Is Your Caterpillar Cage Killing Monarch Butterflies?

ByTony Gomez
Over the past 40 years raising monarch butterflies, I’ve tried many different cages to help guide them along from tiny monarch egg to mighty monarch butterfly. These are the options we’ve had the most success with…

While many cage options are somewhat effective, the majority leave the door open for the unnecessary hardship of losing your monarchs before they transform into magnificent adult butterflies. Poorly designed cages are the catalyst for escapes and disease outbreaks which could ultimately kill your monarch caterpillars or cripple your butterflies.

While fancy DIY cages may be more visually appealing, they can contribute to monarch disease/death in the following ways:

  • Difficult to clean up poop properly, which could lead to disease outbreaks
  • Mesh enclosures with large holes (like laundry hampers) are not designed for Houdini-like caterpillar escapes
  • Many raise caterpillars and butterflies together inside these cages. OE disease spores fall off the butterflies’ wings and down to the caterpillars’ milkweed, spreading the deadly parasites to the next generation.

Which Caterpillar Cage Solutions Minimize Monarch Loss?

There are basically two types of caterpillar cages I use for rearing monarch butterflies. By using these cages, we never lose monarchs…or lose them to disease!

Plastic Food Storage Container for Monarch Eggs

Monarch Egg Hatchery- Plastic Food Storage Containers are a great place for hatching monarch eggs. Secure the lid to keep the leaves from drying out and to keep your baby caterpillars from escaping.

Line the bottom of the container with a paper towel and place leaf pieces with eggs inside. Rinse the leaves lightly w/ water before you place them inside. Secure the lid. No air holes are necessary, as checking on eggs daily provides more than enough oxygen.

Do not place these in direct ☀️.

Use household food containers as a nursery to hatch monarch eggs- caterpillar cage ideas
Sealed in Freshness

Food storage containers are a fantastic monarch hatchery and milkweed stays fresh in this humid climate habitat.

We use 16” x 11” x 3.5”h containers to hold up to 10 monarch eggs and wee cats.

Make sure you spread out the eggs to protect them from wandering, hungry baby caterpillars…

You can find a wide assortment of food storage containers at most big box stores or look for large food container hatchery options here:

Food Storage Containers for Hatching Eggs and Baby Caterpillars

A few days after the baby monarch caterpillars emerge, I place the a small caterpillar-occupied leaf piece on a fresh large milkweed leaf or cutting, and place it inside one of the next habitat cages, where there is better air flow…

If you are able to bring in monarch eggs on stem cuttings, you can forgo the food containers and place the cuttings in a larger mesh cage:

How to Use Stem Cuttings for Monarch Eggs

The following are our preferred raising cages for a few reasons…

Mesh Pop-up Caterpillar Cages

breathable mesh caterpillar cage for rasiing monarch butterflies
  • Breathable polyester mesh cage keeps air flowing and humidity levels down for healthy caterpillar growth
  • Clean caterpillar cage without disturbing chrysalises like in a top–opening caterpillar cage or aquarium
  • Secure Butterfly Habitat: small caterpillars can’t escape tiny mesh holes
  • Choose cage with clear vinyl window or 4-sided Clear or black Mesh to easily see monarchs
  • Mesh sides can receive direct sun without ‘cooking’ the caterpillars
  • No dangerous nooks and crannys like laundry hamper pop-ups
  • Room for floral tubes to keep host plants fresh for monarch caterpillar stage
  • Use a separate cage to release butterflies or keep during inclement weather
  • Use a 5% bleach solution to clean caterpillar cage between batches
  • rinse out, then sun dry
  • fold your popup cage for easy storage

Buy a 15″ x 15″ x 24″ Caterpillar Cage to Raise Monarchs on Stem Cuttings or Individual Leaves  (raise up to 8 monarchs)

Buy a 24″ x 24″ x 36″ Caterpillar Cage to Raise Monarch Caterpillars on Stem Cuttings or Small Potted Plants  (raise up to 16 monarchs)

Outdoor Caterpillar Cages

outdoor caterpillar cage set up for raising monarchs outside...safely!

Raising monarch caterpillars outdoors presents a new set of safety issues including extreme weather and monarch predators. This is where we place our indoor caterpillar cages to minimize these issues outside:

raised bed cart with wheels ⬅️ (place indoor cages inside this)

outside layer of protective netting ⬅️ (to keep your growing monarchs safe from the elements and potential predators.)

Check out our full outdoor caterpillar cage setup here ⬅️

Using these monarch butterfly cages, my survival rate is consistently over 95% and I never have issues losing caterpillars to daring escapes or deadly disease. 💀

These cages should help make your raising efforts more successful too!

Learn more about my raising process in Bring Home the Butterflies 2:
Raise MORE Monarchs, with LESS effort, and AT LEAST a 90% Survival Rate
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145 Comments

  1. I’m very new to this, and have read so much my head is spinning. I’m in southern CA and I have what I think is tropical milkweed in red and yellow varieties. I just read the Monarch Joint Venture sheet about OE, and they recommend only native California milkweeds. So now I’m thinking I need to pull my tropicals and trash them, and get some natives. Your thoughts? Also, how exactly can a floor of a cage be cleaned when there are cats and leaves all over the bottom, am I supposed to pick up the cats and their food and move them elsewhere? If they are molting, they aren’t supposed to be disturbed, right? So if they are all molting at different times, there’s never a time to clean..am I missing something? Or maybe the cats aren’t as fragile as I think they are?

  2. Hi!

    We are a classroom full of third graders and have an important question! Currently, we have Monarch butterflies and Painted Ladies in the same butterfly cage. They are close to “hatching” and we wondered if there is any harm in keeping them together in the cage?

    We appreciate any advice you can give us!

    Thanks,
    Miss Murphy’s Third Graders

    1. Greetings Miss Murphy and third graders! If you have a separate habitat, I would keep them separated. However, I don’t know of any specific issues you need to worry about. If you’re raising both on cuttings, it should be pretty easy to keep them separated in the same cage. good luck!

      PS…I raised an ‘american lady’ caterpillar with my monarchs a few seasons ago and everything turned out fine

  3. I just found your page on how to handle babies.
    I think it answers my questions.

  4. Hello,
    I am hoping that someone can help me because I am new to this. 2 days ago I found 3 Black Swallowtail caterpillars in my Veggie Trug on my carrot leaves. They are still there and it appears that one ‘may’ be going into the chrysalis stage. When they do (and I am hoping all 3 do!) can I take them inside and put them in my butterfly habitat? I really want them to make it to butterflies! Also, I am looking to purchase monarch chrysalis’ because they are my 5 year old son’s favorite, but am having trouble finding them for purchase. Thanks so much for all of your help!

    1. Hi Jill, before caterpillars pupate they generally crawl away from their host plant so you might not be able to find them. You could finish raising them in your habitat and then they could form their chrysalis inside the cage.

      You can find monarch caterpillar vendors on my Raise The Migration Supply List

  5. Hi I’m in central Florida. It’s the middle of July, and I’m not sure if I should have the cats out on my screened-in patio. It’s just so humid right now. I have them indoors right now, and the a/c is always on 79 degrees. I had the thought of getting a humidifier to keep near them in the mesh cage you have on this site with some potted plants. What do you recommend? This is all very new for me. I’m collecting eggs and they keep hatching. I have no problems with buying more plants, I just don’t feel too comfy putting them in the heat. It’s bad air circulation on my porch. Let me know 😀

    Heather

  6. Hi, as far as raising indoor. is it ok to put cage in garage where it does not get a lot of light and stays warm in the summer? What are acceptable, and ideal indoor rearing conditions? I.e. Light, temp, air circulation thank you.

    1. Hi Mikey, our cages are in a 3-season porch with the windows open so they are exposed to natural levels of heat, humidity, and light. We raise in mesh cages so they have optimal air circulation.

  7. Will caterpillars pupate on the lids of the kritter keepers well or should I plan to hang sticks in the cages.

  8. I’ve got 12 chrysalis on a window screen placed over a large clear plastic storage bin. They are about to emerge. I fear I will be at work. Will they be okay in the container for a day drying?

    1. Hi Eartha, as long as they can hang upside down in the cage so their wings dry properly, they should be fine while you are at work…good luck!

  9. My wife and I have been raising monarchs for a couple years now. I built a box with clean untreated wood and have had great success. The house is roughly 1′ x 1′ by 18′ high with window screening to allow air and a removable top. Is there any drawbacks from using wood with screening to contain these wonderful caterpillars?

    1. Hi Ozzie, if you are having great success with your cage, than keep using it. Your homemade habitat is small, which makes it easy to move and clean. If you have disease issues or small caterpillars escaping, I would consider a different habitat. Good luck!

  10. Hi Tony. Thank you for your information; it’s extremely helpful. Do you think it’s a good idea to regularly clear out old mulch around planted milkweed and replace it with fresh mulch? I’ve been considering it. Also, someone suggested spraying down the milkweed plants I buy with a bleach solution before planting them in the ground . Your thoughts please.

    1. Hi Dulce, organic mulch decomposes into the soil so it’s necessary to add more on a regular basis. We typically add more mulch every 2-3 years. We only use bleach to clean raising cages. if you think plants are contaminated with OE spores I would suggest cutting back stems/foliage and rinsing with water. good luck!

  11. I have read that the bleach residue left after cleaning the sides of containers is harmful to larvae and that vinegar won’t destroy oe spores. What is your thinking on this? Is there a way to remove any residue from plastic containers?

    1. Hi Sharon, I can only give my opinion on this. I use bleach to clean once a season…at the end. During the season, I wipe down cage floors with wet paper towels with warm tap water, and then dry them with another paper towel .

      Some people who use bleach throughout the season seem to still have health issues with their caterpillars. Unfortunately, there are so many potential factors that can affect caterpillar health, it’s impossible for me to say why this happens.

      I would guess if a cage isn’t rinsed properly after bleaching, this could negatively affect caterpillar health since bleach is a toxic chemical.

      Since I don’t have issues with monarch diseases, bleach has a very limited role in my raising process. If I lived in a continuous growing/monarch region like Florida or southern California, I would consider using it more if monarch health was an issue.

      1. Thanks, Tony! I only raised 18 monarchs (16 inadvertently which came in on the common milkweed brought in to feed the original 2) and saw no signs of disease. We live in northern Indiana so hopefully, following your suggestions will work here as well. You have a wonderful website and I’ve passed it on to others. Thanks for all the great information! Sharon

  12. Hi Tony,
    I’ve just purchased the pop-up cage you recommend.
    Out of the 6 cats I rescued, 4 have made it to the chrysalis
    stage. The last one is in a ‘j’ formation. ( Sadly, I didn’t realize
    the first one was fine and just needed some help in finding the
    right place to form a chrysalis. The system I improvised has worked well for the others.)
    I noticed you placed potted milkweed plants inside the cage. Should I do
    the same although I’d have to use cuttings in small plastic pots unless I
    you think I should go to a garden center asap? (There is one nearby
    that doesn’t use pesticides.) The first chrysalis formed took place
    on 9/26. How much time you do think I have before it hopefully will make
    it to the final leg of the journey? Also, what other nectar plants would
    you recommend for the emerging butterfly in case I can’t get potted milkweed in time?
    Thanks so much for all the helpful info you offer on your website!

    1. Hi Allison, congrats on helping your four monarchs get to the chrysalis stage. The good news is, you don’t need any plants. They don’t need to be fed unless you keep them more than 24 hours after eclosing. You still don’t need milkweed plants for that either. Here’s more info on releasing monarchs:

      How to Release Migration Monarchs

      Lastly, monarchs stay in the chrysalis stage about 9-14 days…

  13. Hi Tony,

    I just saw a wasp kill and take off with one of my babies. I am new and was doing ” let nature take its course” but I was horrified. I just purchased one of your cages. My question is ants. I live in central Texas and fire ants are horrible. I have tried every organic method out there. Is possible for ants to get in the cages? I am going to put it on my deck outside.

    1. Hi Renae, you have different species of ants down south and I’ve heard they can be a huge problem. I don’t know for sure, but they might be able to chew through the mesh cages…if the ants come up on the deck, you might need to move the cage somewhere else. good luck!

      1. I wonder if using a moat around your cage would keep pesty ants from getting to your cage. I use a moat system with my humming bird feeders and it works 100%. Just wondering if this would work or if anyone has tried this??

  14. Hi
    I removed a red wasp from my butterfly cage which had two chrysalis and 2 large caterpillars. The two large caterpillars both began their j and pupae dance but stopped with a little green chrysalis at the tip. I left it hanging over 24 ours hoping it would continue but it just hung lifeless. I removed it from the cage. Then the same thing happened with the second large caterpillar. I am hoping that the chrysalis are unharmed. Could the WASP caused them to die? I have no idea how long it was in the cage.
    Joann

    1. Hi Joann, some wasps eat caterpillars, while others parasitize them by laying eggs inside eggs, caterpillars, or chrysalises. It’s possible the wasp had something to do with the deaths of those monarchs. Make sure your cage doesn’t allow access to predators…good luck!

  15. Hi Tony, I’m a first timer with one caterpillar about 2 weeks old and fat. It is in a critter keeper cage. Do I move him to a butterfly habitat and let him form a chrysalis there or is it happening in the cage and then transfer?
    Thanks!

    1. I think I found my answer in the comments above. I transferred to pop up habitat this morning with fresh milkweed and it climbed right to the top. As a side note, watching a caterpillar climb is better than meditation:)

    2. Hi Laurie, congrats on your first cat! If you just have one cat I would let it pupate in the mesh habitat because you can let it sun dry outside after the butterfly ecloses. It’s ok to let it pupate in the kritter keeper though. Shut a paper towel in the lid that hangs to the kritter keeper floor so the butterfly can climb up it, if it falls…good luck!

  16. I would like to purchase Vol I & II by Tony Gomez. I can not find it on Amazon or any of the other links listed to purchase. Can you tell me where I can purchase both Volumes?
    Thank you
    Bring Home The Butterflies Vol. I: How to Attract More Monarchs to your Butterfly Garden…and Keep them there!

    by Tony Gomez

  17. Hi Tony!
    So, I have 7 caterpillars all about the same age (5 days old or so) in a Kritter Keeper. I have 3 eggs that are about to hatch in a separate container. Every day, I dump the Kritter Keeper to get rid of the frass and old leaves and then add fresh leaves in. Is this an acceptable way to clean the cage every day or do I need to use bleach or windex every time?
    Also, I do have a pop-up cage as well that I am not using at this moment. Here is my concern…the Kritter Keeper is a medium size, I believe. Since all the caterpillars are about the same age, I am afraid there won’t be enough room for their chrysalides on the lid. I know you said can move them, but where should I move them to? We don’t have a safe dog-free area to put them. So, the pop-up tent? And how could I attach them there? OR maybe I should move them all now into the pop-up tent (but isn’t it the top too far to travel, or no?) and if I move them all there, I would imagine it would be really hard to clean properly especially if I have some chrysalides attached on the top.
    Hope this all makes sense. Thanks in advance for your help!!

    1. Hi Allison, I usually rinse my kritter keeper out with water every day and then dry. I disinfect with bleach in between batches

      I use the kritter keeper as a hatchery (and for small caterpillars) and move them to a caterpillar mesh cage when they are about instar 3 (over 1/2 inch). The mesh cage is 4 feet tall and they have no problems crawling to the top.

  18. hi im looking for advice, as for the summer holidays for my three kids i have gotten a butterfly pen and caterpillars from insect lore, im unsure which type they are tho, and half of them have hatched as butterflies so far the others are soon to hatch, but one of them does concern me as from the looks of it, it’s missing half of its face and its bottom jaw also one antenna is a lot smaller than the other and its wing is misshapen and it constantly has its tongues out (it has two) and the problems are just down the same side of its body, it also seems to be slower than the others with walking and drops from the side of the pen a lot so its staying at the bottom of the pen, it has flew a bit but only in a short burst but the others are doing the same but they have only been hatched 24 hours, all of them transformed from caterpillars to pods fine and they wasn’t moved from the caterpillar tub to the pen until after 5 days of them podding so the risk of them been hurt was less since they had fully hardened also they where all the same size and they had all hung on the fabric lid of the tub so none were on their sides at all,
    i honestly dont know what i should do with the little beauty as i don’t want to release it if it will not survive in the wild or to spread any disease/mutation to others, as soon as we realised it was different we put him in another pen as we have 2, so if anyone has any ideas on what may have caused this and what i could do to help the little beauty please let me know as i have no clue and i have had to say that s/he is special to my kids as they have asked why is s/he different
    thanks for your time

    1. Hi Danielle, sorry to hear of the problems with your butterfly. I’m guessing you might have painted ladies but I have not raised them before and am not familiar with their particular health issues or diseases. Butterflies fuse their own proboscis together shortly after hatching. Until that happens they can not drink nectar with it. I fear that may be an issue with your butterfly.

      I would keep the butterfly as a pet if you are able. If it is weak and suffering, you can also choose to euthanize it.

  19. I see that they have black & white pop up cages….is one preferred over the other?

    1. Hi Linda, my concern with a black cage is that it could absorb more heat so I’ve only purchased the white cages. If you keep your cage out of direct sunlight, I don’t think it matters…

  20. How much fun is amazing hobby! I am addicted and love giving them away so that others will be as passionate as I am. I went to the dollar store and bought wide mouth jars and when my cats are ready to pupate, I put them in a jar with a stick, then I form a three inch high dome made from tule/netting from the fabric store, secure with a rubber band, then tie it around tightly with thin, woody jute for a decorative touch. The cats will crawl up the stick and attach to the netting. By making the little dome, you have a perfect view as the butterfly evolves and emerges. The stick will allow the butter a secure footing should you not be home to release it for a time. Of course, great care needs to be taken when cutting the rubber band prior to releasing. Make sure jute or ribbon is secure before cutting rubber band. When choosing jars, make sure the tops have ridges so rubber bands and jute will hold securely. These make great little gifts, although I really do get attached and hate parting with them!

    1. Thank you for sharing your system (and passion!) Shelley. I hope you are having a fantastic season…

  21. I LOVE these tips, and I think your idea of vacuuming the frass with a hand vacuum is BRILLIANT. What model do you recommend?

    1. Hi Becky, I’m glad the tips are helping. I use a handheld dirt devil. I’m not so sure the brand is important with this particular item since it serves just one purpose…to clean up frass!

  22. We are about to move into our new home, and I’ve been considering adding a small(ish) greenhouse to extend our gardening season. I’m wondering if that would be a decent housing structure once the caterpillars go to chrysalis? Would I have to worry about it getting to hot? I was just thinking it would be nice and roomy and my kiddos could get a little more interaction with the monarchs before release 🙂 I’ve never raised any before though, so my idea may be a horrible one …

    1. Hi Cari, sounds like an exciting project. A greenhouse would need good air circulation and you would still probably want the chrysalides in cages so they aren’t in too much direct sun. We keep our caterpillars and chrysalides in a 3-season porch where they’re exposed to heat/humidity but not extreme wind, sun, rain, etc…

  23. Hi Tony,
    I released some monarchs purchased online & was pleasantly surprised a couple stuck around long enough to mate & lay eggs. My first encounter with finding eggs & not too easy as they’re so tiny. I started with about 15 but sadly am down to 7. I provided small tender leaves from my tropical milkweed which dried up quickly. Wouldn’t stay in floral tubes like larger leaves so left on paper towel. When eggs began hatching I manually tried to move them to fresh leaves & believe may have injured them in the process. The ones left are now strictly hands off & I’m just setting new leaves on top of old ones & letting the caterpillars move on to them when ready. Is a hands off policy best during the entire process when eggs hatch & grow.

    A second question is whether it would be ok to keep swallowtail cats in the same large cage as monarchs or best to separate into 2 cages. Thanks

    1. Hi Sharen,

      if you want to move small caterpillars it’s easier to cut off a small piece of the leaf that they are on and place that on a new leaf.

      I don’t know of any issues raising monarchs/swallowtails together, but I would suggest putting them on opposite sides of the cage if you do. We raise ours separately.

      I once had an American lady caterpillar in with the monarchs and it crawled up a stalk of milkweed. After I moved it back, there were no other issues…

  24. Where are you all keeping the eggs/caterpillars? Today in Minnesota it is 90+ degrees. Tomorrow heat index is 100. I’m sure bringing them in our air conditioned house isn’t a good idea. My neighbor and I just started helping the eggs to hatch as we have discovered earwigs apparently eating the eggs. In two days have found five newly hatched caterpillars and one large caterpillar. Also 1/2 dozen eggs. We are on a mission now I guess. His are in his garage and I’ve put them in containers with netting on the top on the cooler floor of a gardening shed. Any thoughts?? Thanks

    1. Hi Carol, we keep ours in a 3-season porch with the windows open, but they don’t get much sunlight. They are also in a mesh cage that has lots of good air flow. The see-through vinyl window is turned away from direct sunlight. If it gets above 90 I’ll bring them inside. A/C won’t hurt them, but the cooler temps might slow down metamorphosis a bit. I wouldn’t worry about that at this point in the season. Good luck!

  25. Hello from South Florida!

    I built my first butterfly cage this year out of lumber and screen. It’s a 4-foot tall enclosure that is easy to clean, and I can put a few milkweeds in it at a time. It is presently home to 12 fat caterpillars.

    Being my first time, I’m kind of worried that all these caterpillars are crawling all over the cage as if they were on a walkabout. There’s still milkweed left to eat. Are they looking for a spot to go to chrysalis? Do I need to provide them with something to facilitate that?

    Thanks for helping out a newbie!

    1. Hi Michael, if your caterpillars are fat, frassy, and at least 1.5″ they should be ready to pupate and should be able to hang from the top of your enclosure. Keep providing fresh milkweed…if they need it it, they will come back. Otherwise, good luck!

      1. Yup. That’s exactly what happened last night and this morning! I guess they were just looking for a place to park 🙂

  26. Just picked 14 eggs off my milkweed plants near Wheaton IL. now I curse the rabbit that snipped off the stalks of two new plants! (They live, but they’re tiny) Luckily, I have 4 more plants.

    1. Rabbits seem to have developed a taste for young milkweed plants…I hope you are able to keep them away from your other plants. We have actually put a wire fence around a couple of our patches…

  27. I have a mosquito net over my milkweed garden. I have a couple of uncovered plants as well, in case any butterflies come to visit while I’m not there to open the tent. Will the cats form their chrysalises on the net? Or maybe I should put a small wooden structure in there for that purpose?

    Wasps are a problem here as well. I’m north of Houston, Texas. I saw a red wasp carry away a small cat today from an uncovered plant. I promptly put the other uncovered cats under the tent. Later, there was a small cat crawling on the inside of the net and a wasp killed it and was eating it through the net!

    If I find chrysalises on the net I may try to move them, but I’ve never done it and it makes me nervous!

    1. Hi Chelsea, sorry you are having wasp problems…you are not alone! They aren’t out of control up north so we typically leave them alone so they can pollinate the plants. However, I don’t like when I see them patrolling the milkweed, presumably looking for monarchs…

      Remember, you won’t be able to save all the monarchs, and if you did, you would have a major milkweed shortage. Even bringing in a few to raise makes a big difference since so few survive outdoors.

      Moving chrysalises can be nerve wracking, but it’s like anything…once you practice a few times it gets easier. I have never had monarchs form chrysalides on mosquito netting outdoors, but if the chrysalis is somewhat protected, you may not need to move them. The only way you’ll know for sure is to try leaving a couple. If you can secure other structures by the plants they could hang from that would be a good idea too. Good luck!

  28. I am a bit confused. In the beginning of the info on raising them you say not to have the butterflies hatch over the cats/plants. But..if you have cats and chrysalis in same cage, they’re hatching over the cats/plants-correct? Or am I missing something?

    This is 3rd year raising 9 different types-can we say full time job? Biggest problems are tiny chalcid wasps that lay eggs in just-formed chrysalids-horrible! And then there’s the awful hairy-butted tachinid fly which will infect even a tiny cat right behind the head. Tore through the Swallowtails last year. Found out veggie cage’s screen holes were too large, so made cage covered in tulle. Worked good until they learned to wait until I was swapping food or releasing. Back to small cages on screened pool deck til I figure out a solution.

    Released Monarchs all winter, and about 200 so far this spring, along with dozens and dozens of the others. Have over dozen black swallowtails, 6 giants with a dozen eggs, sulphers, fritterlaries and longwings all in various stages…guess what I do every morning??

    Oh, and we made cages just for milkweed so there’s food for them, the gals were laying on so many plants we couldn’t keep up with locating eggs/babies.

    Curiously, we have found no eggs in the last 3-4 weeks -the gals seem to be laying but no eggs when done. Not shooting blanks, just not shooting anything.

    Neighbors say there were no butterflies until we moved in, so it’s all worth it.
    Biggest thing to remember-DON’T BUY FROM ANY PLACE BUT GOOD NURSERY THAT ONLY BUYS NON-PESTICIDE PLANTS!! Lost many of 1st year’s monarchs to plants from big box stores until discovered our nursery and got educated. Even the veggies/herbs are treated.

    1. Hi Sue, it sounds busy at your place…and amazing!

      My advice for raising is to raise one batch at a time so that you’ll never have butterflies hatching over caterpillars. Some people also remove the chrysalises and rehang them.

      The tachinid flies and chalcid wasps are problems for many monarch enthusiasts. The best protection is to find monarch eggs and raise them indoors. It sounds like you might need to upgrade your cage? These are the cages that we use:

      Caterpillar and Butterfly Cages

      1. Problem with trying to figure out how to do 1 batch at a time is the gals are numerous and they all lay everywhere. I’ve had close to 100 cats at a time in varying stages and simply don’t have the room or the cages to separate but so much. Even if try to catch as they’re going to pupate, not all that climb are ready -some are just going away from food to instar then return to eating.
        Big cage is covered completely in fine tulle, doubled, the wasps and flies got in when I had the door open to do stuff. May end up moving it onto the enclosed deck .
        Just bought tomato cages & material to try another approach as the 24″ cages aren’t big enough for some of the bigger plants.
        Will let you know how it goes.

        1. Hi Sue,

          that’s why we take the approach of saving some…and leaving the others outside. I realize that’s easier said than done but in the long run, it’s better for both you and the local ecosystem which consists of both monarchs, and their predators.

          One of the cage links I sent you is a four foot cage, which is what we use for potted plants. Have a good season!

    2. What do your DIY cages for your milkweed plants look like? Any pictures?

  29. Thank you for your reply. I brought eggs in, have two which are pretty tiny inside a plastic cup with muslin cloth on top and another that just hatched with two more eggs In a plastic food container. I’m waiting for my pop up mesh to arrive, I’m planning to transfer them to a nice potted milkweed I got with lots of leaves that I’ll place inside the mesh cage. Would that be okay, to transfer them to a new plant?

    Also, since theyre tiny, probably in their first instar maybe just reaching their second instar, how much leaves should I put in the containers for now ? They’ve got one leaf each, they’ve munched on it but still have plenty of the leaf left, is it one leaf a day or not that often when they’re this little?

    I haven’t been able to bring all eggs inside, I can’t keep up with how much the butterflies are laying and I’m still scrambling looking for containers and mesh or cloth to cover them with. so I’m anxiously waiting the mesh pop up to arrive! Any other tips about transferring to the mesh pop up or anything like that would be great for a total newbie. The truth is I wasn’t even making plans to start caring for caterpillars, I bought milkweed not really knowing all its used for, so my first caterpillar found me and now I’m hooked.

    1. Hi Danae, it is ok to switch them to a new milkweed plant as long as the new plant is pesticide-free. As long as the leaf stays fresh, you can use one leaf a day for those first few days…by their second week, you will be shocked at how much they start eating!

      If you are interested in learning the system I use to raise monarchs with a 95% survival rate, check out my raising guide which I just updated last month:

      Raise More Monarchs with Less Effort

  30. Hi. I’m thinking of getting the mesh pop up to place my potted milkweeds inside and let the caterpillars do what they do without the worry of escape or predators. I know some have hatched from their eggs in my main milkweed plant that’s in soil located in my garden, is it okay to transfer them to the potted milkweed when they’re a little grown? I wasn’t able to take them in while they were in their egg.

    1. Hi Danae, you can transfer caterpillars indoors but keep in mind they are more prone to diseases or parasites left outdoors. If you bring them in as eggs, the risk decreases. Congrats on getting your new pop-up cage!

  31. Hi Danielle, I usually transfer them after a few days when they are easier to see. Typically, I try to limit 40 to a cage so it’s easier to keep clean. Good luck with all your caterpillars!

    1. Great! I have two other containers that I used when I raised butterflies with my students. I think I will use those to offset the amount in the pop up. I will be moving some today. Thanks so much for your help!

  32. Hi Tony,
    Quick question: I have 53 cats in varying sizes. I have the 4 foot pop up and milkweed ready. How big do you let them get in the kritter keeper before you transfer them to the pop up?
    Thank you!
    Danielle Moraine

  33. Hi there, I am new at this Monarch business and really enjoying it. I have two chrysalises which are now on day 13……wondering if this cooler weather pattern here in Fort Myers, Florida is slowing down this transformation stage??? The cats are attached to a plastic jar which is sitting on my lanai.

    Aren’t they supposed to be ready for re-birth by day 14?

    Aren’t the chrysalises supposed to turn black for the last 24 hours? Mine still look green but as far as I can tell don’t look unhealthy.

    Thank you.

    1. Hi Dee, if the chrysalises are green (and look healthy) I would not worry about it. The butterflies are generally in the chrysalis 9-14 days but cool weather will slow down metamorphosis. Good luck and keep us posted!

  34. Hi Tony,
    Thank you for the informational post. I’ve followed your directions and found 17 monarch eggs (and 2 very small cats) on my milkweed! I have two large critter keepers ready to go. I am ordering the pop-up now. I have a question: when they go in the critter keeper, what am I putting on the bottom of the cage, just milkweed leaves? I know this is such a basic question but I feel so lucky to have so many and want to ensure I’m doing what’s best for them. I am going to purchase your book as I need a lot of advice on where to go from here. Thank you!
    Danielle M.

    1. Hi Danielle, you can either put small cuttings containers inside the kritter keepers (that allow you to still close the lid) or you can just put leaves down. Just make sure there is not standing water left in the kritter keeper that a small caterpillar could drown in. If you are worried about it, you could always line the bottom with a paper towel. Here is an example of a container that would fit in the kritter keeper:

      Small cutting container example

      1. Thank you for the advice! I’m now up to 53 cats, I need another pop up! Thank you for maintaining such a beneficial blog, I really appreciate it!

  36. Removing the finger portion from plastic disposable gloves and filling it with water while the stem of the milkweed is inside works extremely well as a water reservoir for the selected food source. To keep the water from spilling out I use a tiny braid rubber band to seal the open end of this watering system. It looks like a tiny water balloon with a stem projecting out from its rubber banded top. Works beautifully and with several of these minute self watering sstems

  37. Hi Tony,

    We purchased a 12x12x12 pop up to raise monarchs in this year. To make the experience as realistic for the caterpillars, and fun for the kids, we put paper towel down on the bottom of the cage, then took two or three bottles and put three swamp milkweed cuttings into each bottle. We found that if you keep the cuttings out of the sun, the cuttings usually survived long enough to be completely eaten (at least a week).

    Since the caterpillars spent most of their time on the leaves, the frass would usually fall onto the paper towel which we changed every few days. Most of our monarchs formed their chrysalis on the top of the cage, and we only lost one caterpillar during the year.

    In July we had about eight or nine caterpillars in the pop up cage. How many caterpillars would you put into a 12x12x12 pop up cage. We never thought about diseases. Does our “method” of raising them sound safe to you.

    Thanks

    1. Hi Brian, I think your system using cuttings is great. The leaves stay hydrated and the caterpillars don’t typically crawl away from them.

      Where there is potential for disease is by only cleaning every few days…you can get away with it if they stay on the cuttings, but if they start crawling through the frass there is a risk for disease.

      Cleaning daily is a lot easier if you use this technique:

      An Easier Way To Clean Up after Messy Caterpillars

  38. Hi Tony: Thanks so much for your helpful site! This is my first year raising Monarchs from eggs in my garden, and I bought several of the net castles from livemonarch.org. The caterpillars are now about an inch long, and I find them wandering up the sides, all over the bottom, etc. They seem healthy, but is that normal? Does it mean there isn’t enough milkweed at the bottom? (I change leaves every day and it seems like there’s plenty). Should I be encouraging them back to the leaves or just trust that they will make their way back? I’m only used to swallowtails, which seem perfectly content to stay in one place… Thanks!

    1. Hi Liz, monarchs will climb up the sides of the cage to molt (shed their skin). However, if your milkweed starts to dry out they will climb up the sides in search of fresh milkweed.

      If you’d like to learn my system for raising for raising/releasing healthy migration monarchs, please join us for Raise the Migration 2:

      Raise the Migration 2 Info

  39. Tony,

    Excellent information here! I plan to try raising monarchs next year here in Iowa. I have a new butterfly garden as of this year. Have eight types of milkweed native to Iowa in my garden. I had about a dozen caterpillars, but none survived naturally in the garden.

    On your suggestion here, I will purchase a pop-up for rearing the caterpillars next year.

    Question: When the monarchs go to form a chrysalis in the pop-up, will they just attach to the top of the pop-up mesh? I’ve read that with other containers you need to put something (paper towels, nylon?) to provide some surface so they can attach their chrysalis. Thanks!

    1. Hi Matt, sounds like you have a great start to your garden with 8 milkweed varieties!

      The monarchs don’t need any props to form their chrysalises. They can easily attach themselves to the mesh roof of your cage. Side-opening cages work best so you never have to disturb the chrysalides when opening the cage.

      1. Tony,

        Thanks for the reply.! Due to cold weather and rain forecast here in Iowa (low 40’s), I brought the last two monarch caterpillars from my garden inside my house for a better chance at survival.

        I’ve never raised monarchs before, so I improvised rearing containers by buying two clear plastic pitchers,; one for each caterpillar. I also ordered a mesh butterfly cage from Amazon that is about 16 inches tall and is top opening. I know you recommend the side opening designs, but this one ships quick and I fear at least one caterpillar may be less than a week away from forming a chrysalis. So I’m hoping I can get both in the mesh cage before they form chrysalis. (:

        A couple of questions…

        First , in event, the bigger of the two goes to form a chrysalis before the mesh cage arrives, I’ve read that you can put a paper towel across the top of a container like my pitcher and the caterpillar will attach to the chrysalis to the paper towel. My concern with this is that a paper towel attached to the top of the pitcher would restrict flow into the pitcher and will kill the monarch in the chrysalis. Would you worry about this ?

        Second, if I get them in the mesh cage, is it easy for the. caterpillars to make it up the mesh walls of the cage to the top to attach?

        Thanks again for all of your advice and info here!

        Matt

        1. Hi Matt,

          paper towels should be OK, if that’s what you have available. Paper towels are “breathable” and enough air circulation will still get in the cage. Some people report they use the plastic food storage containers for hatching eggs without punching any holes in the lid. It surprises me they get enough air, but supposedly they do!

          Your monarchs should have absolutely NO problem crawling up the mesh cage. Mine is 4 ft tall and they all make it up with ease. Good luck!

  40. Hi. I’ve been raising monarchs for several years. Last year I only had 2. It was a bad year. This year I have soooo many. It so great to see. I didn’t realize I could bring the eggs inside. Right now I have 3 chrysalis and I think right now 11 cats in large pretzel jars with tulle over the top with a rubberband securing it. I’ve used this for several years. But I never knew about the eggs I’ve had at least 3 female out on my 142 milkweed plants laying eggs and I’ve lost some to I don’t know what. This is the first year that I’m a waystation too. I’m so excited. Like I said last year I only had a pair and ably saw about 7 actually butterflies. This year I’ve been so pleased to see so many in my little waystation here in Lancaster, PA. Waystation 8526.

  41. I am new to raising monarchs, my first one turned into a butterfly this morning! But sadly my next caterpillar escaped during the night, I knew I should have put him in a jar but another site I was getting my info from said a plate would do just fine, and I actually had it in a hard sided cage like the one you used but with no cover. I have milkweed leaves all around my kitchen in hopes he’ll come back to one. Any other suggestions on how to find him? He’s only about a centimeter long 🙁

    1. Hi Nicole, congrats on your first butterfly!

      Sorry to hear about your escaped caterpillar. Some caterpillars will try to escape the first day they hatch from their egg, so a secure cage is a must. Actually, putting milkweed around your kitchen doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Your cat will be searching for food so you might get lucky if she finds one of your milkweed stations…keep us posted!

  42. Hi Tony: Thank you for your very informative newsletters. I gather the eggs and put 5 per plastic tupperware-type container with small holes in the lids. I have three different sizes the last being a shoe box size in which they make their chrysalis. I line the bottom with paper towel, clean them daily (more than once when they are large) and wash with a mild bleach solution after use. I have had an almost 100% success rate with this method. They are kept in my kitchen and dining room table. The summer of 2012 I raised 91, 2013 I had approx. 450 cats but gave about 200 away and last year I only had 9. So far I have 46. I live in Thunder Bay, Ontario (north of Minneapolis). I do have one question. My swamp milkweed plants do not grow very large. What type of soil do they like, do they need to be kept always moist, etc. Although I have quite a number of plants I do not have enough food for them and have to visit family and friends for more. Thanks for all your advice. Waystation 7021

    1. Hi JoAnn, it sounds like you have a good set up. It’s encouraging to hear your numbers are rebounding too.

      Swamp milkweed does prefer moist soil. It’s been a banner year for them in Minneapolis because of all the rain. You didn’t say how tall yours were. Ours are in partial shade but have grown to about 6 feet this season. I did water them a couple times with organic fertilizer because of our cold spring. They are in the one area of our yard that will retain a little standing water after heavy rainfall. Before planting, we did mix in some compost to the soil.

      Is it possible you have a cultivar of incarnata? We have ‘ice ballet’ (white flowers) in front our our regular swamp because it grows a couple feet shorter. ‘Cinderella’ has pink flowers and is also a shorter cultivar.

  43. I went to a butterfly show about 3 weeks ago where I purchased a milkweed that had lots of monarch eggs. I got more than I bargained for. I kept a few leaves in an old aquarium on my screen porch and put the rest outside in the middle of my milkweed garden which I planted about 7 years ago just for them. Long story short I ended up with hundreds of caterpillars. To my horror I saw that the wasp were killing my babies left and right. I moved 30 cats to a neighbor’s milkweed patch and a few days later I took 100 cats back in the house. As of last night I had about 35 chrysalis but I don’t know what to do when they emerge because they are so close to each other. Can I gently take them down and put them in a shoebox outside to emerge. Thanks for any suggestions.

    1. Hi Amy, congrats on all your monarchs! Wasps present a huge predator problem for monarchs. Sorry you found out the hard way. Monarchs need to hang down to dry their wings when hatching so putting them in a shoe box won’t work. You can pull use a pin or needlenose tweezers to pull down silk they have attached to the roof of the cage. I tape ours to an overhang. You can also tie dental floss or string around the cremaster (black part above chrysalis) and hang it.

      rehang chrysalis with tape or by tying dental floss/string around cremaster and rehanging

      I am about to re-release my ebook about raising monarchs. You may be interested if you want to learn a good system for making this process easier and more successful. It will be out in the next couple weeks…

  44. Didn’t have any eggs nor caterpillars in 2013. /did have success in 2010-2012.

    We used fine mesh waste baskets, with solid wooden removable tops. The bottom is lined with paper towels (to catch and make frass cleanup easier.). I usually mist the paper and milkweed stems and leaves daily. We had only one mortality in threeyears. The two waste baskets are kept on our three-sided screened-in porch. Hopefully, 2014 will be a little better than 2013 in Syracuse, New York.

  45. I have used a mosquito net tent on our driveway, attached to the garage, for five years now. I put potted milkweed plants inside, & it’s easy to water the plants & hose off the driveway to clean.

  46. Crazy question….my caterpillars are going into chrysalis now. I have a presentation on 7/11 that I would love to have the butterflies for. Is there a way to slow down the process without hurting them?

  47. Hi Cheri, cooler temperatures slow down metamorphosis, but I’m not sure how cold you would want it or if this would have a negative effect on the butterflies health.

    Perhaps you could bring in some new caterpillars instead?

  48. I live in Central Oklahoma and have not seen a butterfly all season. I planted several host plants this year but have no eggs. Do I need to purchase caterpillars the first year so the next generation will come back to my new plants? I have dill, milkweed, 2 varieties. I live in a neighborhood that used to have monarchs in our vacant lots and have raised them for several years, but could not find milkweed once the lots built up, so I planted some. Thank you so much for all your information. It is very helpful.

    1. Hi Lori, I think most of the monarchs have travelled further north by this point. However, depending on your weather patterns there is always a chance you could see some this summer. If that doesn’t happen, there’s always the 2014 fall migration. So far up north (Minneapolis) we are having a much better season than last year with lots of sightings, eggs, and caterpillars. That could be good news for you during the migration!

      You do have the option to buy eggs/caterpillars, and you can also add milkweed and nectar options to your garden and make it impossible for them to fly you by!

  49. Great info Tony! I have been collecting Monarch eggs and cats for my children’s school since 2010 for their classrooms to raise and release and decided to raise some at home too. It started out with just the preschool class raising them, to last year the preschool, kindergarten, first, second and sixth graders raising and releasing them. Last year I was able to raise and release 179 Monarchs, 25 Black Swallowtails and 2 Viceroys at home.

    I like to use the Sure Fresh containers from Dollar Tree with the green lids for the eggs and smaller cats. I either cut a hole in the lid and attach tulle to vent and just rubberband a coffee filter on top for a lid. For larger cats I use the one gallon and one pint square ice cream pails. I cut about a 3″ square out of the lid and tape a square piece of tulle to the opening on the lid to vent. The cats with go into chrysalis on the outer edge of the lids and then I transfer the chrysalises to a pin. I have a piece of tulle wrapped foamboard pinned to my wall above the counter and pin all of the chrysalises to the foamboard by date. After they emerge and are dry enough to transfer, I put them into a collapsible hamper or butterfly keeper to release.

    I currently have 2 chrysalis, 28 caterpillars and 10 eggs inside, some are in the J position. I also have some eggs and 1st instars outside yet to gather. Here’s to hoping the Monarchs have a good year and make a great comeback in 2014.

    ~Christina, Monarch Waystation #7607

    1. waystation #7607 is having quite a successful season so far…Keep up the great work Christina and thanks for sharing your cage info!

  50. I had a friend build me a wooden box with screen walls and holes in the bottom to place the little water containers that you put rose stems in. The tray actually pulls out for cleaning. It has a handle on the top to carry it. I am really excited to have learned how to use the pop ups to mate Monarchs! I have 49 caterpillars right now that I found in my yard and have a goal of releasing at least 100. LOVE being a part of a bigger community and receiving these blogs for more information. Thank you!
    ~Cheri, Monarch Waystation #866

    1. Cheri, thank you so much for being part of our community. sounds like you have quite a lofty goal for 2014. Keep us posted on your progress and lets us know when you reach your goal! Your already half way there…congrats!

    1. Hi Andy, I have used this cage before too. What I didn’t like about it was that sometimes the caterpillars would try to pupate from the side ridges. The side pop-ups also have a clear plastic side so you can easily view the caterpillars without opening the cage. Last, with a side opening cage, you won’t disturb chrysalides formed on top of the cage. Hope you’re having a great season!

  52. I had very good luck with my Caterpillars,my Husband built me a couple cages out of plexiglass with doors .
    I clean my cage out every day and when I see their going off the milkweed I put them in a different cage .
    I bring them inside as soon as I see a egg,have them on my dining room table .
    Last year I took two cages to church for the whole month of Sept,the children really enjoyed watching the caterpillars go though their stages,we tagged only 33 last year .
    Lost one last year because it had an X on it .
    Hope we have more this year .
    Had 105 in 2012.

    Judy Karcher

    1. Hi Judy, thanks for sharing your experience. I hope this year is more like your 2012 season. Good luck!

  53. I live in Winnipeg Canada, I’ve planted milkweed this year for the first time and thought that’s all I needed to do. I didn’t know people actually used cages, it makes me think they’ll be eaten before they get to be a butterfly. I guess I need to do more reading about them.

    1. hi Margaret, unfortunately it’s pretty rare for a monarch to survive from egg to butterfly…estimates are as low as 1%. That’s probably why they lay over 400 eggs! Raising boosts the survival rate to over 90% so it’s well worth it to support their population while also witnessing an amazing 30 day transformation!

  54. First year to try to raise some butterflies. I ordered 2 of the castles. I have been using only one of them right now. I keep it inside at night and on a screen porch during the day. I have one black swallowtail cat. (about 1″) and 6 eggs. It is very easy to clean and add new food.
    Thanks for all of the info. Waystation 7700 in Baton Rouge.

    1. Hi Ken,

      for the past few years I was under the false assumption that black swallowtails needed a stick/branch to pupate on. But whenever one strayed to the roof and pupated, it always eclosed without issue. I am raising two on rue cuttings right now and throwing them in the small pop-up tomorrow. They have have been cageless for the past few days. Unlike monarchs, they stay put! Best of luck with your BST’s…

  56. Hi Cathie, thank you for sharing your experience. I have used glass jars in the past and they are another “easy to clean” option. If you’re raising just a couple, they’re a good alternative to cages.

  57. I do pretty much as you do, except my incubator is a glass pan on the dining room table. After they hatch I transfer them to what looks exactly the same as your cage. I have 8 cats happily munching in one on my back porch right now. Very successful

  58. I try to use large glass jars, cleaned daily with fresh food in a flower pick to keep it hydrated I have had very, very few cats die over the last 12 years of raising them. I learned from a friend and her daughter how to care for them and they are wonderful teachers. Although I have made a few mistakes like caging too many together and having a wasp hatch to get the others I can say with confidence that I will stick to what I know and have my success with. I read your newsletters and they are wonderful, thank you for sharing with us!

    1. Hi Tony, Cathy, all,

      Thank you for the GREAT site. I am raising my first set of 20 rescued caterpillars this winter in Florida.

      The pop-up cage with side door looks super as a quick, easy cage solution, & being able to put potted milkweed plants and there is a real plus!

      I am raising mine in a glass vase with a colander over the top but the disadvantage I see to glass is I believe the gas from the frass accumulates in the bottom and seems to almost comatose caterpillars that are on the bottom of the cage. As soon as I clean the cage and move them back onto the milkweed they are fine but I will be changing to the mesh enclosure today for ease of cleaning and ventilation issues, and the fact I can put potted plants in there and keep them alive longer!

      1. Hi Luke, once I switched to mesh I never looked back. It makes the process so much easier. Good luck and keep us posted on your raising adventures…

  59. I start with leaves and eggs on dinner plates. When they get to the escaping stage, I move the to individual wide- mouthed jars like Salsa or pickle jars with holes in the top. I only use jars with metal lids. They get cleaned every day and new milkweed put in and sometimes twice a day when they are really eating a lot toward the end! Once they form their chrysalis I clean out the leaves, frass, and silk from the sides. I have been very successful with this. On a side note, I save the face plates ( all four sizes!) and the empty chrysalids. These help me keep count every year ( for the past 38!). My best year was 101 Monarchs! Monarch Waystation 518, New Milford, CT

    1. Hi Joy, it sounds like you are doing your part to help the east coast monarchs. Great to hear the jars are working well for you and others. Question…do caterpillars ever crawl away from your dinner plates?…because some monarchs start wandering away on day 1!

    2. Joy,
      The individual jars sounds doable for me. I will use a ball jar and poke holes in the lid and then use the screw lid over the flat lid. Will the caterpillars use the metal lid to secure their chrysalis?
      Thanks, Linda

    3. I just discovered 12 caterpillars on my milkweed. I adopted 3 more from my local nursery. I bought a pop up laundry basket from target and had to DIY a zip top for the opening. I hope I am doing the right things…..I am worried they will not have any place to form a chrysalis….what can I place in the cage for them to have everything necessary. I at first had them all laying on the floor with a lot of leaves….but…they poop….a lot….so cleaning was not that easy….and I am afraid I didn’t clean it properly (with bleach) So I placed two milkweed plants in the cage with all of the caterpillars on the leaves. hoping this will keep it cleaner as the poop is not all over the floor (but in the soil)….thoughts? ideas? I want to give them their best chance.

      1. Hi Marissa, a makeshift cage can work if there are absolutely NO nooks and crannies for escapes or for predators to enter. Caterpillars can typically hang from about any roof you offer them. Bleaching is more important if you’ve already raised monarchs in an enclosure. If it’s the first time, they should be ok. If you plan to raise in the future, I invite you to check out my raising guide which reveals the system I use to raise monarchs with a 95% survival rate. Once you have a good system in place, raising monarchs is a joyful experience. Good luck!

        Raising Monarchs Guide

  60. We have those castles and left them outdoors and sadly something ate the chrysalis. Whatever it was clawed or bit holes. It was horrible.

    1. Sorry to hear this Jeanne! Did a predator chew a hole through the cage?

      I put our cages in a 3-season porch so they are exposed to summer temperatures, but not to heavy rains or winds. This also keeps out any predators.

  61. For Monarchs I mainly use the Kritter Keeper. I’ve never had one escape through the holes.
    I use the side opening pup up mesh one for other caterpillars. Put the whole pot in like you pictured.
    I use a natural Melaleuca product to clean, then sit in sun.

    1. Hi Terry,

      I’ve had them escape through the top several times…and there was even fresh milkweed in the cage! The pantyhose work like a charm.

      I’m not sure how much what you clean with matters because I know people that have used the university recommended 5% bleach that have had major OE outbreaks. I think cleaning regularly, rinsing, and drying the cage makes a big difference. It sounds like you are set up for success. Best of luck with your monarchs!

      1. Tony,

        The quality of the bleach matters. I was in a mold remediation training for my business in 2010. One thing the instructor said left an impression: use a good quality bleach. In his study, one mold remediation contractor used a chlorine bleach from China because the price was lowest. When the contractors finished they failed the indoor air quality test. They wasted precious money, time, and labor because they chose to use cheap stuff. Stick to a good brand bleach.

        Hope this helps.

        Yoshie

        1. Thanks for posting this Yoshie. I’ve never really thought about bleach quality before, but it doesn’t surprise me to hear that it could be a determining factor in disease prevention.

  62. Will racoons, squirrels, possums or birds eat the monarch larve?

    1. Jeanne, so many insects and animals eat monarchs it’s hard to believe they’re considered poisonous! I know some birds eat them for sure. I have heard raccoons and squirrels eat caterpillars but have never seen evidence of this. It’s so much easier to raise monarchs indoors than to keep them safe from predators outdoors…only 1% are estimated to survive outdoors.

    2. I just started doing this, and so far I find that the worst predators are insects. Even a very small spider can kill a young caterpillar. I wouldn’t trust a ladybug around them either, and I was very suspicious of two flies who showed an inordinate interest in exploring milkweed leaves. I have my caterpillars on leafstalks in pop bottles or other containers with narrow openings. I keep them in the house and hope for the best. I’ve had one so far go into the chrysalis. It is fascinating to watch them and the babies are so cute!

  63. I have used one of your butterfly cages (ie the plastic container) when I first started out. I have since used and old fish aquarium that I got from a second hand store and I cover it with and old window house screen and weigh it down with a flat stone on the corners. It works good and none have escaped so far. When they are getting ready to search out a spot to go to chrysalis I drape paper towels just under the screen. Once they are attached to the paper towel and settled in for a day or so I cut the strip off that the chrysalis is on and put it in a pop up laundry hamper (my Butterfly Nursery) until they hatch.

  64. I use the side and top opening pop up containers. As you said, they’re easy to clean, and easy to maintain. When I have a lot of caterpillars, I place a small Milkweed plant in a pot inside the container.

    1. Hi Vineeta. I like the big popup (4 feet tall) for putting in larger plants. I use it each fall to raise migration monarchs. Glad to hear you are having success with the pop ups!

    2. Hi!
      I just planted the first butterfly garden this season. I’m very excited. Have noticed an increased variety of butterflies although I’ve intentionally focused on monarchs.

      Where do you get the monarch eggs?? Which are reputable sources if you’re purchasing them?

      Thanks!
      Mayita

      1. Hello Mayita and welcome to the exciting hobby of raising monarchs! I get eggs from milkweed planted in our garden. However, if you’re not having any luck finding eggs, check out some of the resources on this page:

        Monarch raising Resources

    3. I am about 4 seasons in to raising monarchs. I learn a little bit more each year and I am excited that I found this site to speed up my education. I am fortunate that I have an enclosed lanai (and a willing and cooperative wife!). I keep potted milkweed as well as in ground milkweed around the house. The lizards have certainly discovered the in ground caterpillar buffet to my dismay. However, I bring in the potted plants to the lanai when they get loaded with eggs and I also look for lucky caterpillars in the garden and bring them in. Of course, when I get a batch of 30 or so caterpillars I have to buy more plants (found a place that carries non chemically sprayed). We let them roam around and the kids have a ball trying to find where they J up by looking for the mask. Anyhow, we release about 60-70 healthy monarchs per season.

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