start on next season by fall planting milkweed plants/seeds. Good luck!

       Milkweed Plants and Seeds

       1. The tropical milkweed that you found infested with aphids is proof that it was not treated with pesticides, buy that, and squish the aphids.

    2. Your question on the swamp milkweed…I have mine in a very large (no holes pot) so that it can retain the “wet feet” it likes to have. it has been in this pot for 2 years and it is very happy at this point. This is where I release my females so they can locate the milkweed to give “thanks” by laying eggs. i released a female a few weeks ago and she laid 12 eggs on my swamps so I would say that they are happy in this together and my cats are 2nd instar right now and happy little cats.

       I went to our dollar general store and the pots were $7 if this helps. I just didn’t put in drain holes

99. Dear Tony,
    I first want to thank you so much for all you do in giving us the info we need to help this amazing creature thrive and grow. I have been doing the cutting method and it has been working great. I found a very tiny cat on a cutting I had 2 bigger cats. Should I move the bigger ones off onto another cutting or are they all ok together? Thanks

    1. Hi Lee, perhaps you could try putting another cutting container next to your current one so there isn’t a leaf shortage for the little one. As long as there is enough milkweed, everyone should be happy.

       I’m glad the cutting method is working for you…it saves time and keeps the caterpillars happy too.

100. Hi Shelley, I’ve had caterpillars eat swamp and tropical seed pods, but never seen them eat popular varieties like butterfly weed or common milkweed. If the cutting is staying hydrated with the pods on you can leave them. Otherwise I would cut them off. I will be posting more about collecting seeds in a future post.

     Usually caterpillars like whichever milkweed is the freshest. That can change from year to year based on weather conditions. For instance, our swamp is in excellent condition this season. Last year, it was in pretty bad shape by season’s end…

     1. Thanks so much. They’re definitely nibbling on them. I just wish I could get my cats to eat my butterfly weed! I have so many plants of it, and they’re only eating wild. I’m driving 20 minutes each way every two days to get some from a friend who has it on her land. Any suggestions there? I have more than enough if they’d eat mine! (Cannot bring it in in pots as plants are in the garden and far too large) Now that they’re getting bigger (most are 8 days old), and considering the surprise babies (there must have been a couple eggs on the milkweed my friend brought me, because I have three NEW babies), I’m not sure how I’m going to keep up til they pupate.

        1. Until I started my own swamp and common milkweed plants this year, I had the same problem: travelling for more milkweed. I found that picking extra leaves they stayed fresh in the freezer, between wet paper towels in a plastic baggie. The cats couldn’t tell the difference. Be sure to blot and thaw them first.

           1. I have had milkweed leaves stay fresh in the refrigerator between damp paper towels for two weeks.

              1. Thanks Ruth, I also keep milkweed leaves in the refrigerator. I just rinse them off, shake dry, and put in plastic bags with no paper towels. This has worked well…

101. Will they eat the seed pods? Mine never went for my tropical milkweed. AT ALL. Got some wild milweed from a friend and they are all saved. One of my cuttings from my friend has giant seedpods on top. When I use that one should I cut them off or leave them on for the babies? Also, any advice on using those seed pods to collect seeds for next year? How do I do it and how do I preserve them over the VERY cold winter?

     1. I have mostly common milkweed and my cats love the big green pods. I stick one in each cage and they devour it. I like it because it seems to last twice as long as the leaves. They eat the stalks too, so I keep them in their as long as they’re not dried out.

102. I followed the Raise the Migration last year. It was my first year raising caterpillars. I had found 2 eggs on milkweed near my parents’ pond. Neither caterpillar made it – one failed to successfully pupate and the other got stuck getting out of the chrysalis. I think it was determined they had Oe.

     This year, I returned to the same milkweed patch and found lots of eggs and cats. I clean the milkweed and disinfect cages and follow all the tips as I did last year, however, two small cats have already died and one big cat has now died in an attempt to become a chrysalis. Yesterday, we noticed that one cat now looks “dirty” and I know that’s also a sign of Oe, so he has been separated from the rest.

     Could it be that some of the butterflies infected last year from this same milkweed patch lived, mated and returned, only to infect the new generation this year? If so, how is this stopped/prevented? I have 17 caterpillars in all and I hope they are not all sick.

     Thanks,
     Kris

     1. Hi Kris, so sorry to hear this. Where are you located?

        Getting stuck in a chrysalis can be a sign of OE, but it can also be a symptom of dehydration. I’m not sure what you are cleaning with, but all chemicals should be rinsed out thoroughly after cleaning. I’m going over large caterpillar care and cage cleaning in the next post.

        If your monarch has prominent black stripes, I’m not sure what that means. I see it every year (more in the late season) and all the butterflies appear healthy….a true monarch mystery!

        1. I had emailed you about the caterpillar with mainly black stripes he grew regularly and then died ( I had already isolated him). I’ve since lost 2 more caterpillars. One , I just found dead on the bottom of the pot. The other hung but never formed the chrysilas I’m running out of placed to isolate. I’ve cleaned the cages with bleach rinsed them well and put the pop up cages back in use. It’s heartbreaking. And I’m not sure what to do next.

           1. Hi Shari, it’s so hard to say for sure unless they monarchs are tested for disease OR you see a tachinid fly larvae/pupa emerge from the caterpillar or chrysalis. It’s also important to make sure your milkweed has not been treated with pesticides.

              I am going to be talking about disease prevention soon, and hopefully there might be some info that you can apply to your situation. Please keep me posted on your progress…

              1. ‘Afternoon Tony.. WOW!! You are right about the “gang-buster” year. I have released all 37 of my gen-3’s and now have hatched another 26 in the past week, with about another 25 eggs to go. I guesstimate, I will release very close to 80 in total. “”I have stopped gathering eggs”. Know when to quit.. My supply of food is going to run out if I’m not careful. Not that I can’t get more, it’s just more time hitting the back roads in the area to find it; which, equates to gas money.
                 Looking at the M/F ratio list; about 60% have been female so far. I’ll do a total at the end of the season for a better picture.

                 Take Care, Tony..

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