what do I do to take care of them?? I tried looking in the sticky...a lot of those sites are now longer valid or have the information I am looking for. I found 4 eggs this afternoon!
Any guidance would be much appreciated!
Now That I have Monarch Eggs
Take a look at some of the caterpillar cages that TPP (Cat) has made on her diary. http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/m/TexasPuddyPrint/
Just clip around the eggs and put them in a container cage on a leaf that is fresh. Place the leaf in the wet foam at an angle to support the eggs. They will eat the egg first then later move to the fresh leaf. One leaf at a time is all several first instars will need.
If you have plenty milkweed, you can just clip the leaves they are on and put those into the foam. Here is a pic of my cage, though not Monarch. You can put all of the small eggs in one for now, and as they get larger separate into other cages. I don't raise more than 3 adults in the 3 cup size containers.
The fabric is strechable and small weave, tricot like swim wear is lined with.
This message was edited Jul 30, 2009 7:12 AM
The tricot is a great idea. Will have to get some of that. I am using cheesecloth right now and it rips easily. I have plenty of common milkweed available here. I took just the leaf it was on. I was hoping I hadn't messed up doing that instead of a whole stem!
Thanks Shelia!
Glad to help. Congrats on finding the eggs btw!
Are the eggs in the picture????
Hi everyone, I am new here but am fasinated by what you have written. Tell more about the foam,and what the eggs look like. Do you bring them inside your house, or leave them in the garden. alday
Hi!!
Well nope there aren't eggs in the photos...and I guess I didn't keep the photos. I did bring them into the house and put in containers. I did get them to hatch but all died within a few days. so I gave up on monarch. I am now raising Black Swallowtails. They seem to be easier!
I found the wet foam at Walmart. it can be found at craft shops too I think.
check out photos of different pases of the monarch including the egg here. The eggs are very small.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/12/
Perhaps this will help you. I'm new at this too and had to ask for help to know what to look for. Here is a photo of the first Monarch egg I've ever met in person, jut discovered today. There was only one egg on the leaf, which is about 1.5 to 2 inches long, if that will help.
I broke the leaf off of the outside milkweed plant and brought it inside. It is placed in an enclosure on top of the milkweed plant that is currently feeding newly hatched Monarch Cats. I hope the cats won't eat the egg! Maybe I should move it into a container by itself?
Mary
This is the mama Monarch despositing that exact egg ... :-)
Ha! Easier to find when you see them laying, right?
I would definately isolate the leaf with the egg until it hatched. You may loose it in the frass of a cage where cats are eating. Been there done that. Most of the time when they come to an egg they will move to another leaf, but when food is short who knows.
Thank you Sheila, for confirming my worry. I have moved the leaf to an individual container. And, I found two more eggs that I've brought in. If they hatch, it will make seven cats to feed. I read a post where it was said that when the Monarch cats get to their last couple of instars, they can eat a leaf every hour!. If this is accurate, then I'm not sure how many cats I should try to raise. This would equate to 24 leaves per cat per day. I have several milkweed plants but not enough to sustain that diet for long. And I don't have another source as a backup.
Mary
I have not found that that is the case Mary. They can be pigs but more like 2-4 leaves per day depending on the size. They could eat one in an hour, but not every hour. Normally I will put two leaves in per cat in the morning and replace as needed in the evening. They do eat more at night since they do their skin shedding in the early morning hours it seems.
One thing I would encourage you to do is take the leaves from the bottom of the plant for the larger cats, the female will lay eggs on the new growth. Harvest them early in the morning when possible, put them in water immediately and they will stay fresh longer.
Also plant more seed now for the perennial MW, it will be leaves you can use to feed the small cats early next season, and will become larger plants for you next year.
Sheila,
Thank you for the additional information on their eating habits. I feel a bit better now about having enough food on hand for them (and I plan to plant a lot more next year).
Do you just place the fresh leaves on top of a clean paper towel? I'm still using milkweed plants that are potted but I'm running out of them and need to come up with a method of feeding individual leaves. I've read several methods, to put the cut end of the leaf into florist foam, to wrap the tip of each leaf in a damp paper towel and then clear wrap to help keep it moist. I did take a top out of one garden milkweed, washed and examined it real well for insects, then stuck it into a tiny container of water. It is still fresh this morning but I wonder if the little cats will crawl over to it when the potted plants are gone? I'd think they have some way to identify food nearby when the plant they're feeding from becomes depleted. The potted milkweed in their enclosure is down to nubbins now. My enclosure is inside the house, not outside, so the air is dryer in here and causes a Milkweed leaf to dehydrate quite quickly. Maybe I need to put them into a different container, where I can better control the humidity of their air. Right now they're in a round plastic container tall enough to set the potted milkweed inside and I cover it with a white cloth.
They are so interesting to watch and the whole family has gotten involved by following their daily progress. I just don't want to do more harm than good by attempting to help them. Thank you for taking the time to share your helpful information with us.
Mary
Trust me you can't be doing harm. Only 2 percent survive in the wild, so as long as you don't lose all of them, you are suceeding!
As for the leaves, you can just lay the leaves in the container if you have a lot of cats, but I perfer to keep them up so the cats aren't crawling in the frass. Less likely to encounter viral bacteria that way. Also if you put the leaves in a floral foam oasis it keeps them fresher.
I use a pudding cup container, cut down to about a half inch. I cut my foam into wafers with a knife and then use the cup like a cookie cutter. cover with Glad press n seal and poke holes with toothpicks. I make up a bunch then just grab one hold it under the water and poke in the leaves.
Shelia, I have had such terrible luck with Monarchs. All three of mine that pupated correctly did not eclose right. Too sad.
Sheila,
Thank you once again and especially for the photo. It helps so much to see what you've done with the individual leaves and it looks like such a healthy and clean way to feed and care for the little cats. I had two molt this morning so they're obviously a bit older than the other four. Of the three eggs, I can see a dark spot on one, which I hope is the head of a little cat. I put a fresh leaf in their container, in case he hatches while I'm away today.
I noticed a Monarch butterfly on the Tithonia Torch (Mexican Sunflower) this morning, which has just begun to bloom so ran outside to watch it. I had two females out there and they're both laying more eggs! I have many eggs now and afraid not enough milkweed to feed them if they all hatch. Oh my. I called around to the local nurseries but no one has milkweed. One nursery said she will order a lot more of it next year and even set up a butterfly garden at her nursery, so customers can see what plants are needed for their survival. This is super. Need to try and locate some wild milkweed somewhere.
I also ordered milkweed seeds of different varieties and will attempt to germinate them for next season. Whatever plants I can't use, I can give to her or send out to other foster moms next spring.
So, I need to get going and do some shopping ... need to get a new cafe set up for the little guys!
Thanks once again for taking the time to share your knowledge with us.
Mary
You are welcome Mary.
MsEd....I too have problems with some. We had been on vacation and I didn't bring any cats inside until I returned. I think because they were accessable to the wasps, etc. I have had a higher than normal death rate.
Also yesterday I had four Monarchs emerge and three of the four had to be put down because their wings never straightened and they couldn't fly. Only thing I can attribute to that was my neglect of not separating the species soon enough. I had a BST emerge early and left it while we ran errands. It was paniced fluttering around when we returned. They don't hang out like the Monarchs and I should have taken it and put it out before leaving or in another cage at least. I think it caused the 3 Monarchs to fall or not hang properly after emerging. We all live and learn and hopefully pass on the info. But one emerged fine and today another Monarch...so life goes on.
That's exactly what happened to my monarchs that eclosed. The eclosed and fell to the floor, then I'd find them and they never could get wings pumped up/out. And these are all ones that i found early or as Eggs. Had one die while attempting to make a J and several cats.
Now the BSTs I've had great luck with.
Thanks ALL of you!
And especially MaryLeek for the photos. Now I. too, lnow what to look for!
See MaryLeek, you are already passing it on!!
Best of luck nilly!
Amazing how easy one gets sucked into this madness! LOL
Nilly, you're most welcome. I'm so glad the photos were helpful. One more note and then I'll get out of everyone's hair.
Just have to tell you all about the eggs that have hatched! Those babies are so tiny ... can hardly make them out on the leaf but now I have two of the three eggs hatched and just waiting to see if the third one will hatch. The two tiny cats have already eaten holes in the fresh leaf by this morning. Both climbed onto it from their egg leaves, which were dried up. This will give me nine total cats to feed if all survive. I think I will bring in two or three more eggs as I believe I have enough leaves for up to sixteen by allowing 20 leaves per cat. By limiting to 12 to try and raise, this will allow a little wiggle room for their food in case I can't locate a source for some wild milkweed somewhere.
Also wanted to mention the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia 'Torch'. Someone told me they were a butterfly magnate and they certainly are in my location. The plants are huge (mine are now 6.5 - 7 ft tall) and leaves are rather coarse but the blooms are lovely and the butterflies are on them more than any other plant I have. I may change their location and plant again next year, planting other things in front. They need staking here as we have such heavy rainstorms. The flower stalks are big and thick but hollow. I guess the big leaves catch the rain and wind and down they come if they're not well supported. As you can see, the centers are huge and the butterflies sit for long periods of time, drawing nectar. This bloom must be 4-5 inches across. Next year I hope to have the purple coneflower and if they like it as well, I'll probably discontinue the Tithonia because of it's size, but for now, it's really providing a lot of nectar for these little beauties. I love this new hobby. :-)
Happy gardening and fostering to all.
Mary
