Milkweed Cleaning...

[Catfarm]

Hi All!

I'm very excited to be receiving my first batch of Monarch caterpillars tomorrow! I'm trying to give them a perfect home as I plan to grow them, breed them, and eventually release them.

I pretty much bought all the local nurseries out of their supply of milkweed. I now have 4 very large, healthy plants for my incoming 1st instar cats. My only worry now is about sanitizing the milkweed but keeping the whole plant still alive. Any ideas? Can I spray it with some kind of solution to kill diseases/parasites but not harm the caterpillars or plants? Some insight from an experienced veteran would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[butterflyman]

You don't say what sort of milkweed you have, but it really doesn't matter.

You don't have to do anything to the milkweed - just put it in the ground and let it grow.

After the Monarchs lay their eggs, I usually cut off the branch, put it in a soda can filled with water and then put it in a protected fish tank so no predators can get at it.

[James Price]

Butterflyman is right that you needn't treat milkweed for pests, in fact anything you did to control other insects would almost certainly kill the monarch caterpillars too. And that's the reason for my reply. Anytime you buy milkweed plants from a commercial nursery, wash them thoroughly, drench the soil in the pot repeatedly, and even then wait a couple of weeks before exposing any monarchs to it. I have heard many stories of nursery plants so saturated with chemicals that caterpillars died a miserable death within an hour of touching them. I experienced it myself with American Lady cats. I ran out of their food plant in my garden and bought some at a garden center in desperation. Every caterpillar died wretchedly. However, the pesticides do go away after awhile, and certainly they will be safe by the next season. Alternatively, order plants from an organic grower. There are many online.

[sbannister]

When I bring in leaves for my inside cats I always rinse them well, pat them dry with a clean paper towel and then wipe them gently with those facial tissues that are anti-bacterial. I read that on another forum, and it seems to have kept the bacterial diseases away. It certainly hasn't hurt, as all my cats have made it to adulthood.