Inside or Outside Rearing - What is your opinion

[maryeleek]

This is my first year planting for and fostering Butterfly Caterpillars. I have brought them all inside and use big plastic totes with screen tops and the big mesh pop up hampers to house them. We've enjoyed having them inside where we can watch all the happenings.

My son has offered to build me a big butterfly house, which would sit in the shade on the deck. There are some advantages for me in having a big outside house. He will build the floor at a height where I don't have to stoop or bend to watch, clean or feed. It will have a big floor space, a tall interior with a big access door which will allow me to rotate in and out pots of fresh milkweed and window screening which would allow for fresh air. Our summers are generally quite hot and humid. The deck has a permanent shaded area or I could place it where it would get some sun, whichever is best.

I worry about something getting to them if they're outside. As long as the screen is commercial window screen and we have a good seal on wood to wood and wood to screen, should they be safe from wasps, spiders and those flies that damage the little cats? If so, then the only other thing I can think of right now would be ants. We don't have much of a problem but occasionally do see little ants on the deck railing.

He's ready to begin planning for the materials but I ask him to wait until I had some opinions from veteran cat herders.

My thanks once again for all the helpful advice. So far we're having great success. The worst thing we've encountered is a low supply of Milkweed. Just had no idea how much these little guys can put away. Thanks to the kindness of a nice lady, so far we've managed. Next year will see far more milkweed plants in my garden!

Mary

[skates4marty]

Our dining room gets turned over to the monarchs... hmmm... why am I writing in passive voice? Let me start again: I take over the dining room for the monarchs. One advantage to indoor rearing: You can do the early morning/late night cleaning and feeding in your pajamas.

[maryeleek]

Oops, that little item will go into the 'con' column (although, truth be told, I wander all around out back in my PJ's).

Another thing to consider, it might get a bit wet out there when it's raining.

[dandjtaylor]

I rear all of my cats in my shed, but the chrysalis go in my eclosing box (it is small but efective, view it on the Waystation Registry, #2638). It is standard screen stapled to the wood framing and hangs on my stockade fence. Nothing has gotten to them yet.

Dwayne
Waystation #2638
looks like we'll top 750 releases this year with 435 tagged

[Mona Miller]

I rear both inside and out. The flies, spiders, ants still get in no matter what you do, but there are less of them than if you don't have an enclosure. You would have to make sure that you could sterilize it. I keep a fly swatter handy and other than a wasp, I have squished some pretty yucky things with my fingers.

[maryeleek]

I rear all of my cats in my shed, but the chrysalis go in my eclosing box (it is small but efective, view it on the Waystation Registry, #2638). It is standard screen stapled to the wood framing and hangs on my stockade fence. Nothing has gotten to them yet.

Dwayne
Waystation #2638
looks like we'll top 750 releases this year with 435 tagged

Dwayne,

That's a lovely setup and congratulations on a very good year. However, I don't know if I'm yet brave enough to handle/move the chrysalis. What are they attached to before you pin them in your rearing box.

At the end of the season, do you spray the box with a bleach solution or how do you santitize it?

Mary

[maryeleek]

I rear both inside and out. The flies, spiders, ants still get in no matter what you do, but there are less of them than if you don't have an enclosure. You would have to make sure that you could sterilize it. I keep a fly swatter handy and other than a wasp, I have squished some pretty yucky things with my fingers.

Mona, that is a good point, the need to sterilize. If I raised them to a certain point inside, then moved them into an outside house to pupate and eclose, could I go a season without sanitizing the outside house? If I had the chrysalis hanging from the inside top of the outside house, I couldn't spray the surface in there until they were all eclosed and gone. This is where I get nervous, handling the chrysalis.

Mary

[Mona Miller]

I'd buy some of those net containers from educational science so when you go into the room, you don't have to worry about stepping on things. I've posted them somewhere. I also have been purchasing large/medium sized sleeves from a paint company. I'll post info later.

[dandjtaylor]

Mary

As I have mentioned in several posts, the fifth instars go into a clear plastic paint can liner with a paper towel on the bottom and a mesh doylie on the top held by a rubber band. 9 out of 10 "J" to the mesh and I simply cut out the circle in the doylie. 1 out of 10 "J" to the side, which I carefully pull up most of the silk and bunch it into some of the leftover doylie mesh that I keep around, or to the leaves that they feed on. The doylie mesh is easy to bunch into a nice little hanger for the pin to go through.

Everything gets bleached, including the box. But the containers get cleaned every time they are emptied.

[Monarch MaMa]

One more practical thought on having an outside enclosure vs. keeping them inside: if you're up late at nite doing the feeding, cleaning, sorting thing with dozens & dozens of cats, your lighting outside may not be sufficient. I often put the cats to bed at 2am and starlight just wouldn't suffice to find a newborn out of an egg. I kept mine inside, better lighting in the kitchen than anywhere else. They were stored in the dining room under the buffet cabinet in their containers. Perhaps you can keep the 1 & 2 instars inside in containers, then move them outside to big plants when they get larger & easier to manage.

I love this forum - lots of good ideas from everyone!