Raising Monarch Caterpillars Outside

7 years ago

Aside from the dozens of wild milkweed plants growing in my yard, I planted 2 this spring (same as last yr... 2 tropical milkweeds that the local elementary school science classes started as seeds and then gave away to locals at the farmers market).

Just like last year the plants did great and in no time they were covered in monarch cats of all sizes. I never find the chrysalis' so idk what happens to them. Maybe they get eaten, maybe they're just good hiders... who knows?! I do my best to keep the plants and cats protected but never tried actually raising them.

This year I saw 2 hanging in J shape so I knew where the chrysalis would be. Just as expected there was the bright green chrysalis the next day. The first one to appear must have hatched (or gotten eaten) this morning bc the clear sac is ripped open and empty. The other I'm gona keep a close eye on hoping to catch it hatching.

Right now the plants are not much more then bare stems and the cats are nice and long and fat. Looking around I see a bunch crawling around on the impatiens below. They couldnt be anymore vulnerable down there!

This leads me to the point of this whole post...

How large should an enclosure be for approx 12 cats?
Can I keep the enclosure outdoors in the gazebo, out of direct sunlight and safe from wind and rain?
Can I begin feeding them the wild milkweed from the field behind the house if its a different type of milkweed than they have been eating their whole caterpillar lives? I think its "common milkweed" and they have been eating "tropical" or "deep red" milkweed.

Featured Answer

annabananaflzone9b

7 years ago

Chrissy, get a collapsible net clothes hamper ($14 on Amazon) turn it upside down on a table covered in brown paper or packing paper (no printed newspaper). The cats will crawl up the mesh sides and pupate. You can easily remove the paper to dump the poop and reuse it until it's too soiled. Dump poop once or twice a day.

This photo shows the set-up with fennel and Black swallowtail cats. So for Monarchs just pick leaves and lay them on the paper in the bottom. If you do leaves then you will probably have to feed twice a day due to the leaves drying out.

It's cheap and easy. After all the chrysalides have eclosed then just wash the hamper with water and chlorox spray and reuse. :)

Anna

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

Chrissy- zone6B/7A
Original Author
7 years ago
well I took too long inside and by the time I got back out here most of the cats were long gone. i found about 6 and they're gona thank me later bc I also found this savage beast on the butterfly bush tearing into a moth...

I don't wana hurt the mantis but I also dont want him to eat all the butterflys. I think I'm gona intervene here. ge can live on the other side of the yard where I dont have to watch him make a meal of the pretty bugs
PRO
User
7 years ago
The mantis would have to be relocated much further away than the other side of the yard in order to protect your other insects.
Related Professionals
Bennington Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Coeur d'Alene Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Columbia Landscape Contractors · Springfield Landscape Contractors · Harrisonburg Landscape Contractors · Fort Dodge Landscape Contractors · Galveston Tile and Stone Contractors · Anderson Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Salem Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Modesto Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · New Orleans Landscape Contractors · Glenwood Springs Landscape Contractors · Terre Haute Cabinets & Cabinetry · Williamsburg Cabinets & Cabinetry · Magog Cabinets & Cabinetry
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
7 years ago
When I used to move mantids from my flower gardens to the vegetables, they would fly back the minute I walked away. They are the enemy in my gardens, feeding on bees, butterflies, spiders, and many beneficials.
Chrissy- zone6B/7A
Original Author
7 years ago
FOLLOW UP:
I ended up with 8 caterpillars in what turned out to be a not-so-ideal-but-now-I-know-better children's caterpillar enclosement. I took cuttings of the wild milkweed from out back, washed it well and put in water in the mesh enclosement.

All 8 made their chrysalis and as of today 6 have hatched and been released.

Happy monarchs and happy me! All in all very successful and what was not successful was a lesson for next year.

Thanks for the great advice!
Jason Fleming
6 years ago
Monarch caterpillars can eat any Asclepias species. They can also eat sandvine/bluevine/honeyvine. It's the same species with different common names. There are also some other species they can eat, like Calotropis and Gomphocarpus species. They cannot eat swallowworts or dogbane.

OE may be a problem with an enclosure unless it is sterilized yearly.

The enclosure will have to keep out stink bugs, which will kill monarchs inside a chrysalis.

If you handle pets that have selamectin (Revolution) and similar insecticides on them you can pass the toxic residue to surfaces, plants, and caterpillars. Cats and such brushing against things can pass the residue, too.