Monarchs and Queens

[texas butterfly]

Okay so I am in the Houston, Texas area.

I collected about 50 eggs a few weeks ago and then realized one of my "visitors" laying eggs was a Queen and not a Monarch.

So, here is my approx. cat count:

25 - Monarchs

16 - Queens

So far, a few eggs never hatched. About 3 tiny cats have died. A few are missing in action and don't know if they escaped their little hatcheries, etc....

So far, interesting seeing the difference between the Queens and the Monarch cats.

I haven't had time to see if the Queen is still returning and laying more eggs. Last few days, I haven't found any more eggs, although not much time to do that. I'm noticing more wasps than there were earlier in the season.

We finally got rain for one day!!!!

[Mona Miller]

I think that it a good year for wasp. There are tons of native and non native species flying and eating. I was at the park a couple of days ago pulling weeds and got stung. The wasp like to place their nests under sheltered areas. The sign for the meadow was the perfect place. They nailed me good. Be careful. Seems like the more habitat that one creates, the more predators come to dine.

[texas butterfly]

Well, count is going down....

Have lost a couple of Queens and Monarchs due to illness or either bad milkweed.

Maybe I didn't switch from wet towels to dry towels quick enough.

I believe all are on dry towells now and I'm giving each a little milkweed each day and hoping it doesn't dry up before they eat it all.

My first Queen has gone into J: position. I was afraid 1st queen was sick, but still looked like a good healthy cat, just a little more green juice than I've seen on others.

The Queen went to top of container and hung from top of plastic cup. Looked like white fuzz around mid-belly. Then this morning looks normal, but hanging in J: position.

Just to be safe, I'm keeping cats separate.

[Mona Miller]

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1529&p=7266&hilit=rearing#p7125
These are some of the things I do to raise butterflies. Good luck.

Best to separate when they are leaking green goo. Some of my Monarchs from poisoned milkweed actually made it through the ordeal. But, I had to change the milkweed fast. The problem is that you can't tell it is poisoned until you see what it is doing to the caterpillars.

[texas butterfly]

I had used some leaves from the new milkweed plants since the leaves looked healthy with some of the cats, including the one that is in the J: position and that leaked green stuff.

I'm switching back to getting leaves from my oldest plants first.

Still having problems with some leaves getting brown spots. A couple of the cats that died had been given some leaves with brown spots.

So, maybe that is a brown/red fungus and caused a problem. So, I'll trash the brown leaves from now on and hope that I have enough good leaves to raise the rest of the cats.

My seedlings of 30 plants are only about an inch tall and they won't last long with the hungry cats.

[Mona Miller]

You mean you've never driven down the road with a tub of water in the back of your car looking for milkweed. I have a "Got Milkweed" bumper sticker on the back of my car. I couldn't find them at the Monarch Watch Shop. They used to sell them.

Rules of the Road:

1. Wear boots, you never know when you might step into a very deep ditch or onto a snake.
2. Never, never pull over unless you are sure you have enough room to park safely.
3. Do not collect milkweed from the edge of someone's property without permission. Some people carry shot guns and use them.
4. Take a pair of clippers with you. It makes it so much easier to cut the milkweed. I clip it back half way so that it can grow back for the next time I need milkweed. Also, nice tender leaves for those fall monarchs that are still laying eggs.
5. Add your own milkweed wrangling rule.

[texas butterfly]

LOL..... I like your rules.

Can't think of any more rules off hand.....

Well, take bug spray for mosquitoes....
Wear a hat
Take fresh drinking water, don't drink out of the milkweed water bucket.
Wear gloves

And most important have some fun doing it......

I have a cousin and she collects special grasses along the roadways for her bunnies.

[Mona Miller]

Wearing gloves is important, forgot that one. The milkweed sap makes your hands real sticky and you never know what is lurking on the milkweed plants--spiders, preying mantis (they bite sometimes), assassin bugs (they bite sometimes, too), etc.

I sometimes wonder how I will explain to a cop that I'm just trying to feed my caterpillars.