Torn wing--help please!

[Mom2RJA]

I have a male monarch with a torn upper wing. He emerged yesterday and was out in our 13' x 9' screen tent with our other butterflies from yesterday. When I went out to release them this afternoon, he was fluttering around with his torn wing flapping. He can actually fly pretty well in spite of it.

I watched the Live Monarch video and read their directions. I don't have any contact cement. Is there any other way to fix this? I'm also concerned about gluing on cardboard and making him heavier on that side. It seems to me like some kind of very lightweight tape would be a good solution. I read posts here about using the orange stickers from a tagging kit, but I don't have that either (and I'm not sure what the orange stickers are like). I do have DVD labels and I could easily cut a little piece from one of those.

I'm rushing out to a school event, so I will need to do this surgery when we get home. I'm hoping to find some advice then. Thank you!

[Mona Miller]

This is part of the problem with the screen tent. They bang themselves against the screen and can and do break their wings. The butterflies that fly to Mexico in the fall have stronger, longer wings.

If it isn't too much of a break, you can trim off the wing, but don't trim too much.

[Mom2RJA]

I'm afraid it's too much to cut off. It's about like the one in that video. Mona, do you have any thoughts on repairing it?

[Mona Miller]

The best thing to do is to try to follow the video. I used the orange tags, but you don't have those handy. Perhaps in the future you will order a tagging kit from Monarch Watch.

I guess you read this about my wing fix:
http://www.monarchwatch.org/forums/view ... =23&t=2423

[Mom2RJA]

That's a great story! I hadn't read that one, but I had seen some other references to using the orange tags. Thanks for the link to the photos of your repaired butterfly. I have CD labels (http://www.amazon.com/Memorex-White-Lab ... B00006B80P) that have a little center sticker that doesn't get used that looks just like those. I wonder if I could put one of those on each side of his wing? They are very sticky (they go on a CD or DVD and are meant to never peel off). What do you think? My butterfly's wing is torn in about the same place as yours.

[Mona Miller]

We had to put one half on the top and one half on the bottom. You will need someone to assist you. My friend Tara and I did this together. I cut the label in half and put it along the edge of the wing.

[Mom2RJA]

My husband can help me. The labels I'm thinking of using are circles about 3/4" in diameter. I thought of those because they look like the ones in your photo. But I also have bigger pieces that I could cut to any shape or size. What would you suggest?

Do you put the butterfly in the refrigerator for a few minutes first like it says in the video? Do you use a wire hanger to hold it down? I'm so scared of hurting him!

[Paul Cherubini]

Splice the forewing using a rectangular piece of scotch tape shaped like the forewing monarch tag shown in this photo (fold the tape over the edge of the wing and press): http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2269/1730 ... aeba_z.jpg

[Mom2RJA]

Just regular Scotch tape? Or would it be better to use my CD label stuff? It's stronger and more waterproof than regular tape.

[Mona Miller]

My husband can help me. The labels I'm thinking of using are circles about 3/4" in diameter. I thought of those because they look like the ones in your photo. But I also have bigger pieces that I could cut to any shape or size. What would you suggest?

Do you put the butterfly in the refrigerator for a few minutes first like it says in the video? Do you use a wire hanger to hold it down? I'm so scared of hurting him!

We didn't put the butterfly in the frig, but as you read, it got away. The frig only slows them down briefly. If you can get someone to hold the two wings closed, you can slip the label over the break. I think the label that I used was probably only 1/3 of an inch. You don't want to make that wing too heavy.

I was marking Monarchs one year and used a stiff card and a chip clip. That might work to keep the butterfly stable.
http://s964.photobucket.com/albums/ae12 ... 0Monarchs/

[Mona Miller]

Just regular Scotch tape? Or would it be better to use my CD label stuff? It's stronger and more waterproof than regular tape.

I've never used Scotch tape myself. You do have to think about using something that will adhere to the scales.

[Mona Miller]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah0SBALIc0o
Live Monarch used contact adhesive.

A friend of mine has used super glue, but you have to be careful. I've glue my finger to the wing

[Mom2RJA]

I don't have contact adhesive. I do have super glue, but that is a little scary! I once glued my finger to the super glue tube and we had to drive to the store like that to get the remover. I'd be afraid I'd glue the butterfly to something and that would be awful! Also what would I glue to the wing with the super glue?

I could cut a smaller piece of my CD label material. I think that would be considerably lighter in weight than the cardboard recommended in the video, and I think it would adhere well to the scales. It is a strong adhesive. I could also write my phone number on the label and then maybe I'd find out what becomes of him.

[Paul Cherubini]

Just regular Scotch tape? Or would it be better to use my CD label stuff? It's stronger and more waterproof than regular tape.

Yes you could use that. Gently scrape some scales off with your fingers so the tape will adhere.

[Mona Miller]

I don't have contact adhesive. I do have super glue, but that is a little scary! I once glued my finger to the super glue tube and we had to drive to the store like that to get the remover. I'd be afraid I'd glue the butterfly to something and that would be awful! Also what would I glue to the wing with the super glue?
I could cut a smaller piece of my CD label material. I think that would be considerably lighter in weight than the cardboard recommended in the video, and I think it would adhere well to the scales. It is a strong adhesive. I could also write my phone number on the label and then maybe I'd find out what becomes of him.

Many male Monarchs ended up staying in your yard if you have good sources of host and nectar plants. But, they will fight. They get pretty territorial during the breeding season.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_butterfly ... themselves
"I have successfully repaired butterfly wings by using clear nail polish or nail adhesive. You have to work real careful or you may make the situation worse or even kill the butterfly."

If you feel you need help, there is a butterfly rescue website:
http://butterflyrescue.com/butterflyrescue.htm
There is a MI person. Here in Virginia, my friend Harry Pavulaan does butterfly rescues. He helped a friend of mine with her broken wing problem.

Most people say to follow the Live Monarch video. You can get the contact cement at Home Depot.

[Mona Miller]

I just had an idea and I don't know if it will work. I recently purchased freezer tape (Scotch Brand). This type of tape is made to withstand cold, wet environments.

http://www.scotchbrand.com/wps/portal/3 ... LWTGLXTSbl
"Scotch® Freezer Tape adheres to paper, plastic wrap, and aluminum foil for a tight, moisture-resistant seal. Safe from freezer to microwave. Special low temperature adhesive sticks easily and tightly, even on bulky items.
Ideal for labeling frozen foods.
Holds at -40°F.
Works well on paper, film and foil."

I wouldn't call a Monarch butterfly a bulky item. This might just work.

[Mona Miller]

I just tried it on a dead butterfly. My thoughts are you cannot touch the tape with your hands due to the oils on your hands. Clip a small piece larger enough to set the break and double over, use toothpicks to put it into place. Set the back first and then double it over the wing. Carefully smooth out the tape with the toothpicks. I'll take a picture later.

[Mom2RJA]

It didn't go so well. The label didn't stick to his wing. Then we tried super glue, but too much got on his wing and it was a mess. I ended up sticking a piece of the label over the glue, and that worked, so he now has a label on each side of his wing. But he was really fighting through the whole thing (even though I chilled him a bit first) and his wing looked pretty bad by the time we were done. Also in the time I spent researching what to do, the damage to his wing got significantly worse. I feel really bad about this.

He can fly, but not very well or very far. I don't think he flies well enough to be able to release him. I don't know if there was just too much wing damage or if the labels are weighing him down. I'm not sure what to do with him. I've been feeding him watermelon and he's out in our screen tent. Is there any chance his flying will improve, or does he just need to be a pet for as long as he lasts? Is watermelon enough? Should I put some cut flowers in there too? I currently have lavender, daisies, roses, clematis, lillies, and thistle (unfortunately) blooming in my garden.

I have had many butterflies eagerly feed on the watermelon when I place them on it, but none of them have gone to it on their own, this one included. How often do I need to put him on the watermelon to make sure he gets enough?

[Mona Miller]

At least two times a day, make sure that you hand feed them. Options for feeding can be honey water, juicy, juice (I had a friend keep a butterfly alive for 6 weeks), gatorade (not the low calorie type), sugar water.

http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/carin ... ve-females

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarc ... gFink.html
Hand feeding butterflies.

Repairing wings is a learning process. It's not easy. Sorry, it didn't work out too well this time.

[Mona Miller]

I used toothpicks to place the tape. I figured touching the tape with my hands would add oils that would prevent the tape from adhering.

http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae12 ... e042-1.jpg (top of wing)

http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae12 ... ure041.jpg (bottom of wing)

My thoughts is that when a butterfly does break its wing that it probably should be put into an envelope and put into the frig until the wing can be set. There is no problem with allowing them to stay in the frig for several hours. Put them into the door area, which is a bit warmer. I'd also put the envelope into a plastic container (never know when someone will forget that you have a butterfly in there and it might get crushed).

I'd probably recommend that you use the method on the video by Live Monarch for containment so that the wing can be fixed; otherwise, the butterfly will not remain still enough to put the tape on.

[Mom2RJA]

This story didn't end so well. One of the stakes of out tent came loose, and this butterfly escaped. I searched but couldn't find him until the following day, when it was too late. It was kind of eerie, because I found him at the base of my dog's memorial tree on the anniversary of her death. It was the first time I have had a butterfly die, so it was hard.

I had a second butterfly with the same wing injury. I taped this one, and it looked really good but it was too heavy and he couldn't fly. I kept him inside in a mesh hamper from Ikea (we stopped using the tent after the other incident). He refused to eat in captivity, but he fed really well when I set him on our lavender plants, so I did that every day. After 9 days the tape came loose as he was fluttering around on the lavender. That night, the wing broke off where I had mended it. The next day when I put him out on the lavender, he started fluttering from plant to plant. After a while he began flying as high as about four feet off the ground. Then suddenly he took off and flew across our yard to our neighbor's rose bush, soaring up over our heads. Then he took off again, flying high out toward the street. He turned and came back, directly at my head. I thought he was going to land on me, but just before he got to my head, he veered off and disappeared behind a neighbor's house. It was like he came to say goodbye to me before he left.

I was astonished that he could fly. He had less than half of his top right wing. After the repair broke off, he he flew almost as well as a whole butterfly, well enough that I couldn't catch him or keep up with him enough to keep him in sight.

This morning when I went to release my two butterflies from yesterday, one of them had the same wing injury. This one was never in the tent, only in the Ikea hamper that has housed every butterfly I have ever raised. I have never had one get injured in there. So now what do I do? Should I even attempt to fix the wing? Should I try to mend it with a much smaller piece of tape? Should I cut it off and see if she can fly without it? Should I wait until it tears off on its own? I really don't know what to do. I think my first one might still be alive if I hadn't try to fix him, and my second one wouldn't have had to live in captivity for 9 days. But I worry about releasing a butterfly with less than half a wing.

I'm also wondering why this is happening. I've never seen a wing injury before, but now three in such a short time. I thought it was because of the tent, but this third one was never in the tent. I don't know how this happened. In all three cases the wing was bent before it tore, kind of flapping in a direction it shouldn't flap. Is anyone else seeing this kind of thing happen? The third one I tested for OE and she is clear (I didn't test the first two). I am starting to wonder if something is making their wings weak and if this might be related to why I can't find any eggs or caterpillars.

When I have time to download my camera, I will add photos here.

[Mona Miller]

Did you use the freezer tape? If you did, I only used a very small piece. Also, thank you for letting us know. I had no idea how long it would last or if it would work. But, I figured it was better than gluing my fingers to the butterflies wings.

If the butterflies get too active in the container, when they are ready to be released. They will keep bashing themselves against the containers. It doesn't matter what type of container you have. They are going to break their wings. If you don't want to release right away and you see that they are bashing their wings against the container, then place them into a dark area so that they can calm down. A room that has the blinds closed. A bathroom without any windows. Or in a pinch you can use a large black garbage bag, but don't leave them in direct sunlight in the bag--way too hot.

If the tip of the wing is broken, then that can be trimmed off. Usually if half of the wing is broken, they don't fly very well or not at all.

Butterflies are like kids, when you think you have them figured out, then they do something different. It's a learning process. Figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it the next time is the best way to go.

[Mom2RJA]

Success! I guess the third time is the charm! I used a much smaller piece of tape and repaired my butterfly's wing this morning. I took her to a fabulous garden and released her. She flew out of my hamper and I watched her for about half an hour and she fed and flew from flower to flower. I will post a photo later.

Mona, I did not have the freezer tape. I used a lightweight waterproof 3M medical tape. It's the same one I used on the second injured butterfly (but used too much and it was too heavy). The smaller piece seemed to be perfect.

[Mona Miller]

There's got to be something easier than super glue and contact cement. It takes a bit of experimentation to try to find out what actually works.

Live long and proper little Monarch.