Home made nectar recipe??

[Wyvern]

I had a late group of eggs this season... and of COURSE the 15 brats would choose to eclose during the hurricane. It looks like they may have to stay indoors for another week before the weather starts to get better as there is the potential for a nor'easter storm this week. Right now I've got dishes set up with sugar water (4 parts water to 1 part sugar), but I am worried that this may not be nutritious enough ? Is there anything I should be adding to the mix to keep them healthy until the weather improves?

[Paul Cherubini]

4:1 is too strong and could result is "ruptured stomach" syndrome. Try 10:1. Sugar water is sufficient nutrition for a few weeks.

*stomach ruptures and leaks causing butterfly to overfeed which in turn causes the abdomen to balloon in size in a fatal way.

[Mona Miller]

I had a late group of eggs this season... and of COURSE the 15 brats would choose to eclose during the hurricane. It looks like they may have to stay indoors for another week before the weather starts to get better as there is the potential for a nor'easter storm this week. Right now I've got dishes set up with sugar water (4 parts water to 1 part sugar), but I am worried that this may not be nutritious enough ? Is there anything I should be adding to the mix to keep them healthy until the weather improves?

I've been following Todd Stouts recipe. He uses a 1:10 ratio of honey to water. If you want to make a small amount. I use 5 tsp of hot water to 1/2 tsp of honey. I use wildflower honey.
http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/carin ... ve-females

http://s964.photobucket.com/albums/ae12 ... ure090.mp4
Video on hand feeding monarchs.

[Paul Cherubini]

honey water will also work, but remember it's much stickier, messier and much more expensive than table sugar. Plus it's hard to rinse / wash off if you spill any.

[Mona Miller]

I use a small cup of luke warm water and dip the butterflies feet and head several times into the water after they eat.

http://s964.photobucket.com/albums/ae12 ... ure118.mp4

[Mona Miller]

I took video of how a Monarch uses that third set of recessed feet to clean their proboscis:

http://s964.photobucket.com/albums/ae12 ... ure088.mp4

[Paul Cherubini]

I took video of how a Monarch uses that third set of recessed feet to clean their proboscis:

I'd say she was drinking traces of liquid off her own body and was not cleaning anything with the third set of recessed feet. Those recessed feet were just moving as they sensed the honey water which caused them to momentarily go into drumming mode. It is routine to see these feet momentarily go into drumming mode when a monarch is placed on a wet towel containing honey water or sugar water.

[Wyvern]

Thank you. I've diluted my mixture down.

They do look cute sitting up at the small ceramic dishes like a puppy sitting at their food dish. I do have some of that fake easter grass stuff in the dishes to help avoid getting their feet wet in the sugar water but still let the probiscis reach down easily to drink.

[Mona Miller]

You can also use gatorade (not the low calorie kind) with a few drops of soy sauce added. 1/3 cup of gatorade to 3-4 drops of soy sauce.

Also, Juicy, Juicy (10% juice solution) with the soy sauce added, too.