What is your Monarch attition?

This is my 4th batch of raising monarch's this year .This 4 th batch I started with 122 cat's in their 1st or 2nd instar.Those grew and I put 101 cat's in their 3rd and 4th instar out in the butterfly cage.They grew and now there is 72 chrysalalis hanging in the cage.
Now I'm trying to figure if that is about the right attrition rate.Now I realize there are several variblies to consider,age of milkweed fed to cat's,tenderness,moisture,temp,natural enemies of the cats,human mishandling,bacterial and viral. I'm trying to get a feeling of all things being equal is going from 122 cats to 72 chrysalis is average or less than average.
I'd sure like to hear from some of you out there who have raised monarch's and see how you have faired.
Don

This message was edited Jul 11, 2006 5:08 PM

Don KK or Robin will probably be best able to answer that for you

First I must ask, what is attition? Haven't heard the word before and can't seem to find it.

I have never counted or kept track of how many Monarchs I have raised but I have only had a few die. Out of all that I have had I can only remember maybe 2 or 3 not making it.

One didn't make it to a chrysalis, one didn't eclose. Maybe just 2. BUT I've never had as many as you at one time either. Maybe so many adds the transferring of diseases.

The most I remember having at once were 40. I have 8 now, which is unusual since they don't usually come until the Fall. I'm happy tho!

Sorry about the spelling error it's suppose to be attrition.

Ok...lol...my answer still applies. What kind of "set up" do you have raising that many at one time?

Have you seen this tree that "butterflybyrob" uses? Scroll down a little on this link

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/624364/

KK I have over100 milkweed in 1 and 3 gallon pots and when the females start laying fertile eggs I go and collect all the one and two instar cats.I raise them in 4 empty fish tanks on potted milkweed inside.When they grow to atleast the 4th instar or big enough so I can pick them up with my fingers,I put them on the larger pots of milkweed outside in my 6by6by6 cage.There they stay until I'm able to release them a few hours after emerging from their chrysalis.
Robin's bonsai tree is so neat looking.I wonder how she came up with the idea.She's got to be one smart cookie!
Don

Sounds like you've got a plan too! My plan is just to have plenty of milkweed and that usually works out except I don't have any in pots!! Bad plan! Last year I didn't have any problem cutting branches off and having them stay fresh in water but they aren't lasting as long this year. That or I've forgot what I did. I've got until late in the season tho so I'm going to get some going in pots now.

I've got a fish tank too but use a small cage my dad built for me most of the time. It has 3 screen sides and one plexiglass side. The top comes off and there is a little hatch door on the bottom of one side. I got the instructions from a library book. I woud like to make another one but bigger this time. Did you make your own large one?

KK, Yes I threw the cage together.I've got a Handy-man biz,so I'm pretty good doing that sort thing.I've got all the equipment and the materials were pretty cheap.I thinkit took me about 2 days in total to put the whole thing together.I wanted to keep it as light in weight as possible ,so I made it out of 2X2 pine.So I'd be able to move it around by myself.It's big enough to put about 40 or 50 one gallon milkweed pots in it at one time.If I could ever get 40 or 50 that aren't all stripped down to just branches.I do have about 90 in 4 inch pots that are looking nice and lush and in about another few weeks I'll put those into gallon pots. Butterfly's sure do keep a guy from having time to get into any trouble.(lol) ain't it a great hobby!
Don