Storing Milkweed Leaves???

[kstraumann]

I am using monarchs to teach my 7th graders in the fall. I am getting a large number of caterpillars right before school starts after labor day, and the milkweek around here (central Minnesota) starts to go downhill about that time. Is it possible to pick milkweed ahead of time and store it to use for food? Are there specific steps that need to be taken, and how long can the leaves be stored? Thanks!

[Mona Miller]

Fresh leaves up to 3 weeks in the frig. Keep them dry and in zip lock bag. I'm talking common milkweed. You can freeze common milkweed leaves Dr. Urquhart said. Just stack them up, take out only what you need for the day and keep the rest frozen. Have you considered planting tropical? You can start some seeds in probably mid July and it will be ready by the time school starts.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/sear ... =asclepias
Order the Silky formula mix. This gives them more protection, too since it is more toxic than common milkweed. I've been planting mine in those large totes or round plastic barrels. I think someone said you might be able to get them as the dollar store. Drill holes in the bottom for drainage. I put in some pine bark mulch to take up room, Sta-Green potting soil with soil moist and fertilizer, then plant the seeds. Keep them watered.

I just raised 168 Monarchs. I'm going to have a big release this Sunday if it doesn't rain at 3 PM at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA.

[Joylin]

What she says its true, I also find that calotropix procea is the best, with one branch of at least 10 leave i can feed 60 cats inone week of the first instars ald 4 days of last instar catts.Put the whole branch with a moist papel towel covered with aluminium paper, this will help mantain the plants leaves moist or simply put them in a water vase and protect the inside of the base by putting paper to it so the catts doent fall inside and die drown. This works so fine for me, even for the asclepias regular ones and curasavica, they even develop roots this way so after muchings of all the leaves you can plant the stem so can have a new plant this way from each cutting. You can buy seed fro jhonnys seeds, and from monach watch so you can help them everytime you buy stuff from them. On both cases seeds germinates so fast, I have from both places, but milkweed cafe has a huge invenventory.

[texas butterfly]

Mona,

How cool? 168!!!

Be sure and take photos!!!!

[kstraumann]

Thanks Mona. I think I will start freezing some then! Should I wash the leaves first, or just freeze them as is?

[Mona Miller]

If you wash them, dry them thoroughly before you freeze them. I would just freeze them, since freezing will kill any pests or diseases.

[Mona Miller]

Mona, How cool? 168!!! Be sure and take photos!!!!

My photographer friend will go with me and she'll take some photos. Just got an email from a friend I know who wants to bring her dad. His wife just passed away and he is very sad.

During my releases, I teach adults and kids how to hold the Monarchs. Monarchs have very strong wings and can take a bit of handling after their wings are dry. Being able to hold a butterfly is an awesome gift.

[kstraumann]

Anyone know how long the leaves can be kept in the freezer? This would be in a chest freezer (deep freeze)

[Mona Miller]

I've say up to 3 months, if it is package correctly. Air is the main culprit for things in the freezer. Why don't you freeze some now to see how it does?

Only common milkweed can be frozen. The tropical doesn't do well. Lay leave flat and freeze them in bunches. I read this somewhere in Dr. Urquhart's book, but just looked and couldn't find it.

[Paul Cherubini]

I know some huge commercial monarch breeders and they have tried every milkweed storage trick in the book. They have found health problems will develop with a substantial percentage of the caterpillars and chrysalids if you feed the caterpillars frozen syriaca or speciosa milkweed or milkweed that has been stored in a refrigerator for more than a few days.

It is still possible to find fresh milkweed in Minnesota in good condition in early & mid September if you look for it along the roadside margins of corn and soybean fields that were mowed in mid-summer. It will have grown back new tender growth. Be sure sure to explore the dirt roadsides as well as the paved roadsides.

[Mona Miller]

Dr. Urquhart said to only take out what you will use that day. Perhaps they didn't do that.

[Paul Cherubini]

I don't know any commercial monarch breeder who has successfully used frozen milkweed to raise strong, healthy monarchs generation after generation. They also have problems if they use milkweed cuttings that were refrigerated for more than 6-12 hours (e.g. a substantial number of chrysalids failing to emerge or emerging with defects).

All the breeding shortcuts (e.g. using frozen milkweed, using artificial diets, using pumpkin, etc.) sound
good and may work to raise one generation of marginally strong and healthy butterflies under certain circumstances, but don't work when rearing multiple generations.

I don't automatically assume any person with a "Dr." in front of their name is competent and credible.

[Mona Miller]

Dr. Urquhart studied monarchs for over 50 years and raised thousands of them.

I've kept milkweed for up to 2 weeks in the frig., I do not wet it. I place it in Ziplock bags without any water.

Perhaps there was something else wrong with the larvae besides the quality of the food.

[kstraumann]

Since I will only be dealing with 1 generation here, I will go ahead and follow the freezing directions. It sounds like Mona knows what she is talking about.

As far as roadside milkweed around here, the farmers religiously mow the ditches on gravel and paved roads as often as they can, so I can't use that as a reliable source of food.

I do have swamp milkweed in my garden, but it won't be enough for an entire class' worth of caterpillars.

Thanks all!!

[Paul Cherubini]

will go ahead and follow the freezing directions.

Yes, it would be a good idea to freeze some now. Then a few days later thaw some of the leaves and try feeding them to monarch caterpillars and see what happens. My guess is you'll end up with slow growing, weak, dehydrated caterpillars that die before going into the chrysalis stage even if you offer them freshly thawed milkweed leaves twice a day. Or the caterpillars will die when attempting to change over into the chrysalis stage. I would be overjoyed if you could prove me wrong as you would have discovered something new. Citizen scientists make important new discoveries all the time so I hope
you find feeding frozen milkweed leaves works well.

[Paul Cherubini]

http://www.monarchlab.umn.edu/mitc/Inse ... PYear=1997

"I found out that the monarch caterpillar did not really seem to like the frozen milkweed as much as the fresh."

http://www.monarchlab.umn.edu/mitc/Inse ... PYear=2003

"In our experiment, I had three different treatments of milkweed. I had two cages of each treatment. I had milkweed leaves, frozen stalks of milkweed, and a fresh stalk of milkweed with a water tube. Everyday I changed the leaves, and the frozen stalks. Every other day I changed the stalk of milkweed. I weighed the caterpillars every three days up to pupation.

The stalk with the water tube was the best because it stayed fresher longer and the caterpillars are able to receive more nutrients from it. This increases their weight gain."

[Mona Miller]

The experiments you have listed are being carried out by school children. I'd recommend to the teacher who posted her need to freeze milkweed to do her own experiment in the fall and perhaps let us know the results.

[kstraumann]

I found two eggs in my garden this morning, so I am going to run a frozen vs. fresh test run so I can get this figured out before school starts. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Mona Miller]

Dr. Urquhart said take out only what you need, defrost feed. Do not use leaves that have been out for too long. Freezer in layers. Don't wash that adds extra water.