Disinfectants

[Wyvern]

Chlorhexidine Gluconate

I've used this stuff for years as a general antiseptic for rinsing/cleaning superficial wounds on myself and mammals/reptiles (or for cleaning/disinfecting their cages) - all safely diluted of course. It's also used as a surgical scrub in hospitals. Basically it is stated that is effective against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (though less effective against gram-negative), fungi, yeasts, molds, and viruses (enveloped).

I am wanting to try to step away from using harsh bleach to clean and disinfect my rearing containers and supplies and looking at trying Chlorhexidine this year.

I'm most familiar with using it safely around reptiles/mammals, but never used it around insects.As a general cleaner for equipment I think it should do the trick without any issues, but I am not sure about its safety as a disinfectant cleaner for milkweed leaves. I'm curious to see if anyone else has ever used Chlorhexidine around monarchs before and know if this would be effective against the known bacteria/virus problems that plague them.