Another Record Year Brewing....

[dandjtaylor]

So far, I have released a single male monarch. But I have 753 in process! I have never had these numbers before August 8th. Let's hope that the majority of them make it to adulthood!

[Mona Miller]

OMG, my year so far for Monarchs has been a bust. I currently have only 9 Monarch caterpillars caterpillars. But, I raised 105 Zebra, a load of Pipevines, I stopped counting, a few Red Admirals and Promethea moths, plus a few Black Swallowtails so far.

I was out tonight collecting Pipevine leaves and ended up getting stung by a small bumble bee. I guess he had settled down for the night and I grabbed him the wrong way. Ouch!

Congratulations!

[chanceychelsey]

Dwayne,

I don't know how you do it!!!!!

So far I have released 21. I have 12 in chrysalis and I have 22 eggs. I promised myself that I would slow down this year as I really don't have much time for rearing.

The bad news, I have never had so much trouble with tachnid flies before. I have already lost two cats (in "J") to the parasites and had my last chrysalis spewed one out this morning. The odd egg I've missed in the past, I get as a caterpillar, and don't usually have much trouble, but this year is a different story.

Waystation 927
Tottenham, Ontario

[Mona Miller]

How young are you collecting the caterpillars? Supposedly, the 2-4 instars are more susceptible to the flies. Also, it looks like if the caterpillar makes it to 5th, they just might have a chance.

[dandjtaylor]

Most are eggs. I have several fly traps that collect several thousand flies including the tachnids. I am sure that I will lose 10% or more of these but I collect all that I find? Seems as if the females this year are just depositing on every MW they find.

[Mona Miller]

Don't those fly traps stink. I put one up too. I have a small yard. I find that it helps to get rid of the biting flies.

[dandjtaylor]

Yes, the traps are pretty nasty...guess that is why they work...

[dandjtaylor]

Update...! Over 1200 in process...what the heck have I gotten myself into?! I promised the wife I would only do a couple hundred this year. I guess that is out the window. Once I take them, I am responsible for their well-being. I hopeI can keep up with their needs. Wish me luck!

[Mona Miller]

I hope you can too. I was driving around with a tub of water in the car just to find enough milkweed to feed 500 one year.

[blazing star]

Awesome job. I don't know how you do it. You must not sleep.

[Robin L.]

I have yet to see a single Monarch or find any eggs or cats at all this summer near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Things are normally well under-way around here by this time. Not sure why things are so bleak, as I was under the impression that the season had actually started earlier than normal this year. Many of my flowers, as well as my milkweed plants, are already past their prime, and I am afraid I will have nothing to offer them when and if they finally do arrive here.

[Mona Miller]

Cut back your milkweed. Deadhead any flowers that you can to jump start rebloom. Water your plants, I know it is hard. Plant some annuals, they will bloom until frost.

I was out yesterday watering when I noticed a female Monarch who appeared to be very happy to find some nectar of a swamp milkweed which was fried to a crisp. 105 today with heat indexes higher.

Keep cool every one.

[Robin L.]

Mona, should I cut my common milkweed stalks all the way down to the ground or just partway, say above a set of leaf nodes, so that it branches off into new growth at that point?

[Mona Miller]

I usually cut the common milkweed back to about 2 feet near an armpit (leaf node). Someone I know used the armpit term. They probably should have said leafpit.

[alletahg]

We had some very early monarchs this year, then saw nothing for weeks. Finally, a couple of weeks ago we started finding lots and lots of eggs on our own milkweed plants. Still not seeing some of the other butterflies, like tiger swallowtails and black swallowtails at all. I planted some rue in hopes that the giant swallowtails would continue to expand their range and reach us, but so far no luck. I think after our early warmth, we had enough chilly days to set a lot of the butterflies back.

[donnap27]

...a strange year here in Michigan as well. i collected hundreds of eggs in May (way early) .... had good luck with most of them ... now ... i'm struggling to find just a few eggs and an occasional instar along the way .... but it's very hot and dry here ... maybe that has an effect ...

note to 'dandjtaylor' ... i couldn't rear all of them at the time, ... i sent emails out to some friends and found 9 people who had never raised Monarchs before, who helped me out ... and they are now 'hooked' ... might work for you too .... 1500 is a LOT of work !

[Mona Miller]

Our area is burned up. The 100+ degree days without rain is having a negative affect. I rarely see Monarchs. I used to have males setting up a territory in my yard. Not this year. I noted the other day that a male Black Swallowtail had set up territory. I have never seen this before. I've seen Pipevine Swallowtails and Great Spangled Fritillaries set up territories. I have a total of 8 Monarch pupae and 4 caterpillars. They are getting VIP treatment. I am seriously thinking about putting them into my tent to allow them to breed, but will have to test them first.

[dandjtaylor]

I am managing...I have stopped looking for eggs, except for about 20 per day. So the chrysalis are forming and the job becomes a little easier. Now the challenge is to make sure the hundreds that are about to eclose have room to "spread their wings".

Dry and hot here too. Still able to find a few eggs. The male "patroller" is still here, but the females come and go without being seen.

[Paul Cherubini]

Wildly divergent reports from the upper Midwest. Today this bad news report came in from Iowa: The annual mid-July Iowa City, Iowa Butterfly Count was held on Sunday 7/15 and Chris Edwards reported:

"Numbers for most species were extremely low, presumably due to the severe drought and heat we've experienced recently. And he said monarchs were among species w/ numbers significantly below average".

On the other hand, reports from the latitude of approximately Minneapolis northward are favorable and off the charts favorable in the northwestern Great Plains and central and northern Rocky Mountains.

[Sueinma]

Wow, amazing numbers Dwayne! How does this year compare to last year year-to-date? Are any of your babies eclosing yet?

It does seem like a good year for Monarchs in our area so far. This is shaping up to be the best year I've had in 5 years of rearing Monarchs. I've got about 40 cats and pupae in process; and just collected 36 eggs tonight on the small Asclepias curassavica plants! The tropical milkweeds are only about 4-8 inches tall but doing well. Apparently a Monarch mama thought so too. I plan to raise these in the pop up enclosure and will have to start harvesting A. syriaca stalks from the wild to feed them.

Is it possible that the Monarchs have migrated into New England in larger than usual numbers because we have not had such a terrible drought? We had pretty good rain up until about 3 weeks ago, now it is quite dry here.

[Mona Miller]

I am managing...I have stopped looking for eggs, except for about 20 per day. So the chrysalis are forming and the job becomes a little easier. Now the challenge is to make sure the hundreds that are about to eclose have room to "spread their wings".

Dry and hot here too. Still able to find a few eggs. The male "patroller" is still here, but the females come and go without being seen.

I believe that Monarch pattern and return in later generations. Pay back for all your rearing. They are vacationing at your house.

[dandjtaylor]

Interesting theory, Mona. I hope that is the case. So far, so good.

[Mona Miller]

The more I raise and release here, the more show up the next year. I guess word gets out.

[dandjtaylor]

To SUEINMA, I didn't have these numbers until mid August of last year. Unless there is a big slow down, I am on my way to a bigger year than last.

[dandjtaylor]

600th released yesterday. No fatalities, falls, deformed ones now in over 5 days and 500 releases.

[Mona Miller]

Wow! That must be a Guinness Book World Record!

[dandjtaylor]

On only this July 31st, we released number 700 (plus a few more) of 2012. Plenty of growing time left also!

[Sueinma]

Amazing Dwayne! You go!

How do you feed all those cats? Do you collect wild A. syriaca?

I've got 39 4th and 5th instars in the pop up enclosure. Had to hike out to a local meadow yesterday, to collect some A. syriaca stalks, to have enough food to feed these guys. The meadow is in flood plain, so it's fairly moist, and the milkweed is in excellent shape considering the dry spell we had.

[dandjtaylor]

Yes, most of the food this time of year is wild and cleaned. #900 tomorrow. Missed it by 2 today.

[Mona Miller]

This is mind blowingly awesome (had to make up a new word).

[freda]

Update...! Over 1200 in process...what the heck have I gotten myself into?! I promised the wife I would only do a couple hundred this year. I guess that is out the window. Once I take them, I am responsible for their well-being. I hopeI can keep up with their needs. Wish me luck!

I was gasping at reading your first reference to 753 in progress! I'd sure like to see photos of your rearing system...do you have any on this site? With my 250, there were days when it was a 4-hr time commitment so I don't know how you manage your huge numbers. Seriously, I'm REALLY interested in your system.

I'm also really, REALLY interested in what happens when you release those huge numbers: do they hang around, mate in your yard, deposit a new batch of eggs in your milkweed patch? Mine? Poof and they're gone. We released 60 in one day and 30 several other days and haven't seen one since. I've found about a hundred hatching holes that indicate I missed that little window of collecting new eggs, and that's all. Where did the rest of the 250 go to begin their 2nd generation.

[freda]

The bad news, I have never had so much trouble with tachnid flies before. I have already lost two cats (in "J") to the parasites and had my last chrysalis spewed one out this morning. The odd egg I've missed in the past, I get as a caterpillar, and don't usually have much trouble, but this year is a different story.

Waystation 927
Tottenham, Ontario[/quote]

I've had the same inexplicable problem...I typically ONLY collect eggs. If I bring in cats they're so small that I'd wonder how a tachinid fly's egg would stick to them! Yet here they are.

Kenora, ON

[Mona Miller]

There is a fly species that can lay on the milkweed, then the caterpillar consumes the eggs when eating the milkweed.

[freda]

There is a fly species that can lay on the milkweed, then the caterpillar consumes the eggs when eating the milkweed.

Now that's interesting, Mona, thank you..any additional information about it? Will rinsing the leaves prevent that from happening? Whatever it takes, I'll do!

[Mona Miller]

I rinse my leaves off with a brisk setting on my hose nozzle.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/forums/view ... nid#p11421
Here are some website references.

http://www.mlmp.org/Results/Findings/Ob ... m_2007.pdf
Page 313, second paragraph:
"Parasitism of Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) by Lespesia archippivora (Diptera: Tachinidae) The Tachinidae represent the largest taxon of dipteran parasitoids, with approximately 8000 species. All Tachinidae are parasitoids (Feener and Brown, 1997). Most of their hosts are Lepidoptera, although they also parasitize Hymenoptera, Heteroptera,
Coleoptera, Diptera, Dermaptera, Orthoptera and Chilopoda, as well as scorpions and spiders (Eggleton and Belshaw, 1992). The most primitive tachinids lay ‘‘macro-type’’ (0.2–0.9 mm long) eggs on or in the host and have lifetime fecundities ranging from 100 to 400, whereas other species lay from 1000 to over 6000 ‘‘micro-type’’ (0.02–0.2 mm) eggs on foliage; the latter are then consumed by feeding caterpillars (O’Hara, 1985)."

[freda]

I rinse my leaves off with a brisk setting on my hose nozzle.

...without harming the eggs?

[dandjtaylor]

Freda

I'll try to get some Pic's up regarding my setup. But in a nutshell, I have converted a spare bedroom into a "grow room", plants in the winter, 'flies in the summer. 2 fold-up 6-foot tables are the working surfaces. I use 5" x 5" "Glad-style" sandwich containers. A napkin in the bottom. Lid not tight (to allow circulation and prevent moisture build-up). 20 eggs per. 10 1st through 3rd per. 5 3rd and 4th per. 2 5th per.
I change the napkin daily and provide new food also daily.
As soon as I see a "J", I segregate them away from others who might nibble. Chrysalis get pinned on strips of cork in my shed until the eve of eclosing. I then pin them in one of four eclosing enclosures. In the morning, I crack the doors so they can climb out and fly away when ready. Otherwise, they get restless and climb over others that my not be inflated yeet, they fall and...freezer time.

Number 900 came today (913 total for 2012). A few hundres in process still.

[skates4marty]

Update...! Over 1200 in process...

[dandjtaylor]

#976 today. Still going strong. Even saw and photographed only the second Giant Swallowtail in the history of Waystation #2638 today!

[Mona Miller]

The MA leps group has been posting a lot of Giant Swallowtail sightings. Off topic, here:

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgr ... um/masslep

[blazing star]

I'm perplexed how you have time to rear this many. I thought you may have a net over outdoor plants but to have to change/clean containers and pick new leaves, etc. is downright exhausting for your number of cats. I was exhausted when raising 25 in the Spring. Thanks for the hard work.

[Mona Miller]

Right now, in the field that I got the Gas Pipeline company to not mow so early, I am cutting stalks [2' long] of milkweed to feed my caterpillars. I use gallon plastic jugs, wash the milkweed off, retrim the stalk, then put 4-5 of those stems into the jug. I wrap papertowel around and through the stems to prevent caterpillars from getting down into the water. I monitor these containers and carefully
pull up the papertowel to keep adding more water to keep the milkweed alive. It last for several days that way. The milkweed will grow back in the field. I am using Common Milkweed. Matter-of-fact I am also trimming back some of the stalks that are dying back in this same field--this will help them
regenerate (new growth).

I use this size net container with the gallon jug full of milkweed:
http://www.enasco.com/product/SB46624M
You can actually get two jugs in there. I line the bottom with papertowel and wrap that up with the frass so I can keep it clean. It is important to clean up frass every day or every other day. Frass can
cause bacteria infections if you don't clean it up.

http://www.enasco.com/product/SB46623M
I use this outside on my porch to raise other butterflies. Currently, I have Giant, Tiger, Spicebush in these containers under umbrellas on my porch. This size can accommodate a small tree.

I've never raised over 1,000. But, with the setup above, I just raised over 50 without too much trouble.

[blazing star]

Thanks for the info. I think I have a cumbersome process. I have two glass aquariums (used for reptile pets). I have a screened in lid over the top. Daily, I have to pick new leaves, wrap the leave bottoms in wet paper towel and the wrap that with tin foil. I have paper towels on the bottom of each cage and clean that daily, as well. This seem to offer a much better solution is I can put the whole stalk, with the leaves, in there. Do these pop up cages ever collapse?

[dandjtaylor]

The keeping the stalks wet seems a bit laborsome to me. I strip cleaned stalks and put the leaves in 1/2 gallon ziplocs and those go in the crisper drawer. I keep about 6 on hand and go through 1 and 1/2 per day. I limit myself (now) to 20-40 eggs per day. I am now releasing a steady 10-40 adult monarchs every day. I am up to 1068 with still over 400 in process. My biggest year was last at 1055 reached in early October. My system now works very well. I wash all empty container on the weekend in a bleach solution, dry them in the sun and am ready for the next week of changing, feeding, cleaning, sorting and tagging...etc.

[Mona Miller]

I think you need an award, like the actors get the Oscar award for being the best actor.

[dandjtaylor]

Thanks, Mona