This article provides a guide on how to disinfect Monarch Butterfly eggs to protect hatching caterpillars and adult butterflies. The author suggests using an indoor recipe for disinfecting leaves with a bleach solution, which involves 7 1/4 cups of water to 1/4 cup of bleach. The author also mentions that if the adult butterfly left pathogens in the egg, the caterpillar eats them and becomes ill. To prevent this, universities, research facilities, and some farms use bleach to kill Occurrence of Disease (OE) spores and other pathogens in continuous growing regions.
The author advises leaving monarchs in their yard alone, leaving the eggs and caterpillars to nature. They have raised half a million monarchs in the last 15 years, and almost every egg has been disinfected with bleach. In disinfection experiments using different methods, the author uses the Clorox Disinfecting Bleach, which is the easiest way to eliminate spores from leaf surfaces. Oxine (chlorine dioxide) is a better oxidizing agent and is much safer.
The milkweed fed to captive monarchs can be bleached by soaking 15-20 minutes in a Clorox solution, followed by a thorough tap larvae transfer to a clean container with new leaves and cleaning the container with the dead larva with hot soapy water or bleach. Examples of rearing monarchs can be found in the article.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Washing the milk weed leaves : r/MonarchButterfly | I wash the monarch eggs and milkweed leaves with 5% bleach solution. I use the Clorox Disinfecting Bleach. 19 parts water to 1 part bleach, easiest way to make … | reddit.com |
| Disinfect Butterfly Eggs – Monarch or Any Species | Measure out a mixture of 1 part bleach to 19 parts water if your bleach it is regular bleach, about 5.6% sodium hypochlorite. If your bleach is around 8.25% … | butterflyconservationsupplies.com |
📹 Raising Monarchs – OE Parasite Prevention (Help The Monarch Butterfly)
OE is a parasite that harms, deforms, and can even kill Monarch (and Queen) Butterflies. This video shows a method of bleach …
What Kills Monarch Butterfly Eggs?
Monarch butterflies face numerous natural enemies, including predators like spiders, fire ants, birds, and wasps that target their eggs, caterpillars, and adults. While these predators are overt, monarchs also contend with parasites that inhabit their bodies. To mitigate risks, strategic plant placement can reduce predator presence, and avoiding pesticides is crucial as they can harm monarchs at all life stages. Monarch caterpillars and adults sequester toxins called cardenolides from milkweed, making them poisonous to many vertebrates, though invertebrates continue to prey upon them.
Various species, including ants, wasps, and ladybugs, threaten monarch eggs, with cannibalism observed among larger caterpillars consuming smaller ones. Research suggests high mortality rates for monarch eggs and first instars, often due to predation by ants, which can remove substantial quantities of eggs. Insects such as ladybug larvae and lacewing larvae also prey upon monarch eggs. Additionally, there are monarch predators in Mexico, underscoring the widespread threats to these butterflies.
Ultimately, while cannibalism and predation deplete their numbers, monarchs have evolved toxic defenses, which contribute to their survival against many vertebrate predators. Nevertheless, these defenses do not shield them from all forms of predation, making environmental awareness and protection crucial for their conservation.
How Do You Clean Monarch Eggs?
To rear monarch butterflies successfully, start by preparing a wash solution of 1 part bleach to 19 parts water (using regular bleach with about 5. 6% sodium hypochlorite). First, fill a container with water to rinse the eggs at the 60-second mark. Female monarchs typically lay eggs on milkweed; look for them on small milkweed seedlings that appeared during the summer. To disinfect the eggs, fill a container with water, measure the bleach-water ratio (19 tablespoons water to 1 tablespoon bleach or 380ml water to 20ml bleach), and immerse the eggs in the disinfecting solution.
It’s essential to keep the eggs clean and separate while raising them indoors to reduce the risk of disease, such as OE spores. Use ventilated containers lined with newspaper or rubber mats for easy cleanup, and ensure they have exposure to natural light. Daily hydration with a couple of water sprays can keep the eggs healthy. After gathering the eggs, place them in a coffee filter before immersing them in the egg sterilizing solution, allowing for at least 24 hours for proper disinfection. This careful process helps maintain the health of your future monarch caterpillars.
How To Get Rid Of Yellow Eggs On Milkweed?
When encountering monarch eggs near aphids, it's crucial to avoid using spraying methods with alcohol solutions, as they are harmful to the eggs. Instead, employ cotton swabs dipped in isopropyl alcohol to target the aphids directly, making sure not to disturb the eggs or caterpillars. Yellow aphids, also known as oleander aphids, are notorious for damaging milkweed by extracting sap, which can lead to weakened plants.
To manage aphid infestations without harming beneficial monarchs, learn to identify these pests and explore natural control methods, such as waiting for predators, using water sprays, or applying organic options like neem oil.
Effective strategies include manual methods like handpicking or rinsing the plants with water, and introducing beneficial insects like ladybugs. For a DIY solution, mix a small amount of Dawn dish soap with water in a spray bottle and mist infested areas. Manual removal, thorough rinsing, and gentle water sprays can effectively eliminate aphids while safeguarding your milkweed and its inhabitants. Always inspect for monarch eggs and caterpillars before treatment. Overall, maintaining a balanced approach to aphid control ensures the health of milkweed plants and the protection of monarch butterflies.
How To Clean Leaves For Caterpillars?
To prevent caterpillar infestations, it’s essential to disinfect leaves with a bleach solution before feeding them. For indoor use, combine 7¼ cups of water with ¼ cup of Clorox bleach. Another eco-friendly method involves a soap and water solution; dissolve organic liquid soap in warm water and spray this on your plants to deter caterpillars like the Luna moths' diet. Clean equipment and the caterpillar habitat regularly, and when removing caterpillars, use a milkweed leaf to transport them safely.
Neem oil and homemade sprays using garlic, peppermint, sage, and lavender can effectively repel caterpillars. Monitor and eliminate nests created by webworms and tent caterpillars, and regularly prune affected leaves that might conceal pests. Maintaining a clean garden is vital; remove fallen leaves and plant debris to make it less attractive to caterpillars.
Employing multiple strategies is key to effectively controlling caterpillar populations. Disinfect leaves (1 part bleach to 19 parts water recommended) and handle eggs with care. If you encounter infested leaves, especially on leafy greens, remove them promptly and consider preventive measures like crop covers. Diatomaceous earth can also deter pests.
Lastly, cleaning caterpillar droppings is crucial for a healthy environment as they excrete a significant amount. For an additional deterrent, a vinegar-water mixture can repel caterpillars. Regular maintenance and careful monitoring are fundamental to safeguarding your garden from these pests.
How To Get Rid Of Monarch Caterpillars Naturally?
Neem oil sprays effectively control small insect pests, including caterpillars and mites, by suffocating them. This botanical extract, derived from Neem tree seeds, serves as a preventative measure in nurturing monarch butterflies, aiding in avoiding diseases and parasites throughout their life cycle. There are nine natural methods to eliminate caterpillars, featuring homemade sprays and natural repellents. These strategies necessitate a proactive approach, such as distributing eggs in the garden and ensuring the protection of monarch caterpillars from predators.
It’s essential to manage aphids on milkweed without jeopardizing caterpillars residing there; organic solutions exist to address this concern. Removing infested leaves is vital for addressing small fly larvae. Prevention against aphid infestations begins with recognizing potential issues early. Practical solutions include creating garlic and hot pepper sprays or vinegar-based mixtures to combat pests. Spraying techniques must be carefully timed to avoid harming beneficial insects like bees.
Gardening with milkweed is beneficial for monarchs, but care must be taken to avoid unintentional harm. By implementing these strategies, you can foster a healthier environment for caterpillars, ensuring they thrive and develop safely in your garden.
How Do You Bleach Plant Leaves?
To test leaves for starch, first, they are boiled in water to kill them and then treated with sodium hypochlorite solution until fully bleached. After bleaching, the leaves should be washed in running water for 2 to 4 hours to remove any remaining chemicals. Bleaching can make leaves brittle, but bleached ornamental plants can create striking arrangements with dried or dyed flowers. A specific method for ferns involves creating a bleach/water mixture (20% bleach to 80% water) and spraying the leaves laid flat on cardboard or newspaper, allowing them to dry.
An alternative crafting technique is the binding method, where leaves are tied with elastic or twine directly in the field to maintain their shape. For example, bleached ruscus foliage is commonly used in wedding arrangements, showcasing creamy off-white leaves. The bleaching process alters a leaf's color from green to pale or white by removing chlorophyll, which also affects its photosynthesis ability.
Concerns about whitening leaves can arise from over-fertilization, inappropriate sunlight exposure, or watering practices. To clean pots, a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) is recommended, followed by scrubbing and rinsing to avoid salt buildup. For cleaning larger plants, a shower spray can be effective, while smaller plants can be washed in a sink or submerged in water. When using bleach for foliage, make sure to monitor the process and rinse immediately to prevent damage from residual chemicals.
What Is The Survival Rate Of Monarch Butterfly Eggs?
Monarch butterflies face significant challenges in survival, with estimates suggesting that less than 10% of laid eggs reach adulthood, with some researchers believing this figure may be as low as 5%. Female monarchs compensate for this low survival rate by laying between 300 and 500 eggs throughout their lifetimes, although records indicate some females may lay over 1, 000 eggs. The mortality rate during the egg and larval stages can exceed 90%, primarily due to predation, parasitism, disease, and environmental factors.
In a controlled environment, however, the survival rate can increase markedly, with rates reaching between 80% to 95% when proper cleanliness and care are observed. This stark contrast emphasizes the role that predation and competition play in the wild. For instance, studies have shown that up to 90% of monarch eggs may not survive due to various threats.
Further research has demonstrated consistent survivorship rates among different years, observing 664 eggs across various host plants from 2016 to 2018. In 2017, approximately 44. 6% of monitored eggs hatched, with a daily survival rate of 83%. In 2018, the hatch rate increased to 67. 2% with a daily survival rate of 92%.
Given the substantial threats that affect their survival, understanding the factors influencing monarchs is crucial, especially in light of habitat loss and climate change. By adopting vigilant management practices, individuals can significantly improve the survival rates of monarchs compared to their chances in the wild, where the combination of natural predators and environmental stresses severely limits their ability to thrive.
Will Soapy Water Harm Monarch Caterpillars?
Recently, there has been discussion about using Insecticidal Soap on milkweed plants, primarily to tackle aphid infestations. However, this method poses a significant risk to Monarch caterpillars that are in the process of becoming butterflies, as both aphids and caterpillars can be affected by the treatment. Gardeners have found a more gentle approach, utilizing a mixture of two tablespoons of dish soap and a gallon of water to combat aphids effectively while minimizing harm to caterpillars. A strong blast of water can also dislodge aphids without damaging the caterpillars; however, it is crucial to check for Monarch eggs hidden beneath leaves.
While many consider caterpillars pests, they play a vital role as future pollinators. Therefore, it’s important to carefully manage aphid populations without resorting to harsh pesticides that would decimate beneficial insects. Alternatives include using natural predators, applying diatomaceous earth (which can harm caterpillars), or simply removing aphids manually.
It's notable that detergent treatments are known to lethally affect any live insects on infested plants, including caterpillars and their predators. Therefore, while soapy water may provide a more natural solution, it’s essential to be cautious as it can also build up on plants and damage them.
In summary, while chemical alternatives are harmful to butterflies, using mild soapy water with attention to detail will allow garden enthusiasts to manage aphid populations safely, ensuring the protection of Monarch caterpillars as they grow and contribute to the ecosystem.
How Do You Bleach Milkweed Leaves?
To prepare milkweed for captive monarchs, it can be bleached by soaking it for 15-20 minutes in a solution of Clorox (5% sodium hypochlorite) diluted to a ratio of 19 parts water to 1 part bleach. After soaking, the milkweed must be thoroughly rinsed with tap water, ensuring the stalks are fully submerged and gently agitated. Stalks can then be air-dried or blotted with a clean towel. If the sodium hypochlorite concentration exceeds 8. 25%, a stronger dilution of 32 parts water to 1 part bleach is advised, used for 5 minutes. In cases of persistent issues, using hydrogen peroxide before bleach can be beneficial.
Monarch butterflies, known for their remarkable migration from central Mexico to Canada involving four generations, require healthy milkweed plants. Effective fungus treatments for milkweed include neem oil and ensuring adequate spacing for airflow, as well as regular inspection for diseases. Sickly leaves should be promptly removed to maintain plant health. Furthermore, a bleach dilution of 5% sodium hypochlorite is utilized for disinfecting both the milkweed leaves and eggs, with specified ratios for easy mixing. By following these steps and maintaining cleanliness, caregivers can reduce the risk of diseases among monarch populations, ensuring their safe development and migration.
📹 Easily Sterilizing monarch butterfly eggs on stems
Simply sterilizing monarch eggs on stems 5 hours after they’re laid with a 19 parts water to 1 part household bleach trimming the …
Hearing you say that each egg deserves respect, made me feel so seen. I carefully snip each little egg I find on my milkweeds. I dropped a snipping once and I spent a long time hunting for it on the ground until I found it. I was told it’s no big deal. But that’s just not how I see it. I see each egg as a full butterfly needing a chance. It came to my yard. Like the hummingbirds, rabbits, and other critters, it deserves a fair chance and I couldn’t bear knowing my carelessness affected it.
Okay – your articles make me happy and more confident. I am in Mississippi and I have released over 85 monarchs this year. I have lost some to OE… breaks my heart every time. But! You are doing a great job with educating us further. So! Thanks to the chemist in you and also to the tenderhearted monarch protector/educator in you as well.
You are so awesome. I love that you care about each and every egg in your nursery! I am the same way. One thing I think should be mentioned is that euthanasia is not the only option for unreleasable OE-infected adult Monarchs. I keep a separate, isolated habitat for them and spoil them for the duration of their lives. <3 Feeding and spending time with them are rewarding experiences in and of themselves. There is much to learn about adult butterflies, things we never see when we release healthy adults shortly after eclosion. Please consider mentioning this so people know they have another option if they don't want to kill the non-releasable Monarchs. It is more work, and care must be taken to avoid cross-contamination, but if you're a softy like me and don't want to kill otherwise vivacious Monarchs, it's worth it. 🙂
In San Diego: I watched all of your articles several times over which are well done and I can see why you are a teacher! I have stumbled into raising Monarchs and after the heartbreak of loosing a couple to both OE and the dreaded tachnid fly, I decided to follow your instructions to a tee. Even testing with microscope for OE. being g science geek myself I thought it was worth a try for a more successful batch. I started with ~ 30 eggs. I took 16 eggs, disinfected EXACTLY as you instructed. Separated them 8 per (disinfected/rinsed) container. They all hatched in 24 hrs, began to eat freash leaves and poop. By day 2 all 16 are dead!! I don’t know what the variable was here but I will NEVER do that again. I’m so depressed today. I’m finding that I’ve spent hours caring delicately for these creatures but my interference has been the greatest threat to them.
We couldn’t seem to get an egg to hatch. Then I watched your article on bleaching. One day after we did the bleaching as you exactly prescribed.\\, we had to tiny little creatures. We are now bleaching ALL! I ahve watched all of your articles, tthey are full of so much information, wew are perusal them again. We are in NE Florida, Fernandina Beach, 32034!
Aloha-I just watched this article and I will be washing eggs this afternoon here on this rock located in the middle of the ocean. I am so thankful for your detailed explanation of how to clean eggs and leaves too. I fear OE is rampant here in Hawaii. This article lets me prevent OE at the egg stage rather than just test a butterfly that may not be released. Peanut butter jar, coffee filter, rubber band-you are the MacGyver for monarchs. This morning I watched another butterfly try to emerge and die soon after. It is very sad to be a part of that. I will post again when the counted eggs from today turn into butterflies and test free of OE. Mahalo, Valerie
Still the best so-to article and instructional tutorial I have seen on line or anywhere demonstrating and teaching how to use the bleach/water solution, such an important lesson; no one shows so clearly each step and with such solid examples and specifics. You have a way of bringing everyone into this conversation, no matter their age, background, or where they are or how long they have been Monarch enthusiasts and/or gardeners. Period. Thank you so much! I have shared your links as often as I can. No matter where everything lands next year, 2020, we all have learned so very much thanks to you. Blessings.
I’m on my second year of milkweed in the garden & have plenty of sources, so have decided to brave my first eggs & caterpillars this year! I brought in one egg Saturday then realized there were already caterpillars on the same leaf. The first instar did not make it 🙁 but the second instar molted to third instar this morning. And I brought in a second egg. I think that’s good for starters. Your vids are the MOST HELPFUL on the subject that I have encountered. Still need to watch a few more to get the whole process down. THANK YOU!
Hello, thanks for the articles. I live in the treasure coast of Florida and unfortunately I didn’t know about OE until my butterflies were affected. I had 10 eggs and only two survived. The two that survived were kept on my swamp weed from seed. The others ones were on my milkweed from Home Depot. My question is, how do I clean the stalks? I did cut them down a little, but I don’t want to affect anymore butterflies. Thank you for ny help you can give.
You’re articles are really helping me, I am from England but now live in South Florida, I’m am learning about my new area and all its flora and fauna. I’ve learned OE is very prevalent here and I am going to use this technique on all future eggs I find and leaves that I feed to them due to the high rate of OE here. I already have acquired A LOT of caterpillars that appeared out of nowhere from a milkweed that I bought and I have been on a research mission to see how I can do the process of helping the monarch to a high standard. I wasn’t prepared for so many so soon. Moving forward I will be following all of your advise. As for now, fingers crossed for these fat caterpillars.
Hi Rich, I love your articles and have learned so much. I have been raising Monarchs for 4 seasons now. I live in Hartford, WI and this past season I raised and released 369. I found my first egg the end of May but never saw a butterfly until July, so now I concentrate on looking for eggs instead of the butterflies themselves. I also found out that some areas of milkweed had no eggs so I would travel a couple miles to another area and would find many. Once I found about 50 in a couple of hours, that was a very good day. I can’t wait for the end of May to go looking again hoping to release more in 2018.
Hi Rich! This is my first season and your articles have helped me so much! I’m in Houston Tx and experienced OE off the bat with my first butterfly. I researched my tail off and have started bleaching my eggs and milkweed. I have seen my butterflies get SO much healthier. I have followed their progress with a microscope as well. I have developed a method of gathering eggs, and bleaching them off of the leaf so that the bottom can also be cleansed of OE. In my area, even the bottom is too much of a risk not to bleach. 31 healthy Monarchs as of today. I took step by step photos to share with my local group, but I would love to share them with you if you are interested 😊
Just had two more. Science says I will have to revisit my procedures. Maybe I am bleach washing too many leaves at one time. I had already bleached all my equipment, including my clips and tweezers. I never thought this would be an issue in Central NY. I had a run of clear results so I know it can happen!!
Thank you for the informative article! I understand that this is how you clean the leaves, but how do you clean/sanitize the soil after the infected caterpillar poops into the soil?? Does this spread the OE into the soil? I have potted milkweed and am wondering how I clean the soil to prevent OE from spreading into the plant and infecting future cat generations. Thanks!!
Hi Rich: I bleached my eggs for the first time the other night and what has frustrated me is the squares i cut around the eggs became brittle like potato chips. At the end of your article you spoke about cleaning leaves to prevent OE exposure if the parasite is on the plant. I have several potted mw plants and have been rotating them into my pop-ups to help me save time and to preserve the plants as well. How would I cleanse the leaves if I am using a whole potted plant? I am in Churchville, MD. I found 5 caterpillars on June 23, 2017. I released two males and a female. One died from exposure to the T-fly, the other vanished. I now have 24 5th instar, another 40 hatchlings up to 3rd instar and another 40 eggs and it is only July 19th, 2017. Last year we didn’t find our first eggs until August 2nd. This past Saturday I actually witnessed a mating pair fly by my head; that was an exciting experience. I have learned so much from your articles and oftentimes share them with others to help spread the word. Thank you for all you do.
Yaaaay!!! I was going to ask a question about storing the 5% bleach solution, tightly capped, to use over & over…. and I found the answer in these comments and questions under the subject matter of this article!! So, thank you! Additional storage question: In the fridg? Or, not necessary? I’m in the midwestern section of Wisconsin (OKA the Frozen Tundra) But I still choose to sanitize the eggs I find and the leaves I bring home.
Great article and I’ve learned a lot from your articles! I watched another article where a lady said if your bleach is 7.5 to 8.5 use 32 parts water and 1 part bleach. She dunks it up and down and all around in the bleach water for 3 minutes and does the same in only water for 3 minutes and another time in another bowl of water for 3 minutes then lets them dry. My milkweed after doing this gets limp and wilted easily. Am I doing this wrong? Will the baby caterpillars eat the milkweed if it’s droopy? Please help! I appreciate it! Have you made a article on cleaning the leaves only also?
Love your work. Love what you’re doing. BUT did you not just go through all the trouble of sterilizing only to put them back on the same plate????????? You seem very careful about everything so I just wanna point it out since you’re putting in so much effort. I’m raising gulf fritillary/ passion butterflies so I came across your wonderful articles while trying to take preventative measures for NPV. Again, FANTASTIC work. Huge fan of how much effort you’re putting into the cause.
Goodness!! Hahahaha!!! “A penut butter cup of science” lol!!!!! 😂 😂 😂 you are amazing and I can’t wait to get this article out to EVERYONE I can possibly, friends, family, neighbors, nature centers, Facebook groups such as “Monarch Madness of Wisconsin” all whom are currently or would listen and/or would like to get involved in raising… 🌱🥚🐛🦋 You are the #BEST Rich!
This is my first go at raising monarchs. I have loved all your articles. I purchased 3 plants from a nursery and they advertise no pesticides or fertilizer. Much to my surprise I ended up with 17 caterpillars a week after purchase. I have not encountered any issues with them. Currently waiting for the last 4 to emerge. Do I need to worry about this parasite if I’ve had no problems thus far? FYI I am tasing them outside in a pop up tent with a potted plant inside. So I’m not giving them leaves. They just do their thing.
How long can the bleach solution be stored. As a fish keeper, I know many people don’t declorinate the water they add to aquariums, they simply let it sit for 24 hours and let the chlorine off gas. I would assume that a solution you make (although much more concentrated) would only be good for 24 hours to be an effective anti microbial. Yes? No?
Hey rich, good news(I’m in flint) got 29 eggs and cats, been busy as hell. Came home yesterday and found one who managed to get out of enclosure and walked into my garden spider Web in another enclosure, GO FIGURE. Well I’m frantically getting him unwebbed, (he was in star 4) he was “bleeding”, green stains, wet and dry, under him. Took him to sink and rinsed him off, and prayed for for the best. Gave him his own home to see eat would happen. He was walking but kept falling over, looked dead multiple times. Today, 24 hours later. He is eating! This is unheard of. Who knows how many hours he was dealing with that spider who was wrapping him AS I walked in. And he was bit for sure, whole body was covered in his green blood. But he is A L I V E, insane rich. -Brenden
Hello Science Guy, I bought a milkweed plant at a farmstead 6 months ago, and since have become hooked on monarchs. Like obsessed. I’m writing because I live in Southeast Florida, and after a handful of generations of butterflies under my belt, I’ve now learned about OE, how prevalent it is here, what to do about it, etc. Dove deep into your entire article series yesterday (thanks much!) My question for you is: What can I do to sanitize/bleach my plants when there are caterpillars still on them? My plants are all tropical milkweed, potted (not in ground), and so conceivably I could dunk the whole plant in a large bucket, but not with live caterpillars on it (which are in a variety of Instar stages). Do I let nature take it’s course with the existing cats and try to start fresh with the next eggs I find? Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated.
I hope you answer my questions! So I learned of OE shortly after planting tropical milkweed along with damn near every milkweed I could get the seeds from. I live in between zone 7-8, so I don’t know what will happen with the plants. My thoughts are if I cut the tropical back down to the ground every year, when the native milkweed goes dormant, would this allow me the benefit of the tropical variety, and would it be safe for the Monarch? I will do my part to keep it cut down in the native dormant cycle. If you don’t think this will work, my plan B was to grow it in my greenhouse, in pots, let the Monarchs lay and eat. And at the end of the season, collect the seeds, and compost the plant. I know it’s safer, but If I can just cut it down every year, I’d rather do that. Please let me know before it’s too late.
Hey Rich! Your website is amazing and very educating. I`m from Los Angeles and this is my first year of growing monarchs and unfortunately the first batch of 25 died (not my fault I didnt even know about it) after my apartment building was sprayed by and insecticide company. All of the sudden all of them from small to big (5th stage of larva) started throwing up a green liquid and died within couple of days…. I was trying to save them, brought them in, washed them all with water, cut off stems of the leaves from the outdoor plants and held them in the containers… Still all of them died. I collected a new batch of 16 just recently and planning to raise them indoors but I have no idea what to feed them. Would treating leaves with 5% bleach solution help to wash of the rest of the pesticides off my plants? Please help me with the advice. Thank you <3
Wow! Another great and informative article. I’m going to bleach all of eggs and leaves from here on out. I had bleached some leaves in the past and I lost a few cats after feeding them those leaves, but I think it was completely coincidental. If I do this with both the eggs and cats can I forgo testing for OE? Lastly have you heard of anyone having success with the artificial foot you can order for them?
hey rich, all my 30 5th instars made their chrysalis! the other 10 are getting ready to. (5th instar )now. And i wanted to let you know that i have been doing this ever since your original series so thank you. (some info)- i have about 6 more baby cats, in their 1st-2nd instar. i wanted to try the (skeptical) artificial diet with them. I know you had said you ordered it too. The place I got it from was educational science. I wanted to let you and your viewers know, I have had no luck with it. The cats are refusing to eat it. Even my baby 1st instars, which they recommend you start them on the diet at a young age or they may not eat it.. but even my first wont. I dont know if i made it wrong or what, but id like to see how it goes for you. as soon as they eat their egg shell you may need to start them on the diet. though not specified. let me know how it works for you!
Hi Rich, I have two questions which maybe are things I just missed during the articles. First, if I put the eggs through the bleach process them feed them leaves from outside, isn’t it very possible I will introduce the parasite to clean instars? What do I do about that? I read where someone said they put the leaves through the same bleach process but they dried out much quicker. Secondly, where do you put the butterfly that you are testing for OE? Will there be OE on the yarn the chrysalises are hanging from? I guess what I’m basically asking is how do you prevent cross contamination of the newly hatched butterflies? Thanks so much, Dawn
Great article! For what it’s worth, I’ve learned this tip from other Monarch raising groups: after the bleach bath I rinse the leaves and eggs in a jar of tap water with a splash of distilled white vinegar (nothing measured), followed by a rinse in clean tap water. Supposedly the vinegar water immediately neutralizes the bleach (I only rinse for a second or 2), and the tap water rinse afterwards cleans off any residual vinegar. It saves me a lot of time trying to get rid of the bleach, and it instantly gets rid of that slippery feeling bleach leaves behind. Works like a charm, and the caterpillars happily munch on the leaves afterwards. I’ve raised over 150 Monarchs this year and only lost 2 to suspected OE (by being in a rush and not following the strict cleaning regimen).
5%/1min didn’t work for me in California. I tried 10%/1min and that just failed. I’m now trying 10%/5min to see if that will work. Otherwise, I’ve had 100hatches and 2 seriously deformed and 4 that fell and I had to lift up otherwise, they would have been deformed. 95% have OE but all were able to fly. I did release them because I’m in an urban environment where the butterflies will likely be eaten by the birds especially if they’re weak but they just stay around and continue to deposit eggs so I can continue experimenting on the best way to kill OE. I’m hoping the 10%/5min will work and I’ll be able to release OE free monarchs next year.
Oh hey, one more question… about the frass. I used to raise worms for composting and would use their castings as fertilizer for plants in the yard. I was thinking that the monarch frass would act similarly, as fertilizer, reasoning that in nature the frass would drop to the ground as soil amendment for the milkweed plants, so I’ve been tossing the frass back into my milkweed pots, but after perusal your sanitizing article, I’m wondering if this is a bad idea. Any thoughts?
Hello! I have four monarch chrysalis in my current tank and where I live, there’s an actual butterfly club helping the Monarchs! Soon it will be come a actual butterfly rest stop.I have four butterflies and the butterfly club has 10. My question is how do I tell the Queen Butterfly (The leader) about the OE infection?
This is extremely helpful. The one question I have is, should I use a different plate to put the cleaned eggs on so there’s no chance of recontaminating the leaf fragment from the plate that has also held the uncleaned eggs? I know that when some of my caterpillars come out, they eat pieces of the leaf fragment before they move on to the main leaf.
thank you so much for this information! it’s my first year trying this and i’ve already released more than 25 butterflies since april 1st. it’s been incredibl! i am currently raising them to be outside to have the natural elements but contained by a mesh bag around the plant. there was an just oe outbreak on the two potted plants so i euthanized all of the caterpillars & quarantined the rest. for future caterpillars though and on the potted plant, is it a good idea to dunk each leaf into this solution or even spray technique to further prevent the oe? i appreciate your time and yay for butterflies
Hi Rich and thank you for your so informative vids!! My mother and I have raised Monarchs in Michigan for many years without any noticeable infections. However, I am now living in south Florida and am looking into getting the Giant Milkweed plants that down here are rather like large bushes….. my neighbor has hers and beautiful cats come and pupate but the butterflies are deformed and die…. It’s awful as her bushes are loaded with them. Is there a known way to treat the total plant? Any suggestions? I understand that the bleach solution would be toxic to the cats and pupae, isn’t there any way I can treat these plants that never get a deep freeze like up north?
I have an overwhelming amount of caterpillars popping up, at least 80+. I stopped growing milkweed 2 years ago due to rampant death. First year went great then the next year it was devastating. Tachnid flies, OE, I wasn’t smart enough to handle it all so just shut it down. Car accident last year put me out of the garden, milkweed grew, butterflies came, im now stuck w tons of innocent lives. Are you available for troubleshooting help or questions? Is there somewhere I can take these caterpillars since they’ve eaten everything? There are some healthy caterpillars forming chrysalis -healthy hard green to clear n clean after formation. Happy hearty butterfly. I feel horrible to ask but how do I tell which caterpillars are sick so I can euthanize accordingly…thank you in advance for your help.
Could you set up a jar with coffee filter, fill it with the 5% bleach solution, put all your cut out eggs in for 1 minute and then rinse? In my mind, it would speed up the process a bit and ensure that you can find the egg, if it becomes dislodged. (Instead of possibly sticking to the side, as yours did. Thoughts?
Thank you so much for these informative articles. This is my first year of raising monarchs. I have had 20 that I have released, and just recently started having problems with the monarchs in the chrysalis stage. The chrysalis will turn dark and sometimes a monarch will partially emerge and appears to get “stuck” and eventually dies. Othertimes a monarch emerges and appears to still have part of the chrysalis attached to its abdomen. This has happened several times recently. Do you think this is OE. The cats all look healthy and fat. The only problem is once they try to emerge from chrysalis. Thank you so much.
I live in Southern California (Huntington Beach) and our “City” water is heavily treated with chlorine that purifies it since it is shipped in from other states and is added to our “Reclamation Processing Plants. We can’t even use this water for our fish tanks as it will kill the fish!! Any suggestions? I don’t know what the chlorine is that they use, but we use “distilled water” from the grocery store for our fish tanks.
A bit of a nitpicky question, but how strong is the bleach you use? As in, how much sodium hypochlorite is there for the amount of volume in the bleach bottle? (Mine seems to be 4% of the total 1.25L volume or 42g/L). Primarily asking so I know for sure whether i should alter my proportions of bleach from this article. Also, out of curiosity, since OE spore transmission is possible from butterfly to butterfly, does this affect in any way how you handle them? As in, does handling an infected butterfly and then a healthy one ever cause transmission? (I guess this would depend on whether the spores can hang around on your hands). Thanks for all the info!
Hi! I’m in South West Florida. I’m planting milkweed around my house for the monarchs. Is there a way of treating the plants once they are in the soil? I plan on bringing in catepillars to keep the lizzards from getting them . Now I know to treat the leaves I feed them. Could I do the bleach solution in the bed?
I live in Hawaii and have a huge milkweed garden for my butterflies. I am losing them to the Black Death from OE. Is there ANY way I can treat the plants to stop this infestation rather than trying to find and cleanse each egg? Is there ANY way to repel these parasites without cutting down my garden and starting again? They are well known on the island and I feel they will just come back if I get rid of them once. HELP (Kokua!)!
I really need you to answer. I can’t find regular bleach it’s either the no splash kind or the highly concentrated kind. Can you tell me the exact ratio of the chemicals on the bleach you used? I used the concentrated kind and all my cats died. I used the no splash kind and my butterflies still hatched with OE. They have different percentages. I have one that is 4.5% sodium Hypochlorite (no splash and seems to not kill OE) I have 7.5% sodium hypochlorite (killed all my cats) I also have 8.25 sodium hypochlorite which I don’t want to use because it’s even stronger. The internet gives me a range for bleach so I don’t know what’s safe. PLEASE ANSWER!
I love that you made this article. I have a question. Some of my caterpillars have been spitting up lots of green liquid why is this happening? I also have had 6 first and second instar die on me and one third instar started acting like it was having a seizure. What do you think I can do to avoid this from happening? So can I use that same solution for cleaning what I have my caterpillars in?
FYI..I had my second OE positive Monarch yesterday. I have been bleach treating since my first OE case about a month ago. I went back in my notes and I had found two Instars on Milkweed. It’s possible they were already infected. Which brings me to this question. Can 1 caterpillar infect another with OE? How can I test a caterpillar for OE?
Might be a silly question but, is it possible for the caterpillar to already be infected inside of the egg? Also, if you sterilize your eggs and your leaves that you feed them would you need to test the monarchs before release? If I move the eggs from my plants bleach them and the food and keep them in a mesh enclosure on my patio, is it still possible for spores to get on to my eggs/equipment through nature? Sorry to bug your down with questions.
When it’s comes to the night, how many leaves do you usually put in? Ik it depends, but they eat so quickly. I’m finding myself when I wake up in the middle of the night, to leaves almost gone. Then I’m out in the dark picking leaves. Any advice? Most of them at j hanging anyway. But I still have some caterpillars eating
Hi! I just found your articles and they have been a lot of help. I’ve had 6 catterpillars gone to Crysalides and all of them got black and died. I also had 3 catterpillars gone black out of nowhere. I guess I have OE problems. So, question, I want to keep my catterpillars and eggs in the plant, (raise them as naturally as possible) can I use the solution on the plant, with the eggs and some catterpillars in it, using a sprinkler and doing one part at a time? Does the solution harm catterpillars on the leaves? THANKS SO MUCH!
HELLO! Is there a window of time that it stops being ok to bleach solution dip the eggs? Maybe the shell thins or it doesn’t I don’t know, but is it ok if I DON”T see the blackening cat head through the egg to go ahead and dip it? Also as far as dipping plants into a bucket of this solution with plastic around the dirt so it doesn’t fall out and then dipping in water, would that be ok or does this stuff live in the dirt too and it wouldn’t be effective?
I think I did something wrong. None of my eggs hatched. 😭 I literally measured out 1oz of bleach and 19oz of water I actually weighed it to make sure it was exactly correct. Same solution concentration and volume as your article. Also when I rinsed the leaves to feed my current caterpillars, I could not get the smell of bleach off of them. Why isn’t it working for me?
Thanks for the informative articles, for your time and energy on behalf of the Monarchs. I appreciate the time you take to make this info available to us. I’m curious how you arrived at the 5% concentration and time formula? My question comes because I read on the Monarch Joint Venture website a solution of 5% for washing the leaves and 2% for washing the eggs is recommended. Here is a link to the site if it is helpful, if not just disregard please. monarchjointventure.org/resources/faq/bleaching-milkweed-and-eggs
Just had my first emergence of 11 monarchs treated with the 5% bleach solution for 1 min/1min rinse from egg and all milkweed foods and 10 out of 11 still had OE infestation. Wondering if I need to do 10% . So sad. I still have 10 more that will hatch tomorrow. Not sure why the 1 came out clean as it was kept in a control group and all 3 had OE.
Hi great article. Few questions if you don’t mind helping. I bought two milkweed planes from Amazon. One didn’t have any cats but the other had two. They both died in a very early stage. Both plants arrived very healthy looking but in a week they were both shriveled to nothing. In that same week before they quickly died I had ordered two more. One had a small cat on it that also eventually passed the other I put outside for one day and has over 10 eggs on it. I took that plant along with the other and put them on my screen patio to reduce bugs getting to them. Both plants still look very healthy. I want to do this bleach solution in hopes that helps. Do you think oe caused the cats to pass do you think it caused the two plants to die so quickly? What do you recommend I do from here? The eggs are only on one of the two alive plants. Thanks