While I have spent hours and hours researching monarchs on line, and also purchased numerous books on the topic, most of my knowledge has been the direct result of watching your videos. Thank you for all your hard work. One idea I’ve come up with on my own is to cut the leaf sections bearing an egg into postage stamp sized squares and carefully staple ten or so onto a lightweight piece of cardboard sized to fit into my to go container. The staples prevent leaf curl, I can make notations on the cardboard (Id numbers, find dates, hatch dates, find locations, etc.) near each egg, and the cardboard makes for easy handling of the eggs. When I’m ready to move the egg, I use an Exacto knife to cut out a tiny piece of leaf and then relocate it to a fresh leaf with my needle nose tweezers as you do.
Definitely the easiest to follow and understand. There is a expert scientific guy that will answer questions. Like when I got milkweed blindness. But these videos are the best. Also love the music and the piggies. My pug is helping me with the cats, eggs etc
Found your channel while searching how to care for a butterfly because my dogs trampled over a black swallowtail while playing and broke it's wing... I brought it inside and didn't realize it's a female until she started laying eggs all over the dill and fennel (I actually had a few plants already on hand in my greenhouse!). Now I'm trying to figure out how to raise these guys once they hatch! I have never raised butterflies before, so it's an entirely new experience for me and my kids. Your videos have been helpful!
been watching your vids since this morning and they get better and more informative..the music selections are hilarious man ..primus always contributes to a good time lol
Hello Mr Lund! I know you made this series a few years ago, but I'm watching as a refresher. Today, my husband, myself and 7 yr old daughter actually witnessed a monarch laying eggs on my milkweed plants!!! We stood in the kitchen window, watching her lay eggs on bunch of Mexican and tropical milkweed. I live in Northern Illinois, the Plainfield/Joliet area, and my gardening zone is 5 or 5B, so I had to purchase some tropical and Mexican milkweed from a supplier in Florida while I wait for my common, swamp and snowy to grow large enough. Anyways, I harvested all 15 eggs that I was blessed with. This is my first time actually harvesting and raising from egg, hoping to see black tips on a few days. we usually order painted ladies and this was the first year that we ordered monarch caterpillars that were sent in all different instar stages. Momma monarch laid 3 eggs on the actual milkweed flowers today. I was able to carefully cut or pull the flowers from the plant itself, but any helpful tips ?
Greetings Jessica. So cool that you were able to witness a Monarch laying! And even cooler that your daughter and husband were able to experience that with you, especially your daughter. I always think it's awesome when parents are getting the younger generation involved. This issue with the Monarchs, unfortunately, is not likely to go away soon... I'm not sure if I have tips for your stage of the process that aren't already given in the videos. But, if you have questions along the way, I try to be prompt with replying to comments. Good luck!
MrLundScience I now have a total of 37 eggs that were laid in 2 days. Unfortunately, I don't have enough milkweed to support them all, so I had to order some common milkweed plants from a place.
If you can, I fully recommend contacting that company to find out if pesticides are used on the plants that they sell, and regardless of the answer, I also recommend thoroughly washing the plant off. I receive many comments in the summers, and have read multiple times about people ordering plants and feeding their Monarchs from them, only to have their caterpillars die a few days later. Be cautious.
MrLundScience Yes sir. I have already asked and they do not use pesticides or GMO products, they are all natural. Proceeds from their sales on Etsy actually go to restoring habitats for monarchs. I will rinse the plants very well once they are delivered. Thank you so much for responding to me. We raise 30+ painted ladies every year, but this is our first season raising monarchs. We actually purchased a few caterpillars a few weeks ago, and 2 are about the hatch from the Chyrsalis and the other is 3rd or 4th instar. Now with these 37 eggs, hopefully I'll have my hands full. if it wasn't for this series and your channel, I'd be panicking. Is it possible for the monarch to lay eggs on 2 different days, but consecutively? I'm curious if all of the eggs are from the same monarch or if it might be 2 different ones.
With the help of several grandchildren I have been raising the Monarch and the Eastern Black Swallowtail for 25 yrs. We have a milkweed garden for the monarchs, so we usually start raising them from the egg. For the Swallowtail I raise carrots, dill, parsley, and fennel. We live in NW Ohio (Farming community ) and we have noticed that there are very few butterflies of any kind.. We are seeing more Monarchs the last two yrs. but I have not seen the first B. Swallowtail. I remember when we started doing this and taking a walk thru the garden with our granddaughter and her saying “Well excuse me” because there were so many butterflies that they were flying into our faces. This isn’t happening anymore. Another thing I have noticed is that there are fewer crickets, grasshoppers, earwigs, night crawlers, and etc. They say our bird populations are less also.
I believe it. Animals such as these are the canaries in the coal mine, so to speak. We all have a lot of work to do. Thank you for so many years of commitment to them! Over 25 years, you have been on the front lines of helping the pollinators. Thank you so much!
Have been raising Monarchs for 6 years but still learned a lot from these videos. I live in rural northern Michigan so there is an abundance of milkweed for my hobby. In fact, I just returned from "hunting" bringing home #413 for this season so far. My husband builds houses for my babies out of old cabinets and bath vanities. He cuts out squares of the doors, sides,back and top, replacing the cut out section with fine screen providing ventilation. I use soda cans filled with water to insert plants for food....replacing them as needed.The hole in the can is just the right size for one or two stalks. I keep the "preemies" in sealed boxes for a few days before I put them on the plants with the big boys. My husband also builds a removable roof for each box to keep out the weather.....the caterpillars can attach on the top screen and still be out of the rain.
Wow! There's a whole lot of awesome in that comment! First, thanks for everything you're doing. 413 is an amazing number, and the season isn't even done yet. That's a great impact. And I know from doing around half that number right now, just how much work you must be putting in. So cool. When you say northern Michigan, are you referring to the UP or the LP? If it's the northern part of the LP, I may have been in your neck of the woods in late June. Took a trip to Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City, Petoskey, Traverse City, and Sutton's Bay. Your neck of the woods?
Hi Rich, last year here in Australia we notices some Monarch butterflies around our Swan Plants but no eggs were seen. This year we had another visit from a Monarch over three days, found the eggs, but unfortunately ants feeding of the aphid had also devoured the monarch eggs. We have just has a second visit of the monarchs and have collected the eggs ( 7 at the moment). Your videos have been very helpful in how to raise the eggs, 3 of which have now hatched. I'm looking forward to the next stage in their growth, but I have to look at them through a magnifying glass to see them. Keeping my fingers crossed to be able to raise them to full maturity. Thanks for your inspiration and advice. Cheers Gary
Hi Rich. Even though we still have not seen a single Monarch butterfly, Hubby just found our FIRST EVER EGG! We just re-watched this video. Thanks for giving us the information and tips we need as we embark on this journey. The seven 5th instars we found three days ago seem to be losing interest in eating and spending much of their time exploring the screen roofs of their enclosures. Woo hoo!
Finding an egg for the first time can be so satisfying. I know for many leaves, prior to finding one, I started to be convinced I was doing it wrong, and that I just wasn't going to be able to make it happen. But, they're out there (for now) and if you look, you will find them. Just need to stay determined. Great job!
Ha! That's a cool story. Some have commented that they enjoy the music. Others have said that it made them stop watching the video. The way I see it, if a Primus song is a large enough hurdle to deter someone from rearing Monarchs, perhaps it's for the best. ;-) Thanks for checking them out (all the way through), and having an interest in helping out this animal!
It is amazing how beautiful the chrysalis is, the gold dots an such a beautiful green color. The first one I had I was amazed how beautiful the it was.
And it's also pretty cool that the gold color that is on the Monarch chrysalis is also found on many other species' chrysalides. Check out (Google Search) the chrysalis of the Orange-Spotted Tiger Clearwing Butterfly, and you'll see a pretty breathtaking chrysalis indeed!
You have inspired me to raise monarchs (protect them and propagate), the education has been amazing. I just bought a house and when planning landscaping, I desired to attract butterflies. My favorite nursery suggested (and sold me) milkweed, which has grown like a “weed”, no pun intended. In this process I recognized a monarch caterpillar on my plant and became enamored. Now, I have implanted 6 milkweeds and currently have 5 chrysalides, 8 caterpillars of various stages and 2 black tipped eggs. I have learned so much from your TH-cam videos and am very grateful...I have been inspired and now consider myself a monarch Mama, who will continue to educate and help in any way possible to facilitate the health and prosperity of the monarchs.
Planted my first milkweeds this summer. I remember when I was a kid in Ontario in the 50s and 60s playing with milkweed pods and watching the seeds floating all over. It’s amazing how quickly humans can destroy nature. I commend you on presenting these excellent videos to help us undue the damage done.
ok seriously i LOVE these videos so much. Great information for someone like me who knows nothing about taking care of these guys. Iam about to start this new hobby and your videos have made this seem possible thankyou.
+Xyrius9 A Welcome aboard, and thanks for checking out the videos. My only goal with them is to help make sure when I have kids, there's still monarchs for them to experience!
I found and 'harvested' four eggs. They are in a tent on screened in porch. They are tiny and don't seem to be growing. I'm wondering if they were too small to be harvested? Any thoughts? Thanks for your wonderful videos. I watched them multiple times.You are an inspiration.
Hi if you follow his set of 5 videos you will surely be able to follow and understand the process and stages to come over the 30 days or so before your cats eclose. There are stages and even in-between moments of sometimes 24 hours of stillness and molting that is all part of their growing from instar to the next instar. By now you surely have seen some changes. Hoping that you are able to feed them with the necessary fresh organic native milkweed leaves from the only single plant that sustains them. Isn’t it amazing that within 30 days or so they will eclose, becoming the adult Monarch Butterfly, completing their metamorphosis. Best to you.
I love that Primus never pigeon-holed themselves. They were always fun, even in songs that involved social commentary. They'd masterfully approach such topics with a healthy tongue-in-cheek attitude.
bethebest52 There's more on the way too, and in the meantime, if you like "At Home Science" experiments, be sure to check out "Indy Labs", the new series on this channel starting September 1st!
I am LOVING all your milkweed/monarch videos!!! My parents just went through the process (empty nest syndrome as of this morning!), and so I've been looking for more information. I have learned a TON of information from your videos!! Thank you so much for posting these!!! I've been sharing them with others, as well. And I'm a science teacher, so even though this is not part of my curriculum, it's great info to bring to my students! Also, I really love your music choices! YEAH!
Carrie Hittel Very happy to hear that they are helping. Monarchs and their life cycle aren't exactly in my curriculum either, but the students in my building soon are well aware that I care about these insects. By "waving the flag", students who are further interested have sought me out. Having the videos as a place to direct them towards has helped get many interested in planting milkweed, caring for caterpillars, and then coming back in the fall to let me know how it went for them. AND, since you're a science teacher, I URGE you to check out our "Tungsten Clan" hip hop science videos that are also on my channel. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for your vid!! Super informative! I live in southern CA and I'm raising Gulf Fritillery butterflies to help our area. :D Moving on to Monarchs once I get them established!
Some may find that this video will not load, as it contains a Primus song. Some record companies will not permit videos that use their songs to play on mobile devices. It should work fine on PC's, though. Mike Barnes, I definitely have had eggs that have not hatched. In one case, I knew it probably wouldn't as it seemed a bit misshapen compared to the normal look. A few others (not too often) have turned translucent to show the egg not really "full" and the black tip is actually closer to the bottom of the egg. It happens from time to time. And there was one time where the egg never black tipped, never hatched, and looked just like it had on day one. After two weeks, I had to give up on it.
Thank you! (Some haven't enjoyed the music choices in the vids. I understand and respect that, but I hope they understand, it helped make it more fun for me. "Welcome To This World" felt fitting.)
In the fall I left them in the yard. As it got cold I brought them to shelter. This spring I was going to leave them in the yard but saw a wasp snatch one! Sooo, I started bringing them into the habitat. I discovered that if I put the ends in wet paper towels the leaves stayed fresh. I also put a bottomless bottle over the leaves which preserves moisture and put the setup in a milkweed pot. Works great!
Love your work! I've raised several monarchs with your help. So much fun! But never from egg stage, until today. I found ten eggs this am! In my first five, I Found large and teenie caterpillars and got them to bursting out of their chrysali! First batch, happily 5 out of 5 made it, even one that had opened on a paper towel. Thankfully I was there to let it hang on my finger and dry out properly! Sadly, in my second batch I had found five tiny cats. After grow to proper size, One went into chrysalis while I was sleeping after j hooking the night before. I went to shower and by the time I came back, it was destroyed-still moving, but all liquids at bottom of container. There was another caterpillar staying next to it. I had noticed the night before that that particular caterpillar was very aggressive towards the other caterpillars. Could it have destroyed the chrysalis or do they implode on their own? Any insights to preventing this happening again would be much appreciated! Mo
I always do and I think mr. Lund does as well:-) I am pretty sure most of his videos show holes in the:-) I am pretty sure most of his videos show holes in the lids
Rich Lund, I am a retired primary school teacher and taught mainly science and music here in Canada. Last year my daughter and I released 7 out of 10 monarchs that we raised from eggs. I live in S. Ontario and grow common milkweed plants in my front rock garden. This July I have found and started about 20 eggs and found one small caterpillar on a leaf. thank you thank you thank you thank you. This summer project is very fulfilling and a few of my friends are converted. The rest of the town thinks I am nuts. Thank you for the video about predators. I was wondering why there were ants on the one patch and discovered the aphids so I gave them the not so gentle brush off.
Hey Lorraine! From one science teacher to another, welcome aboard! Hey, where in S. Ontario? I grew up in Port Huron, Michigan, which is a border town with Sarnia. I know Sarnia pretty well, and sometimes friends and I would make the trip to London to slip down some water slides at Wally World. (I hear that place closed...) I appreciate the thanks, but I thank you back ten fold for helping out the Monarchs! The intention of the videos was to equip people with the info they'd need to feel confident that they could do this (and at a low cost or no cost price). So, when people are using them to help this population, believe me, that's all the thanks I need. I just want them to be there for generations to come.
I have been raising caterpillars in utah for the last three summers. I never find more than two or three eggs and a few caterpillars. I take them to our school and put them in as many classrooms as I can. They seem to be cutting down milkweed around farms around here. I am going to grow my own. I wish more people were concerned about these beautiful butterflies! Thank you for these videos!
+Eileen Tew You're definitely welcome, and a larger thank you to those of you out there finding them and using them! We can and are making a difference. Thanks for being a part of the community!
So far what I didn't see was any info on whether you keep the egg on leaf in container indoors or Outdoors. Any particular temperature control needed? I've had one monarch flying around my milkweed and for the very first time ever do to your first video I know what the eggs look like and I found five of them. Plus there is one caterpillar already hatched and and hanging out. So I need to watch the rest of the videos to see how I can help that one as well.
Sounds like you're off and running! I keep the containers indoors. I wouldn't want any direct sunlight hitting them, so as to avoid any greenhouse effect inside of them. The temperature range is pretty vast. I wouldn't let it get in the 50's, but even then, they should be fine. I wouldn't want mine at high 90's either, but they handle that in nature too. The temperature mostly affects the chemistry inside them, and either speeds up or slows down their development. Thanks for checking out these vids, and helping the cause!
I was wondering the same thing - indoors vs outdoors. I don't know if temp is resonsible for my observation, but it seemed to play a role. I kept my first egg indoors (70 degrees) for the first 48 hrs and it was still opaque creamy white on what I thought was day 3. So I kept it in garage overnight (temp high 70s). The egg turned translucent by morning and hatched around 8am. It's possible I didn't notice black head when it was first visible because I couldn't get egg to sit upright for the life of me. But it sure seemed to be less than 24 hrs from blackhead egg to hatch - seemed more like 8 hrs.
Thank you for your exceptional series on raising Monarchs. I am using a screened in front porch which gets full sun in the mornings. I can't find any reference to sun/shade issue. Please advise.
I've kind of jumped off the deep end... here in California apparently we have a huge problem with Tachinid flies. They are horrible. I have not found any way to get rid of them, and the only way I've actually been able to successfully raise them is to get them when they are eggs, and keep them in containers (Like you showed on your videos, so thank you again!) Then I move them into a large mesh container when the are 4th instar. Every single caterpillar that I've brought in from outside has sadly died. Pretty sure the flies cannot get to the eggs. Any suggestions? Do you have any videos on that? Thanks!
What was their death like? Did they shrivel and turn black? Did they emit green fluid and look deflated? I've had a little experience with the green "squish death", I like to call it. In 6 years, maybe four in total have done this. As soon as it happens, I disinfect everything, and try to separate any other caterpillars that were with the dead one from others, and from each other. If one of your caterpillars had this oozing death, that ooze could have the contagion in it, and cause infection to the others. So, first, I make sure no new caterpillars come into contact with any of those exposed caterpillars. Of the exposed caterpillars, some may have contracted the contagion, some may not, so I try with what "to go" containers I have to separate them from each other as much as possible. Say, I have 11 cats in one container that has room to house them all, and one dies from "squish death". Not only do those remaining 10 not ever come into contact with other new ones, I would also try and get them in pairs of two, and place them in 5 containers. This would only be due to not maybe having 10 containers extra, and thus, 5 containers of two cats each isn't ideal, but has worked in the past. In California, you have many challenges Michigan does not. You are correct, Tachinid Flies are a major problem there, and people have asked me how to get rid of them. There isn't a magic bullet, though, that prevents them other than getting them as eggs and raising them in a controlled environment, ie, containers. Also in California is a much higher rate of NPV, which may be what causes the shrivel black death, and the green fluid squish death. It's still tough for me, though, to discern between an NPV caused caterpillar death, and a high OE infection caterpillar death. OE, however, doesn't usually get to high enough infection levels to cause caterpillar death, and more often, would cause death in the chrysalis stage. Still, things may be different in California. I wish you much luck. It sounds tough, for sure, with so many obstacles in your region. If anything, that means as you continue, any Monarchs that do make it likely would not have if it hadn't been for you, so you can take pride in that!
MrLundScience after much research (for the ones who puked up green stuff, not the obvious tachinid) everything points to chemicals! We don't use them at our house, verified plants weren't sprayed where we got them, turns out there is a good chance that after petting my cats who all have flea medication on them, that I transferred the toxin to their leaves! Never happened with 1st to 4th instar but those are mostly handled with tweezers and scissors so contamination was less exposed. Lesson learned! Always, always wash hands before handling leaves or cats!
Thank You; Mr. Lund; for all your good advice; I realized, sometimes, I would see a little black egg, and just thought it was a nat, and killed it...OMG, it was the Butterfly egg, I stopped doing that...thanks, to your Blogs, now I know exactly what to do!! from (EGG to BUTTERFLY)... WELL HERE IS MY STORY:: I Buy the Milkweed plants at LOWES, and always make sure I wash the leaves off first before putting it out in my garden, due to residual of any plant spray chemicals...which will harm the new eggs forming into the Caterpillar's When the Butterflies start laying their eggs on the Milkweed, the small Caterpillars, will start eating all the Milkweed leaves. the small guys have a lot of predators, so the best thing to do, is once I see at least 4 to 5 Cats, I put them in a mesh cage, where they are safe to continue eating until they reach the adult size, which is 5 instars, then they will crawl around and look for a perfect spot to start weaving their Chrysalis..usually the top of the cage...try to keep them out of hot direct sunlight! 🌞🌞within 14 days,...(sometime sooner) they come out, a full size Butterfly...let them hang a while to fully dry those precious wings....when they start flying around, could be 2 to 3 hours, they should be ready to go..I put them on a flowered plant, as they are hungry! and let them eat, and fly away when they are ready!! Its a Great Way To Save Them!! and keep the population going!! 🧚🧚♂🧚♂
I have had some success with raising caterpillars at my house. I have several milkweed plants that the monarchs have laid their eggs on. My downfall is wasps that seem to find them. Still I've been able to see a few caterpillars to their ultimate destination! Thanks for your help!
Kathie Lavine I've tried to find good numbers on it, and the majority of studies I've found (which haven't been many) state that from egg to adult, they have about a 10% chance. There was one study I found that seemed to take the issue a lot more seriously, and stated that the chance was actually a lot closer to 3%. It was a REALLY thorough study that involved areas all over the east of the Rockies U.S. I found it online, and it was a reputable peer reviewed paper, not just some article. This was back when I first started doing this. Now there have been times that people have asked questions or left comments, and I wish I had saved that paper so I can reference it, but now I can't find it again online for the life of me! Worse yet, I don't remember who wrote it, what university, etc. Best I can say, if any of you decide to go hunting for it, I know it was purely about monarch butterflies (and not butterflies in general) and the egg to adult survival rate was stated as 3%. The reason I bring this up, Kathie, is that the number one contributor to that 97% failure rate is already from death at the egg stage. Other insects will gobble the egg like a protein cream puff treasure! Ants, wasps, beetles, or just about anything with the mandibles to do it that stumbles by! It's up to you how much you want to get involved, and just letting nature take its course is perfectly fine. I know from what I do, it's a LONG time commitment! You could, if you're interested, do the "light" version if you wanted and take the eggs in, get them to hatch and eat until, say the 2nd instar (when they start to have stripes and little "nub" feelers on their head) and then release them back onto the plants. I don't know how voracious your wasps are, but this could lead to more of them having a fighting chance without a much work as the "full throttle" care taking. But, either way, the big thank you goes to you just making sure to have milkweed available to them! That's the major, #1 way to help the monarch! Thank you so much for having it available!
Thanks for the quick response! I admire your commitment to these beautiful creatures. I have grown milkweed from seed as well as purchase the plants from the local big box stores. This past weekend I had a few monarchs visit and now I have many eggs and little guys are popping up all over the place. I already know I don't have enough plants to support them! Hoping I can re-home some of them with friends that also grow milkweed. My best odds so far are the plants on the porch. I can keep an eye on them there. I can see this becoming a labor of love. 💘
Kathie Lavine Labor of love, indeed! But I think the payout can come from not only seeing them hatch, but showing the younger generation (should you have kids/neighbors) what efforts conservation sometimes requires.
Indeed. A few times on the stems, I've found them. Mom just has the instinct to touch the abdomen to the plant and lay. Usually that will be a leaf on the underside, but really, once the instinct to lay kicks in, where the abdomen hits is where the egg goes for the most part.
I only want to use narrowleaf milkweed here in Southern California as it is native to my area. The problem is the leaves are too thin to do your trick of placing the small leaf portion with the egg onto a larger leaf underneath because the fresh leaves are so thin. Do you have any other suggestions for that issue?
I wanted to know 1. After you cut the eggs from the leaf, what next? 2. What temperature is recommended as I have a closed in sunroom but am afraid it will be too hot, and 3. what do you use to clean the container once the feces starts, etc. Sorry I am sure you covered it off in the video but the part 2 is not available to me. Thank you so much
A1: I place them on just a plate (or somewhere safe) until they "black tip" and I can see their head through the egg. That lets me know, they'll hatch withing 24 hours or so. At that point, I then place the small leaf part on a fresh leaf so the lil' guy/gal has fresh food when it has emerged. A2: I haven't found temperature to be all that necessary to monitor. Perhaps there is an "ideal" temperature, but it's definitely not necessary from my experience. Monarchs do fine in nature with 60F - 90F, and even outside of that. What is important, though, is allowing for ventilation. I wouldn't seal them in a container in the sun, as that could create a greenhouse amount of heat, which perhaps isn't the best for them. So, if the container has holes for ventilation, just about any reasonable temp should do. A3: So far, just soap and water, but I'll be looking into bleach solutions this summer to help prevent OE parasites (and other parasites).
Your egg closeups, both still and video, are so clear! Do you use a microscope/video camera combination? We're trying to find a cell phone app that will magnify our newly-found egg enough to see the striations. So far we've had no luck, so are not 100% sure what we have is a Monarch egg. Thanks for your care for these amazing creatures and for your informative and clear videos. I wish I had had you for my science teacher! (That would involve some pretty amazing time travel, though.)
Ha ha ha! Okay, get this. So what I used to shoot this was a "Cool Pix" camera (which is NOT high end) and I put a cheap $6 jeweler's eye up to the lens. That's truly all it took. Awkward, but effective for close ups. I still do that these days, but with my more expensive camera. A jeweler's eye and a phone camera can do this too, no problem. Good luck!
Hi Lund, My daughter and I were strolling along a tall grass line field where milkweeds grew, 5 stalks, and she (Jasmin age 7) found one #Monarchbutterflyegg. We went to find a container came back out, and as we grab that one, she spot a second one on the same stalk. So now we have two. But at the time they were both yellowish in color. But that was last night (July 18th 2017 after 7 p.m.) Today we checked it this morning and one of black tipped. So we have a monarch cater' ready to hatch soon. We will be journaling the whole experience. Today is day two... wish us luck!
Fantastic! Your daughter must have good eyes. Good luck with your new ones! Meanwhile, my two ball python eggs had the heads pip out today! You can see them here: twitter.com/MrLundScience So, wish me luck as well!
Holly smokes, I new they can be hatched between three to eight days, and I thought after blacking they I go about 24 hrs. ETA. But this was super fast. The temp must of been just right for it. Luckily the leaves it was on was kept and still fresh (just in case kind of thing). Hatch and we saw it eating its shell at about 1 to 1:30 P.M. on day, calendar, two of finding them. wow cool to know your Pythons are "piping." You're a father all over again!
Hey Cool Panda Man, When faced with questions like this, the answer lies in nature. Monarchs have survived for millions of years, and definitely then, without humans trying the help them. They need our help now, sure, but their bodies still work roughly the same way they did 3 million years ago before humans were on the scene. As they didn't need air conditioners then, they don't need them now. In nature, most Monarchs experience temperatures between 50F and 100F, and they are able to handle those temperatures fine. The higher the temperature, the faster the chemistry in them works, and thus, the faster they grow, but other than that, there's little effect that temperature has on them. Thus, no temperature control is necessary.
Cathy Winters I tried to choose music that goes along with the stage of the monarch. Hatching from the egg, I thought Primus's "Welcome To This World" was fitting!
Great videos! I have a question. I have several milkweed plants in pots I've planted in my backyard for monarchs. I just noticed there are several eggs on the plants. Should I just leave them on the plants or bring the eggs inside and do your hatching and rearing method instead?
Whether you should or not depends upon what your goal is. If your goal is that these Monarchs become healthy, free adults, then the answer lies in whether you can give them a better chance than nature can. Do you have enough milkweed to see them through? If you do, then following the rearing method shown in these videos should be able to up their chances. I'm not sure where you are located, but if you're in a temperate area, the milkweed question this time of the year is an important one. I, in Michigan, would not take them in, as I wouldn't have enough milkweed at this time to even see one of them through. But, if you have found eggs at this time, you likely have milkweed still in your area. An option could be to bring in just one or two and test it out, and see if you can get them to the adult stage. There's just a few variables I don't know enough about in your situation to give a full answer, though. If you were in Michigan like I am, I'd say, likely it's best to leave it in the hands of nature. If you are in a more southern area, such as Georgia or Florida, then with milkweed still around, you could probably do it. I hope that helps!
I have been raising monarch butterflies in New Zealand for the past 2 years. I have a large butterfly house safe from predators and released 1100 monarchs last year. We do not have that large leaf milkweed plant in NZ. What is it? All our swan plants are narrow leafed and soft foliaged.
Greetings Heather! I used to put air holes in the containers just to be safe, and always so small that a new caterpillar would still not be able to fit through them. I no longer do, now, though. I did a quick calculation with safe estimates, and when it comes to oxygen use and content in the air, there's no way they'd run out. You could have 10 caterpillars at the 5th instar (when they'd use the most oxygen) and you still wouldn't run out for a couple of days. Now, I never have 10 in those containers, and they're never in there past 5th instar, and since I open my containers and get them fresh air at least twice a day, I know that there's no reason to poke the holes in the lids anymore. One more thing, though...some people mist their leaves with moisture. I do not. It's not needed, and as long as the leaves are fresh, the caterpillar will get all the hydration it needs from eating the leaves. But, as some do mist, if their containers are not ventilated, this makes it much more humid, and mold is much more likely to grow. So, to avoid this, I'd just make sure to stick with fresh leaves, and not mist. Good luck!
I have all comments set so that they must be approved first. I originally set things up that way because I'm a high school teacher, and I didn't want someone dropping f-bombs on my vids. Right? That hasn't really been ever a problem. But what it also conveniently does is cause all new comments to go into a section where they wait for approval. This makes it so that I see when new comments on anything comes in, and I then can reply to them, especially questions. Doesn't mean I'm able to get to them each day. It can take a few days, for sure. But when questions are asked, I definitely get to them. If people are taking both the time to watch the videos, and more importantly, the time to care for the Monarchs, I feel I owe them the respect of a proper response. And thank YOU for doing what you can to help them!
so I have no access to LARGE milkweed so Only have the small leaf and have a hard time stopping it from curling over the eggs when I cut them from the leaf.
I live in Houston, Texas. Have 50 plants in my yard in three different spots. Red wasps come along and eat most of the eggs, and caterpillars. All my friends have the same problem. Thankfully, a few guys live through the constant fly-bys from the wasps. I have been collecting the caterpillars, housing them in terrariums, feed, water, and have done quite well in successful releasing butterflies. Recommendations for getting rid of the wasps? I have traps everywhere, mostly capture cockroaches.....am diligent in organically killing wasp nests under the eaves of our house, or wherever I find them. But, trying to provide safe haven for bees and hummingbirds also. Help!
Greetings Susan! You aren't alone in asking for help with other insect pests. Each pest species is different, and it's tough to find a way to keep them off the plants without at the same time, preventing females who may want to lay eggs to also not be cut off from the plants (and thus, what's the point, right?). The best suggestion I have for you would indeed require more time, but is quite effective: Do what I do. Once there's an egg on the leaf, cut out a small square of leaf that the egg is on, wait for the egg to black tip, and then once it does, place it in a container with a fresh leaf for the soon to emerge cat to munch on. Many seem to have issues with predators who wish to munch an egg or young cat for a quick shot of protein, but my system causes this issue to be completely absent. It requires more time, yes, but if you are looking for a solution, it is right there waiting for you. To save some time in this, an option could also be to have some milkweed that you do create some sort of mesh tent around in your yard, and once the cats have hatched, transfer them to these plants. While female monarchs won't have a chance to lay the eggs, you will have ensured that they have hatched, and will be protecting new cats from predators without having to daily check on leaves and add fresh ones to containers. I've never done this, but it could work, and save time. However, you'd have to have a good crop of milkweed already in place to do this. Whatever your choice is in this, your efforts are certainly appreciated! Keep it up!
FYI I had a monarch lay several eggs on the flower petals of my milkweed (tuberosa). I was told (by a lady who raises hundreds of monarchs and other varieties) to put just the petal in my container. Well, obviously, the petal curled up. The eggs all hatched but the petal being so curled made it impossible for the cats to eat their shell. The cats seem ok but they didn’t get the benefits of the nutrition on their shell. I leave the egg on the full leaf set on a damp paper towel and the cut part of the stem has wet towel covering it
I have some tropical milkweed potted. There’s around a dozen and a half three foot tall stalks. Should I cultivate the eggs/caterpillars/chrysalis as your videos show? Or just let them be on the potted milkweed?
Hey Jeremy. I'm not sure how to answer this because of the word "should". That depends upon what your goal is. It is something you could choose to do. It's something that you don't have to do. It's up to you. The question to ask is, would they have a better chance if you are doing what I'm doing? If they are currently on potted plants, but those potted plants are exposed to nature (wasps, ants, tachinid flies) then taking them into controlled environments will give them a better chance in theory, as those predators and parasites won't have access to them. I hope that helps!
MrLundScience The concern is that, since I have no known sources of Milkweed other than the potted Milkweed that I have, your method, which has Milkweed leaves die after a couple days, will expend the supply of Milkweed leaves that I have. If I put them on the potted Milkweed after the first or second stage of their caterpillar growth, they’re less likely to run out of food.
What do you use that enables you to see them so clearly. The magnifying glass that I have doesn't get this clear. Also, is this real time or is the video sped up?
I don't really. The holes were there from the to-go food items the containers originally were for. Sometimes, I use some containers that don't have holes. As long as the containers are being opened twice daily (which they at the very least should be), there's plenty of oxygen and moisture (which leads to mold) has not been a problem.
They can, for sure. However, those who take them in choose to do so to give them a better chance. Nature is *brutal* to caterpillars. They face disease, parasites, and predators. The survival rate of a Monarch egg making it to the adult stage is somewhere between 3% and 10%, depending upon what studies you consult. If someone can rear them with a higher success rate than that, they are allowing more Monarchs to make it to that adult stage, and increasing the population for that year.
It's tough to 100% answer that, as it depends upon how large of a milkweed plant we're talking about. I have heard people estimate that two Monarch caterpillars can eat through one entire Common Milkweed plant, but I can't say that I know that for sure...just heard it.
I don't know how often you check comments on older videos, but I'm new to all of this. I've released one monarch so far, have one chrysalis, and one fatty that should J hang any day now (he's eating me out of house and home!! LOL). Yesterday, I found my first eggs. By the end of the day, three had hatched (I actually got to video one of them!). This morning, all three look kind of dark to me. Like, dusky. I don't know if that's normal or not. I'm in a FB group where I posted pictures and am waiting for responses. The MW I took the eggs from is MW I've fed to my other cats, so I know it isn't contaminated with pesticides, but I worry about OE. Can newborn caterpillars look a little darker and it be normal? Thanks for your series- it's so informative and so helpful!
They can look a bit dark sometimes, yes. There's variation within the species. I suppose I'd have to see photos to be able to advise further, but for the most part, if the behavior is normal, I wouldn't be concerned. Good luck! As for comments on older videos, I have my comments on all videos set up to have to be approved first. I originally did this just because I'm a teacher, and students watch some of my videos, so I didn't want f-bombs being dropped (good or bad) or other forms of questionable language there for them to find. I think I was being over cautious. But what this has resulted in, which I didn't expect, is that this is a convenient way to see all new comments, regardless of the age of the video. They all wait for me in the order that they were left in my "Held For Review" section. So this means, if a comment is left, I'll see it, and if questions are asked, I'll do my best to answer them. Ever forward!
Greetings Che! I'm very sorry that you are unable to see this vid. It won't play on mobile devices, but should play fine on a personal computer or laptop. Back when I made these first 5, I didn't totally understand TH-cam and what all the specific rules were. In Parts 1 - 5, I added music that I obviously do not own nor have the rights to. Most record companies don't seem to care about that. Their deal with TH-cam is that the music can be used, but if so, ads go on the video, and the record company gets that revenue (which I'm fine with, of course). Other record companies, however, don't want the video played if it's a mobile device for some reason and I haven't really found officially what the logic is behind that. Still, that is their right, and if I had known that in the past, I would have not used corporate music. (I don't use other people's music on the videos I make these days to avoid that.) As for re-issuing it, that's not really a possibility at this point. I never kept the old footage/files. So, Parts 1 - 5 will have to be as is. If you have any questions, though, feel free to ask, and I'm happy to help along the way.
I have been raising monarch caterpillars for five years now and last year, the landscapers cut down all the milkweed! I was so upset but I went somewhere new and found an egg and 4 caterpillars, all five were released into the wilds of Oklahoma. Do you know whereI can get milkweed seeds for next year?
Monarchwatch.org has a milkweed distribution program where they will hook you up with seeds endemic (native) to your region. The cost is minimal and mostly just for mailing them to you. As for your cut down milkweed, don't give up on 'em yet. The root system isn't likely dead, and could very well spring back some new stalks before the season is over.
I'm not 100% sure that I'm thinking of the same thing you're thinking of when you say "larva sack". My understanding of a larva sack would be when insects (or other animals that lay eggs and have various life stages) lay eggs, but those eggs are within a type of housing sack. The eggs hatch, and out come the larvae, and eventually, either immediately or after more development, the larvae burst out of the sack. If that's the case, no, Monarchs do not make such a thing. Monarchs lay one egg at a time, and while they may occasionally lay ten or twenty eggs on a plant instead of just one, the eggs are still laid one at a time, in one location at a time.
Hey, I raise monarch caterpillars and have had the problem of cannibal caterpillars...we had a group of cats together a few days after they hatched and one decided to eat half of the others...
Huh. That's a vicious one. Based upon how you described it, it sounds like they were all of the same developmental stage. I keep those that are two instars away from each other...away from each other. Mostly just to avoid accidental cannibalism. Once a caterpillar gets munching on the leaves, it just goes for it, and if a much smaller caterpillar is in the way, it can get gobbled up, or sometimes just harmed. I haven't encountered Monarchs of the same instars harming each other, though. This is the first time, but I'd certainly see it as a possibility. It is, after all, protein. Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "There is no beast without cruelty." I think that might apply here. Sorry to hear that this happened.
No apology necessary! If anything, I shouldn't have put the Primus song in there so as not to prevent it from being played on mobile devices. Back then, though, I didn't understand TH-cam as well as I do now.
These milkweed leaves are from adult plants of Asclepias syriaca, the "Common Milkweed" species. These were leaves I found on naturally growing plants in my area. Nature did this, not I.
URGENT HELP: I found a monarch egg and it black tipped this morning and just hatched but is not crawling off the old leaf onto the fresh leaf. How long does it take? What should I do? Thanks
They sometimes do that for a while. Can be a few hours, usually. They chew the egg shell...rest...nap... They're brand new to the world, and while some are adventurous and leave shortly after hatching, some wait until they feel comfortable to do so. No need for concern.
Hi I've messaged you before I do a lot of work with monarchs in my area, at least as much as I can. Last year I released 40-some monarchs! :-) this year however, I've only found 4 eggs no matter where I look or how hard I try :-(. And only two of those have survived they are both in their Chrysalis right now. Have you had any luck on your side of michigan? I really hope you have because I'm in tears with how much worry I'm having over the low numbers I'm finding this year. If you could please let me know I would really appreciate it. I'm hoping you're having better luck than me.
They both flew away happy one male one female:-) however I am still looking to find even one more egg! Can't find them in my garden on my milkweed or in the wild in the ditches or the parks:-( I don't know what's going on
I use this for my caterpillars! 1. Get a clear spritzer bottle 2. fill the spritzer bottle with water 3. when the caterpillar container seems dry spray some water in the container so the caterpillars won't dehydrate but don't spray too much water or they might drown. But like I said before it works I use them for my caterpillars. :D Oh and I almost Forgot! if you wanna spray some water on the caterpillars I think it would be better for the 3rd instar caterpillars because the 1st and 2nd instar caterpillars are fragile.
I'm curious as to why you are spraying your caterpillars. It isn't too bad of a problem if there's not too much water being used. However, I don't do this as part of my process. If caterpillars are eating fresh milkweed, they will get all of the hydration they need from the leaves. Spraying water can help bacterial growth, though, especially if there is caterpillar frass (which means, caterpillar poo) in the container. Where did the idea of spraying them with water come from? Just curious. Again, it doesn't necessarily cause a problem. It's just something I know I didn't recommend in the videos I made, and would like to check out any source that recommended this that you found.
Sorry that I didn't see this until now, but, I'm curious as to if this solved itself. I had two people tell me this year (first time ever) that they witnessed the proboscis not fuse for over 24 hours, but it eventually did. I never thought that was possible. Has the proboscis situation you've experienced corrected itself? If not, I'm sorry, but I don't know of any option to help this issue. If it can straighten it out, it can still feed, so it might still be able to be successful.
Depends upon how you define "best" and what you're hoping to see. For shooting the video, and getting the closeness that I was able too, I didn't use any fancy camera zoom. All I had was a small Coolpix camera, and I used a jeweler's eye type magnifying lens and put it up to the camera's eye. My jeweler's eye is often what I use if I need (or want) to see detail on small things, but don't want to or need to bust out the microscope. As for the actual power of magnification, it's tough to say, as the jeweler's eye isn't labeled. That number rubbed off years ago!
Hi, I have been raising caterpillars for 3 years and never had this issue until this year. I have gathered eggs and they started hatching, but that day or that night the baby caterpillar dies. This happened all ready 3 times out of the 4 eggs. Do you have any idea why this is happening.
Very sorry to hear that. Without more information, it's not really something to easily do the forensics on. I have had some here and there do this. Pretty low percentage. Like, less than 1%. Still, it does happen, and if only dealing with 4, it could certainly happen by chance to 3. Don't give up! See what others do this season.
I do... I have been doing this for going on ten years now. Although admittedly in microscopically small numbers until I found Mr Lund and his information. I think he puts holes in his containers as well from what I've seen in his videos. But I definitely do and always have nots for the eggs necessarily I just leave the lid propped open a little but once they have hatched I figure they need to breathe. 😂
While I have spent hours and hours researching monarchs on line, and also purchased numerous books on the topic, most of my knowledge has been the direct result of watching your videos. Thank you for all your hard work. One idea I’ve come up with on my own is to cut the leaf sections bearing an egg into postage stamp sized squares and carefully staple ten or so onto a lightweight piece of cardboard sized to fit into my to go container. The staples prevent leaf curl, I can make notations on the cardboard (Id numbers, find dates, hatch dates, find locations, etc.) near each egg, and the cardboard makes for easy handling of the eggs. When I’m ready to move the egg, I use an Exacto knife to cut out a tiny piece of leaf and then relocate it to a fresh leaf with my needle nose tweezers as you do.
Definitely the easiest to follow and understand. There is a expert scientific guy that will answer questions. Like when I got milkweed blindness. But these videos are the best. Also love the music and the piggies. My pug is helping me with the cats, eggs etc
Found your channel while searching how to care for a butterfly because my dogs trampled over a black swallowtail while playing and broke it's wing... I brought it inside and didn't realize it's a female until she started laying eggs all over the dill and fennel (I actually had a few plants already on hand in my greenhouse!). Now I'm trying to figure out how to raise these guys once they hatch! I have never raised butterflies before, so it's an entirely new experience for me and my kids. Your videos have been helpful!
Those little "test tubes" that florists have are great for sticking leaf cuttings into. You are a gem of a human being, sir. Bless your heart.
been watching your vids since this morning and they get better and more informative..the music selections are hilarious man ..primus always contributes to a good time lol
Hello Mr Lund!
I know you made this series a few years ago, but I'm watching as a refresher. Today, my husband, myself and 7 yr old daughter actually witnessed a monarch laying eggs on my milkweed plants!!! We stood in the kitchen window, watching her lay eggs on bunch of Mexican and tropical milkweed. I live in Northern Illinois, the Plainfield/Joliet area, and my gardening zone is 5 or 5B, so I had to purchase some tropical and Mexican milkweed from a supplier in Florida while I wait for my common, swamp and snowy to grow large enough. Anyways, I harvested all 15 eggs that I was blessed with. This is my first time actually harvesting and raising from egg, hoping to see black tips on a few days. we usually order painted ladies and this was the first year that we ordered monarch caterpillars that were sent in all different instar stages.
Momma monarch laid 3 eggs on the actual milkweed flowers today. I was able to carefully cut or pull the flowers from the plant itself, but any helpful tips ?
Greetings Jessica. So cool that you were able to witness a Monarch laying! And even cooler that your daughter and husband were able to experience that with you, especially your daughter. I always think it's awesome when parents are getting the younger generation involved. This issue with the Monarchs, unfortunately, is not likely to go away soon...
I'm not sure if I have tips for your stage of the process that aren't already given in the videos. But, if you have questions along the way, I try to be prompt with replying to comments. Good luck!
MrLundScience I now have a total of 37 eggs that were laid in 2 days. Unfortunately, I don't have enough milkweed to support them all, so I had to order some common milkweed plants from a place.
If you can, I fully recommend contacting that company to find out if pesticides are used on the plants that they sell, and regardless of the answer, I also recommend thoroughly washing the plant off. I receive many comments in the summers, and have read multiple times about people ordering plants and feeding their Monarchs from them, only to have their caterpillars die a few days later. Be cautious.
MrLundScience Yes sir. I have already asked and they do not use pesticides or GMO products, they are all natural. Proceeds from their sales on Etsy actually go to restoring habitats for monarchs. I will rinse the plants very well once they are delivered. Thank you so much for responding to me. We raise 30+ painted ladies every year, but this is our first season raising monarchs. We actually purchased a few caterpillars a few weeks ago, and 2 are about the hatch from the Chyrsalis and the other is 3rd or 4th instar. Now with these 37 eggs, hopefully I'll have my hands full. if it wasn't for this series and your channel, I'd be panicking.
Is it possible for the monarch to lay eggs on 2 different days, but consecutively? I'm curious if all of the eggs are from the same monarch or if it might be 2 different ones.
That's what the videos are there for, and that's what I'm here for. Any help we can bring the species is appreciated!
With the help of several grandchildren I have been raising the Monarch and the Eastern Black Swallowtail for 25 yrs. We have a milkweed garden for the monarchs, so we usually start raising them from the egg. For the Swallowtail I raise carrots, dill, parsley, and fennel. We live in NW Ohio (Farming community ) and we have noticed that there are very few butterflies of any kind.. We are seeing more Monarchs the last two yrs. but I have not seen the first B. Swallowtail. I remember when we started doing this and taking a walk thru the garden with our granddaughter and her saying “Well excuse me” because there were so many butterflies that they were flying into our faces. This isn’t happening anymore. Another thing I have noticed is that there are fewer crickets, grasshoppers, earwigs, night crawlers, and etc. They say our bird populations are less also.
I believe it. Animals such as these are the canaries in the coal mine, so to speak. We all have a lot of work to do.
Thank you for so many years of commitment to them! Over 25 years, you have been on the front lines of helping the pollinators. Thank you so much!
I live in NW Ohio too! I love that you do this! ❤
Your videos are great. Everyone needs a science teacher like you!
Have been raising Monarchs for 6 years but still learned a lot from these videos. I live in rural northern Michigan so there is an abundance of milkweed for my hobby. In fact, I just returned from "hunting" bringing home #413 for this season so far. My husband builds houses for my babies out of old cabinets and bath vanities. He cuts out squares of the doors, sides,back and top, replacing the cut out section with fine screen providing ventilation. I use soda cans filled with water to insert plants for food....replacing them as needed.The hole in the can is just the right size for one or two stalks. I keep the "preemies" in sealed boxes for a few days before I put them on the plants with the big boys. My husband also builds a removable roof for each box to keep out the weather.....the caterpillars can attach on the top screen and still be out of the rain.
Wow! There's a whole lot of awesome in that comment! First, thanks for everything you're doing. 413 is an amazing number, and the season isn't even done yet. That's a great impact. And I know from doing around half that number right now, just how much work you must be putting in. So cool.
When you say northern Michigan, are you referring to the UP or the LP? If it's the northern part of the LP, I may have been in your neck of the woods in late June. Took a trip to Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City, Petoskey, Traverse City, and Sutton's Bay. Your neck of the woods?
Hi Rich, last year here in Australia we notices some Monarch butterflies around our Swan Plants but no eggs were seen. This year we had another visit from a Monarch over three days, found the eggs, but unfortunately ants feeding of the aphid had also devoured the monarch eggs. We have just has a second visit of the monarchs and have collected the eggs ( 7 at the moment). Your videos have been very helpful in how to raise the eggs, 3 of which have now hatched. I'm looking forward to the next stage in their growth, but I have to look at them through a magnifying glass to see them. Keeping my fingers crossed to be able to raise them to full maturity. Thanks for your inspiration and advice. Cheers Gary
Hi Rich.
Even though we still have not seen a single Monarch butterfly, Hubby just found our FIRST EVER EGG! We just re-watched this video. Thanks for giving us the information and tips we need as we embark on this journey. The seven 5th instars we found three days ago seem to be losing interest in eating and spending much of their time exploring the screen roofs of their enclosures. Woo hoo!
Finding an egg for the first time can be so satisfying. I know for many leaves, prior to finding one, I started to be convinced I was doing it wrong, and that I just wasn't going to be able to make it happen. But, they're out there (for now) and if you look, you will find them. Just need to stay determined. Great job!
It's been a few days and it hasn't yet black tipped. :-/
My husband is a Primus and FNM fan. I think he was disappointed when he asked me what I was watching. Thanks for the great videos! From Asheville NC
Ha! That's a cool story.
Some have commented that they enjoy the music. Others have said that it made them stop watching the video.
The way I see it, if a Primus song is a large enough hurdle to deter someone from rearing Monarchs, perhaps it's for the best. ;-)
Thanks for checking them out (all the way through), and having an interest in helping out this animal!
It is amazing how beautiful the chrysalis is, the gold dots an such a beautiful green color. The first one I had I was amazed how beautiful the it was.
And it's also pretty cool that the gold color that is on the Monarch chrysalis is also found on many other species' chrysalides. Check out (Google Search) the chrysalis of the Orange-Spotted Tiger Clearwing Butterfly, and you'll see a pretty breathtaking chrysalis indeed!
You have inspired me to raise monarchs (protect them and propagate), the education has been amazing. I just bought a house and when planning landscaping, I desired to attract butterflies. My favorite nursery suggested (and sold me) milkweed, which has grown like a “weed”, no pun intended. In this process I recognized a monarch caterpillar on my plant and became enamored. Now, I have implanted 6 milkweeds and currently have 5 chrysalides, 8 caterpillars of various stages and 2 black tipped eggs. I have learned so much from your TH-cam videos and am very grateful...I have been inspired and now consider myself a monarch Mama, who will continue to educate and help in any way possible to facilitate the health and prosperity of the monarchs.
Planted my first milkweeds this summer. I remember when I was a kid in Ontario in the 50s and 60s playing with milkweed pods and watching the seeds floating all over. It’s amazing how quickly humans can destroy nature. I commend you on presenting these excellent videos to help us undue the damage done.
When you called him Lea and I instantly though of Primus. Glad someone else is a fan. Also liked the song choice. Haha
Your videos have been really great ! Cant wait to watch all the rest of the parts
ok seriously i LOVE these videos so much. Great information for someone like me who knows nothing about taking care of these guys. Iam about to start this new hobby and your videos have made this seem possible thankyou.
+Xyrius9 A Welcome aboard, and thanks for checking out the videos. My only goal with them is to help make sure when I have kids, there's still monarchs for them to experience!
Wow, I'm hooked, can't wait for video 3~ LOVE IT!
Thank you much!
I love that you named him Les 💚
Yeah...he was a cutie!
Never learned to pick up the bass, though...
love your music choices in your videos and thank you for so much information!!! Amazing!!!
This video and those Pugs are the best part of my day...
I found and 'harvested' four eggs. They are in a tent on screened in porch. They are tiny and don't seem to be growing. I'm wondering if they were too small to be harvested? Any thoughts? Thanks for your wonderful videos. I watched them multiple times.You are an inspiration.
Hi if you follow his set of 5 videos you will surely be able to follow and understand the process and stages to come over the 30 days or so before your cats eclose. There are stages and even in-between moments of sometimes 24 hours of stillness and molting that is all part of their growing from instar to the next instar. By now you surely have seen some changes. Hoping that you are able to feed them with the necessary fresh organic native milkweed leaves from the only single plant that sustains them. Isn’t it amazing that within 30 days or so they will eclose, becoming the adult Monarch Butterfly, completing their metamorphosis. Best to you.
Love your videos, and may I just say I love your choice of Primus.
I will have more comments, monarch related, after the last video
I love that Primus never pigeon-holed themselves. They were always fun, even in songs that involved social commentary. They'd masterfully approach such topics with a healthy tongue-in-cheek attitude.
so glad that I got to watch this finally. Have appreciated the other episodes in the series
bethebest52 There's more on the way too, and in the meantime, if you like "At Home Science" experiments, be sure to check out "Indy Labs", the new series on this channel starting September 1st!
I am LOVING all your milkweed/monarch videos!!! My parents just went through the process (empty nest syndrome as of this morning!), and so I've been looking for more information. I have learned a TON of information from your videos!! Thank you so much for posting these!!! I've been sharing them with others, as well. And I'm a science teacher, so even though this is not part of my curriculum, it's great info to bring to my students! Also, I really love your music choices! YEAH!
Carrie Hittel Very happy to hear that they are helping. Monarchs and their life cycle aren't exactly in my curriculum either, but the students in my building soon are well aware that I care about these insects. By "waving the flag", students who are further interested have sought me out. Having the videos as a place to direct them towards has helped get many interested in planting milkweed, caring for caterpillars, and then coming back in the fall to let me know how it went for them. AND, since you're a science teacher, I URGE you to check out our "Tungsten Clan" hip hop science videos that are also on my channel. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for your vid!! Super informative! I live in southern CA and I'm raising Gulf Fritillery butterflies to help our area. :D Moving on to Monarchs once I get them established!
Great soundtracks and great info!
Hey, thanks! Glad you found it useful, and pleasurable to the ear.
Some may find that this video will not load, as it contains a Primus song. Some record companies will not permit videos that use their songs to play on mobile devices. It should work fine on PC's, though.
Mike Barnes, I definitely have had eggs that have not hatched. In one case, I knew it probably wouldn't as it seemed a bit misshapen compared to the normal look. A few others (not too often) have turned translucent to show the egg not really "full" and the black tip is actually closer to the bottom of the egg. It happens from time to time. And there was one time where the egg never black tipped, never hatched, and looked just like it had on day one. After two weeks, I had to give up on it.
MrLundScience the into makes me cry
MrLundScience It's bleeping awesome it has Primus in it.
Thank you! (Some haven't enjoyed the music choices in the vids. I understand and respect that, but I hope they understand, it helped make it more fun for me. "Welcome To This World" felt fitting.)
OMG HELP REPLY ASAP
our house is around 60- 70° will my egg freeze or should i keep him outisde....
@@lucky2561 Uhh Maybe turn the temperature higher in your house? But what if it rains outside?
Great stuff! We haven't started the caterpillars on Primus yet.
Now now...get on it. We want to give them the best possible environment, and that includes audio!
In the fall I left them in the yard. As it got cold I brought them to shelter. This spring I was going to leave them in the yard but saw a wasp snatch one! Sooo, I started bringing them into the habitat. I discovered that if I put the ends in wet paper towels the leaves stayed fresh. I also put a bottomless bottle over the leaves which preserves moisture and put the setup in a milkweed pot. Works great!
Soooo helpful and interesting. Thank you!! Love the music too! 🤟🏼
Love your work! I've raised several monarchs with your help. So much fun! But never from egg stage, until today. I found ten eggs this am!
In my first five, I Found large and teenie caterpillars and got them to bursting out of their chrysali!
First batch, happily 5 out of 5 made it, even one that had opened on a paper towel. Thankfully I was there to let it hang on my finger and dry out properly!
Sadly, in my second batch I had found five tiny cats. After grow to proper size, One went into chrysalis while I was sleeping after j hooking the night before. I went to shower and by the time I came back, it was destroyed-still moving, but all liquids at bottom of container. There was another caterpillar staying next to it. I had noticed the night before that that particular caterpillar was very aggressive towards the other caterpillars. Could it have destroyed the chrysalis or do they implode on their own? Any insights to preventing this happening again would be much appreciated! Mo
do you put air holes in the food container?
I always do and I think mr. Lund does as well:-) I am pretty sure most of his videos show holes in the:-) I am pretty sure most of his videos show holes in the lids
Rich Lund, I am a retired primary school teacher and taught mainly science and music here in Canada. Last year my daughter and I released 7 out of 10 monarchs that we raised from eggs. I live in S. Ontario and grow common milkweed plants in my front rock garden. This July I have found and started about 20 eggs and found one small caterpillar on a leaf. thank you thank you thank you thank you. This summer project is very fulfilling and a few of my friends are converted. The rest of the town thinks I am nuts. Thank you for the video about predators. I was wondering why there were ants on the one patch and discovered the aphids so I gave them the not so gentle brush off.
Hey Lorraine!
From one science teacher to another, welcome aboard! Hey, where in S. Ontario? I grew up in Port Huron, Michigan, which is a border town with Sarnia. I know Sarnia pretty well, and sometimes friends and I would make the trip to London to slip down some water slides at Wally World. (I hear that place closed...)
I appreciate the thanks, but I thank you back ten fold for helping out the Monarchs! The intention of the videos was to equip people with the info they'd need to feel confident that they could do this (and at a low cost or no cost price). So, when people are using them to help this population, believe me, that's all the thanks I need. I just want them to be there for generations to come.
I love your choice in music!
Much appreciated. Someone else just said the song "ruined" it.
Can't please everyone. ;-)
I didn’t have to wonder long if you named him after Claypool! 😂
I have been raising caterpillars in utah for the last three summers. I never find more than two or three eggs and a few caterpillars. I take them to our school and put them in as many classrooms as I can. They seem to be cutting down milkweed around farms around here. I am going to grow my own. I wish more people were concerned about these beautiful butterflies! Thank you for these videos!
+Eileen Tew
You're definitely welcome, and a larger thank you to those of you out there finding them and using them! We can and are making a difference. Thanks for being a part of the community!
So far what I didn't see was any info on whether you keep the egg on leaf in container indoors or Outdoors. Any particular temperature control needed? I've had one monarch flying around my milkweed and for the very first time ever do to your first video I know what the eggs look like and I found five of them. Plus there is one caterpillar already hatched and and hanging out. So I need to watch the rest of the videos to see how I can help that one as well.
Sounds like you're off and running!
I keep the containers indoors. I wouldn't want any direct sunlight hitting them, so as to avoid any greenhouse effect inside of them. The temperature range is pretty vast. I wouldn't let it get in the 50's, but even then, they should be fine. I wouldn't want mine at high 90's either, but they handle that in nature too. The temperature mostly affects the chemistry inside them, and either speeds up or slows down their development.
Thanks for checking out these vids, and helping the cause!
I was wondering the same thing - indoors vs outdoors. I don't know if temp is resonsible for my observation, but it seemed to play a role.
I kept my first egg indoors (70 degrees) for the first 48 hrs and it was still opaque creamy white on what I thought was day 3. So I kept it in garage overnight (temp high 70s). The egg turned translucent by morning and hatched around 8am. It's possible I didn't notice black head when it was first visible because I couldn't get egg to sit upright for the life of me. But it sure seemed to be less than 24 hrs from blackhead egg to hatch - seemed more like 8 hrs.
Haha...I Loved the background music, Welcome to This World.
Thank you for your exceptional series on raising Monarchs. I am using a screened in front porch which gets full sun in the mornings. I can't find any reference to sun/shade issue. Please advise.
Very informative video! Thanks Mr. Lund! I’m new to this hobby and your videos have helped me Immensely!! Thank you thank you thank you!!
Thank you so much for such wonderful video's! Much appreciated!
Hey, you're absolutely welcome.
I've kind of jumped off the deep end... here in California apparently we have a huge problem with Tachinid flies. They are horrible. I have not found any way to get rid of them, and the only way I've actually been able to successfully raise them is to get them when they are eggs, and keep them in containers (Like you showed on your videos, so thank you again!) Then I move them into a large mesh container when the are 4th instar. Every single caterpillar that I've brought in from outside has sadly died. Pretty sure the flies cannot get to the eggs. Any suggestions? Do you have any videos on that? Thanks!
What was their death like? Did they shrivel and turn black? Did they emit green fluid and look deflated?
I've had a little experience with the green "squish death", I like to call it. In 6 years, maybe four in total have done this. As soon as it happens, I disinfect everything, and try to separate any other caterpillars that were with the dead one from others, and from each other.
If one of your caterpillars had this oozing death, that ooze could have the contagion in it, and cause infection to the others. So, first, I make sure no new caterpillars come into contact with any of those exposed caterpillars. Of the exposed caterpillars, some may have contracted the contagion, some may not, so I try with what "to go" containers I have to separate them from each other as much as possible. Say, I have 11 cats in one container that has room to house them all, and one dies from "squish death". Not only do those remaining 10 not ever come into contact with other new ones, I would also try and get them in pairs of two, and place them in 5 containers. This would only be due to not maybe having 10 containers extra, and thus, 5 containers of two cats each isn't ideal, but has worked in the past.
In California, you have many challenges Michigan does not. You are correct, Tachinid Flies are a major problem there, and people have asked me how to get rid of them. There isn't a magic bullet, though, that prevents them other than getting them as eggs and raising them in a controlled environment, ie, containers.
Also in California is a much higher rate of NPV, which may be what causes the shrivel black death, and the green fluid squish death. It's still tough for me, though, to discern between an NPV caused caterpillar death, and a high OE infection caterpillar death. OE, however, doesn't usually get to high enough infection levels to cause caterpillar death, and more often, would cause death in the chrysalis stage. Still, things may be different in California.
I wish you much luck. It sounds tough, for sure, with so many obstacles in your region. If anything, that means as you continue, any Monarchs that do make it likely would not have if it hadn't been for you, so you can take pride in that!
MrLundScience after much research (for the ones who puked up green stuff, not the obvious tachinid) everything points to chemicals! We don't use them at our house, verified plants weren't sprayed where we got them, turns out there is a good chance that after petting my cats who all have flea medication on them, that I transferred the toxin to their leaves! Never happened with 1st to 4th instar but those are mostly handled with tweezers and scissors so contamination was less exposed. Lesson learned! Always, always wash hands before handling leaves or cats!
Thank You; Mr. Lund; for all your good advice; I realized, sometimes, I would see a little black egg, and just thought it was a nat, and killed it...OMG, it was the Butterfly egg, I stopped doing that...thanks, to your Blogs, now I know exactly what to do!! from (EGG to BUTTERFLY)...
WELL HERE IS MY STORY:: I Buy the Milkweed plants at LOWES, and always make sure I wash the leaves off first before putting it out in my garden, due to residual of any plant spray chemicals...which will harm the new eggs forming into the Caterpillar's When the Butterflies start laying their eggs on the Milkweed, the small Caterpillars, will start eating all the Milkweed leaves. the small guys have a lot of predators, so the best thing to do, is once I see at least 4 to 5 Cats, I put them in a mesh cage, where they are safe to continue eating until they reach the adult size, which is 5 instars, then they will crawl around and look for a perfect spot to start weaving their Chrysalis..usually the top of the cage...try to keep them out of hot direct sunlight! 🌞🌞within 14 days,...(sometime sooner) they come out, a full size Butterfly...let them hang a while to fully dry those precious wings....when they start flying around, could be 2 to 3 hours, they should be ready to go..I put them on a flowered plant, as they are hungry! and let them eat, and fly away when they are ready!! Its a Great Way To Save Them!! and keep the population going!! 🧚🧚♂🧚♂
I have had some success with raising caterpillars at my house. I have several milkweed plants that the monarchs have laid their eggs on. My downfall is wasps that seem to find them. Still I've been able to see a few caterpillars to their ultimate destination! Thanks for your help!
Kathie Lavine I've tried to find good numbers on it, and the majority of studies I've found (which haven't been many) state that from egg to adult, they have about a 10% chance. There was one study I found that seemed to take the issue a lot more seriously, and stated that the chance was actually a lot closer to 3%. It was a REALLY thorough study that involved areas all over the east of the Rockies U.S. I found it online, and it was a reputable peer reviewed paper, not just some article. This was back when I first started doing this.
Now there have been times that people have asked questions or left comments, and I wish I had saved that paper so I can reference it, but now I can't find it again online for the life of me! Worse yet, I don't remember who wrote it, what university, etc. Best I can say, if any of you decide to go hunting for it, I know it was purely about monarch butterflies (and not butterflies in general) and the egg to adult survival rate was stated as 3%.
The reason I bring this up, Kathie, is that the number one contributor to that 97% failure rate is already from death at the egg stage. Other insects will gobble the egg like a protein cream puff treasure! Ants, wasps, beetles, or just about anything with the mandibles to do it that stumbles by! It's up to you how much you want to get involved, and just letting nature take its course is perfectly fine. I know from what I do, it's a LONG time commitment!
You could, if you're interested, do the "light" version if you wanted and take the eggs in, get them to hatch and eat until, say the 2nd instar (when they start to have stripes and little "nub" feelers on their head) and then release them back onto the plants. I don't know how voracious your wasps are, but this could lead to more of them having a fighting chance without a much work as the "full throttle" care taking.
But, either way, the big thank you goes to you just making sure to have milkweed available to them! That's the major, #1 way to help the monarch! Thank you so much for having it available!
Thanks for the quick response! I admire your commitment to these beautiful creatures. I have grown milkweed from seed as well as purchase the plants from the local big box stores. This past weekend I had a few monarchs visit and now I have many eggs and little guys are popping up all over the place. I already know I don't have enough plants to support them! Hoping I can re-home some of them with friends that also grow milkweed. My best odds so far are the plants on the porch. I can keep an eye on them there. I can see this becoming a labor of love. 💘
Kathie Lavine Labor of love, indeed! But I think the payout can come from not only seeing them hatch, but showing the younger generation (should you have kids/neighbors) what efforts conservation sometimes requires.
Great video! Watched and drank a Pork Soda.
And, need I ask...were you feeling just fine?
Can you please tell me the temperature needed to hatch the eggs ,please reply
I've found some on the flower buds and leafs
Indeed. A few times on the stems, I've found them. Mom just has the instinct to touch the abdomen to the plant and lay. Usually that will be a leaf on the underside, but really, once the instinct to lay kicks in, where the abdomen hits is where the egg goes for the most part.
I only want to use narrowleaf milkweed here in Southern California as it is native to my area. The problem is the leaves are too thin to do your trick of placing the small leaf portion with the egg onto a larger leaf underneath because the fresh leaves are so thin. Do you have any other suggestions for that issue?
This is a great instructional video. I also raise Monarchs...and I have a pug too!
Let's keep it going...do you play chess and skateboard as well?
@@MrLundScience haha...no...do you watch Doctor Who and listen to Rock 'n' Roll?
@@TechGrl18 I have never watched a Dr. Who episode, but am quite willing to listen to The Who.
I wanted to know 1. After you cut the eggs from the leaf, what next? 2. What temperature is recommended as I have a closed in sunroom but am afraid it will be too hot, and 3. what do you use to clean the container once the feces starts, etc. Sorry I am sure you covered it off in the video but the part 2 is not available to me. Thank you so much
A1: I place them on just a plate (or somewhere safe) until they "black tip" and I can see their head through the egg. That lets me know, they'll hatch withing 24 hours or so. At that point, I then place the small leaf part on a fresh leaf so the lil' guy/gal has fresh food when it has emerged.
A2: I haven't found temperature to be all that necessary to monitor. Perhaps there is an "ideal" temperature, but it's definitely not necessary from my experience. Monarchs do fine in nature with 60F - 90F, and even outside of that. What is important, though, is allowing for ventilation. I wouldn't seal them in a container in the sun, as that could create a greenhouse amount of heat, which perhaps isn't the best for them. So, if the container has holes for ventilation, just about any reasonable temp should do.
A3: So far, just soap and water, but I'll be looking into bleach solutions this summer to help prevent OE parasites (and other parasites).
Thank you so much! I have been planning this all winter and I think I am ready. Can't wait!
When they are about to hatch, you mentioned fetching a fresh leaf. Should you place this leaf upside down so they can eat the hairs? Thanks
informative. thank you. The "hatching" song I could do without. 😅
Thank you!
Your egg closeups, both still and video, are so clear! Do you use a microscope/video camera combination? We're trying to find a cell phone app that will magnify our newly-found egg enough to see the striations. So far we've had no luck, so are not 100% sure what we have is a Monarch egg. Thanks for your care for these amazing creatures and for your informative and clear videos. I wish I had had you for my science teacher! (That would involve some pretty amazing time travel, though.)
Ha ha ha! Okay, get this. So what I used to shoot this was a "Cool Pix" camera (which is NOT high end) and I put a cheap $6 jeweler's eye up to the lens. That's truly all it took. Awkward, but effective for close ups. I still do that these days, but with my more expensive camera. A jeweler's eye and a phone camera can do this too, no problem. Good luck!
I think we HAVE a jeweler's eye!
I found an egg that black tipped and took it home but it didn't dry when he hatched.
Well thats good, right?
Thank you! So informative!
Hi! Why having to cut around the egg ? Can I just leave the egg on the original whole leaf ?
Hi Lund, My daughter and I were strolling along a tall grass line field where milkweeds grew, 5 stalks, and she (Jasmin age 7) found one #Monarchbutterflyegg. We went to find a container came back out, and as we grab that one, she spot a second one on the same stalk. So now we have two. But at the time they were both yellowish in color. But that was last night (July 18th 2017 after 7 p.m.) Today we checked it this morning and one of black tipped. So we have a monarch cater' ready to hatch soon. We will be journaling the whole experience. Today is day two... wish us luck!
Fantastic! Your daughter must have good eyes. Good luck with your new ones!
Meanwhile, my two ball python eggs had the heads pip out today!
You can see them here: twitter.com/MrLundScience
So, wish me luck as well!
Holly smokes, I new they can be hatched between three to eight days, and I thought after blacking they I go about 24 hrs. ETA. But this was super fast. The temp must of been just right for it. Luckily the leaves it was on was kept and still fresh (just in case kind of thing). Hatch and we saw it eating its shell at about 1 to 1:30 P.M. on day, calendar, two of finding them. wow cool to know your Pythons are "piping." You're a father all over again!
Do you poke holes in the lid of the To-go container?
Does the container you are storing them in need to have air holes?
Did somebody rear any egg-parasitoids Trichogramma from eggs of moths? I study and describe them.
got 7 of them last year.
Love that shirt ... my son is named Sagan after Carl
Hey Mr. Lund! Do caterpillars need to have an air conditioner beside them?
Hey Cool Panda Man,
When faced with questions like this, the answer lies in nature. Monarchs have survived for millions of years, and definitely then, without humans trying the help them. They need our help now, sure, but their bodies still work roughly the same way they did 3 million years ago before humans were on the scene. As they didn't need air conditioners then, they don't need them now. In nature, most Monarchs experience temperatures between 50F and 100F, and they are able to handle those temperatures fine. The higher the temperature, the faster the chemistry in them works, and thus, the faster they grow, but other than that, there's little effect that temperature has on them. Thus, no temperature control is necessary.
MrLundScience ok thank you!
wacky music!!! the caterpillar is so cute!
Cathy Winters I tried to choose music that goes along with the stage of the monarch. Hatching from the egg, I thought Primus's "Welcome To This World" was fitting!
Have you ever done one on disease? Wings that dont open all the way?
Oh yes...
"When Adults Can't Fly" - th-cam.com/video/XfuTlASal_U/w-d-xo.html
"Chrysalis Issues" - th-cam.com/video/wB8udbV3kOY/w-d-xo.html
"What Are OE Parasites?" - th-cam.com/video/kkZTfeFVMiE/w-d-xo.html
"OE Parasite Testing" - th-cam.com/video/pxXkAL1h2pw/w-d-xo.html
"Alternative OE Testing" - th-cam.com/video/32IqyxjOUfM/w-d-xo.html
"OE Parasite Prevention" - th-cam.com/video/oZYzzcGiZRA/w-d-xo.html
"Preventing NPV And Other Infections" - th-cam.com/video/2FE9646Z9xs/w-d-xo.html
"Should We Euthanize?" - th-cam.com/video/5WEewtof3w8/w-d-xo.html
Great videos! I have a question. I have several milkweed plants in pots I've planted in my backyard for monarchs. I just noticed there are several eggs on the plants. Should I just leave them on the plants or bring the eggs inside and do your hatching and rearing method instead?
Whether you should or not depends upon what your goal is. If your goal is that these Monarchs become healthy, free adults, then the answer lies in whether you can give them a better chance than nature can. Do you have enough milkweed to see them through? If you do, then following the rearing method shown in these videos should be able to up their chances. I'm not sure where you are located, but if you're in a temperate area, the milkweed question this time of the year is an important one. I, in Michigan, would not take them in, as I wouldn't have enough milkweed at this time to even see one of them through. But, if you have found eggs at this time, you likely have milkweed still in your area. An option could be to bring in just one or two and test it out, and see if you can get them to the adult stage. There's just a few variables I don't know enough about in your situation to give a full answer, though. If you were in Michigan like I am, I'd say, likely it's best to leave it in the hands of nature. If you are in a more southern area, such as Georgia or Florida, then with milkweed still around, you could probably do it. I hope that helps!
you're amazing ... thanks for sharing!
I have been raising monarch butterflies in New Zealand for the past 2 years. I have a large butterfly house safe from predators and released 1100 monarchs last year. We do not have that large leaf milkweed plant in NZ. What is it? All our swan plants are narrow leafed and soft foliaged.
Do the containers need air holes? Lol for the egg?
Greetings Heather!
I used to put air holes in the containers just to be safe, and always so small that a new caterpillar would still not be able to fit through them. I no longer do, now, though. I did a quick calculation with safe estimates, and when it comes to oxygen use and content in the air, there's no way they'd run out. You could have 10 caterpillars at the 5th instar (when they'd use the most oxygen) and you still wouldn't run out for a couple of days. Now, I never have 10 in those containers, and they're never in there past 5th instar, and since I open my containers and get them fresh air at least twice a day, I know that there's no reason to poke the holes in the lids anymore. One more thing, though...some people mist their leaves with moisture. I do not. It's not needed, and as long as the leaves are fresh, the caterpillar will get all the hydration it needs from eating the leaves. But, as some do mist, if their containers are not ventilated, this makes it much more humid, and mold is much more likely to grow. So, to avoid this, I'd just make sure to stick with fresh leaves, and not mist.
Good luck!
@@MrLundScience Thank you for replying so fast to such an old video, and for caring for these beautiful insects!
I have all comments set so that they must be approved first. I originally set things up that way because I'm a high school teacher, and I didn't want someone dropping f-bombs on my vids. Right? That hasn't really been ever a problem. But what it also conveniently does is cause all new comments to go into a section where they wait for approval. This makes it so that I see when new comments on anything comes in, and I then can reply to them, especially questions. Doesn't mean I'm able to get to them each day. It can take a few days, for sure. But when questions are asked, I definitely get to them. If people are taking both the time to watch the videos, and more importantly, the time to care for the Monarchs, I feel I owe them the respect of a proper response.
And thank YOU for doing what you can to help them!
so I have no access to LARGE milkweed so Only have the small leaf and have a hard time stopping it from curling over the eggs when I cut them from the leaf.
How do you know when to replace leaves? Even with wet paper towel mine are still a little limp, are they good as long as they are not hard and dry?
I live in Houston, Texas. Have 50 plants in my yard in three different spots. Red wasps come along and eat most of the eggs, and caterpillars. All my friends have the same problem. Thankfully, a few guys live through the constant fly-bys from the wasps. I have been collecting the caterpillars, housing them in terrariums, feed, water, and have done quite well in successful releasing butterflies.
Recommendations for getting rid of the wasps? I have traps everywhere, mostly capture cockroaches.....am diligent in organically killing wasp nests under the eaves of our house, or wherever I find them. But, trying to provide safe haven for bees and hummingbirds also. Help!
Greetings Susan!
You aren't alone in asking for help with other insect pests. Each pest species is different, and it's tough to find a way to keep them off the plants without at the same time, preventing females who may want to lay eggs to also not be cut off from the plants (and thus, what's the point, right?). The best suggestion I have for you would indeed require more time, but is quite effective: Do what I do. Once there's an egg on the leaf, cut out a small square of leaf that the egg is on, wait for the egg to black tip, and then once it does, place it in a container with a fresh leaf for the soon to emerge cat to munch on.
Many seem to have issues with predators who wish to munch an egg or young cat for a quick shot of protein, but my system causes this issue to be completely absent. It requires more time, yes, but if you are looking for a solution, it is right there waiting for you.
To save some time in this, an option could also be to have some milkweed that you do create some sort of mesh tent around in your yard, and once the cats have hatched, transfer them to these plants. While female monarchs won't have a chance to lay the eggs, you will have ensured that they have hatched, and will be protecting new cats from predators without having to daily check on leaves and add fresh ones to containers. I've never done this, but it could work, and save time. However, you'd have to have a good crop of milkweed already in place to do this.
Whatever your choice is in this, your efforts are certainly appreciated! Keep it up!
FYI I had a monarch lay several eggs on the flower petals of my milkweed (tuberosa). I was told (by a lady who raises hundreds of monarchs and other varieties) to put just the petal in my
container. Well, obviously, the petal curled up. The eggs all hatched but the petal being so curled made it impossible for the cats to eat their shell. The cats seem ok but they didn’t get the benefits of the nutrition on their shell. I leave the egg on the full leaf set on a damp paper towel and the cut part of the stem has wet towel covering it
I have some tropical milkweed potted. There’s around a dozen and a half three foot tall stalks. Should I cultivate the eggs/caterpillars/chrysalis as your videos show? Or just let them be on the potted milkweed?
Hey Jeremy. I'm not sure how to answer this because of the word "should". That depends upon what your goal is. It is something you could choose to do. It's something that you don't have to do. It's up to you. The question to ask is, would they have a better chance if you are doing what I'm doing? If they are currently on potted plants, but those potted plants are exposed to nature (wasps, ants, tachinid flies) then taking them into controlled environments will give them a better chance in theory, as those predators and parasites won't have access to them. I hope that helps!
MrLundScience The concern is that, since I have no known sources of Milkweed other than the potted Milkweed that I have, your method, which has Milkweed leaves die after a couple days, will expend the supply of Milkweed leaves that I have. If I put them on the potted Milkweed after the first or second stage of their caterpillar growth, they’re less likely to run out of food.
Yep, I agree with that logic.
What do you use that enables you to see them so clearly. The magnifying glass that I have doesn't get this clear. Also, is this real time or is the video sped up?
how many holes do you put into food container lids??
I don't really. The holes were there from the to-go food items the containers originally were for. Sometimes, I use some containers that don't have holes. As long as the containers are being opened twice daily (which they at the very least should be), there's plenty of oxygen and moisture (which leads to mold) has not been a problem.
Can the eggs be left on the milkweed outside?
They can, for sure. However, those who take them in choose to do so to give them a better chance. Nature is *brutal* to caterpillars. They face disease, parasites, and predators. The survival rate of a Monarch egg making it to the adult stage is somewhere between 3% and 10%, depending upon what studies you consult. If someone can rear them with a higher success rate than that, they are allowing more Monarchs to make it to that adult stage, and increasing the population for that year.
How many common milkweed plants are needed to raise 1 monarch egg?
It's tough to 100% answer that, as it depends upon how large of a milkweed plant we're talking about. I have heard people estimate that two Monarch caterpillars can eat through one entire Common Milkweed plant, but I can't say that I know that for sure...just heard it.
I don't know how often you check comments on older videos, but I'm new to all of this. I've released one monarch so far, have one chrysalis, and one fatty that should J hang any day now (he's eating me out of house and home!! LOL). Yesterday, I found my first eggs. By the end of the day, three had hatched (I actually got to video one of them!). This morning, all three look kind of dark to me. Like, dusky. I don't know if that's normal or not. I'm in a FB group where I posted pictures and am waiting for responses. The MW I took the eggs from is MW I've fed to my other cats, so I know it isn't contaminated with pesticides, but I worry about OE. Can newborn caterpillars look a little darker and it be normal? Thanks for your series- it's so informative and so helpful!
They can look a bit dark sometimes, yes. There's variation within the species. I suppose I'd have to see photos to be able to advise further, but for the most part, if the behavior is normal, I wouldn't be concerned. Good luck!
As for comments on older videos, I have my comments on all videos set up to have to be approved first. I originally did this just because I'm a teacher, and students watch some of my videos, so I didn't want f-bombs being dropped (good or bad) or other forms of questionable language there for them to find. I think I was being over cautious. But what this has resulted in, which I didn't expect, is that this is a convenient way to see all new comments, regardless of the age of the video. They all wait for me in the order that they were left in my "Held For Review" section. So this means, if a comment is left, I'll see it, and if questions are asked, I'll do my best to answer them.
Ever forward!
My little leaf squares are curling is that ok?
Hey I just got a monarch egg and this is helping me
Hi, thanks for the videos. I can't seem to view this one. Is there a way to send me a copy or re-issue the video? Thanks again
Greetings Che!
I'm very sorry that you are unable to see this vid. It won't play on mobile devices, but should play fine on a personal computer or laptop. Back when I made these first 5, I didn't totally understand TH-cam and what all the specific rules were. In Parts 1 - 5, I added music that I obviously do not own nor have the rights to. Most record companies don't seem to care about that. Their deal with TH-cam is that the music can be used, but if so, ads go on the video, and the record company gets that revenue (which I'm fine with, of course). Other record companies, however, don't want the video played if it's a mobile device for some reason and I haven't really found officially what the logic is behind that. Still, that is their right, and if I had known that in the past, I would have not used corporate music. (I don't use other people's music on the videos I make these days to avoid that.)
As for re-issuing it, that's not really a possibility at this point. I never kept the old footage/files. So, Parts 1 - 5 will have to be as is.
If you have any questions, though, feel free to ask, and I'm happy to help along the way.
MrLundScience
Thanks for the suggestion. It worked! I was able to view the video.
Much appreciation
Che (from Bermuda)
I have been raising monarch caterpillars for five years now and last year, the landscapers cut down all the milkweed! I was so upset but I went somewhere new and found an egg and 4 caterpillars, all five were released into the wilds of Oklahoma. Do you know whereI can get milkweed seeds for next year?
Monarchwatch.org has a milkweed distribution program where they will hook you up with seeds endemic (native) to your region. The cost is minimal and mostly just for mailing them to you.
As for your cut down milkweed, don't give up on 'em yet. The root system isn't likely dead, and could very well spring back some new stalks before the season is over.
Thx!
Can monarch butterflies lay eggs in a larva sack
I'm not 100% sure that I'm thinking of the same thing you're thinking of when you say "larva sack". My understanding of a larva sack would be when insects (or other animals that lay eggs and have various life stages) lay eggs, but those eggs are within a type of housing sack. The eggs hatch, and out come the larvae, and eventually, either immediately or after more development, the larvae burst out of the sack. If that's the case, no, Monarchs do not make such a thing. Monarchs lay one egg at a time, and while they may occasionally lay ten or twenty eggs on a plant instead of just one, the eggs are still laid one at a time, in one location at a time.
Hey, I raise monarch caterpillars and have had the problem of cannibal caterpillars...we had a group of cats together a few days after they hatched and one decided to eat half of the others...
Huh. That's a vicious one. Based upon how you described it, it sounds like they were all of the same developmental stage. I keep those that are two instars away from each other...away from each other. Mostly just to avoid accidental cannibalism. Once a caterpillar gets munching on the leaves, it just goes for it, and if a much smaller caterpillar is in the way, it can get gobbled up, or sometimes just harmed. I haven't encountered Monarchs of the same instars harming each other, though. This is the first time, but I'd certainly see it as a possibility. It is, after all, protein.
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "There is no beast without cruelty." I think that might apply here.
Sorry to hear that this happened.
I think they look so cute!
Soy Capricorn I can't help but agree. They are beautiful in appearance, but they also possess beauty in their chemistry and biological processes.
I am so sorry - got it to work on my pc...not on my tablet. Thank you for your patience.
No apology necessary! If anything, I shouldn't have put the Primus song in there so as not to prevent it from being played on mobile devices. Back then, though, I didn't understand TH-cam as well as I do now.
please turn on cc. I was shocked to find them on my milkweed and want to protect then but no cc, I dont know what you said!
Why do you feed your milkweed to get leaves that big?
These milkweed leaves are from adult plants of Asclepias syriaca, the "Common Milkweed" species. These were leaves I found on naturally growing plants in my area. Nature did this, not I.
Amazing... thanks for knowing what I was trying to say ‘ what’ lol
URGENT HELP: I found a monarch egg and it black tipped this morning and just hatched but is not crawling off the old leaf onto the fresh leaf. How long does it take? What should I do? Thanks
They sometimes do that for a while. Can be a few hours, usually. They chew the egg shell...rest...nap... They're brand new to the world, and while some are adventurous and leave shortly after hatching, some wait until they feel comfortable to do so. No need for concern.
Hi I've messaged you before I do a lot of work with monarchs in my area, at least as much as I can. Last year I released 40-some monarchs! :-) this year however, I've only found 4 eggs no matter where I look or how hard I try :-(. And only two of those have survived they are both in their Chrysalis right now. Have you had any luck on your side of michigan? I really hope you have because I'm in tears with how much worry I'm having over the low numbers I'm finding this year. If you could please let me know I would really appreciate it. I'm hoping you're having better luck than me.
They both flew away happy one male one female:-) however I am still looking to find even one more egg! Can't find them in my garden on my milkweed or in the wild in the ditches or the parks:-( I don't know what's going on
I use this for my caterpillars! 1. Get a clear spritzer bottle 2. fill the spritzer bottle with water 3. when the caterpillar container seems dry spray some water in the container so the caterpillars won't dehydrate but don't spray too much water or they might drown. But like I said before it works I use them for my caterpillars. :D Oh and I almost Forgot! if you wanna spray some water on the caterpillars I think it would be better for the 3rd instar caterpillars because the 1st and 2nd instar caterpillars are fragile.
I'm curious as to why you are spraying your caterpillars. It isn't too bad of a problem if there's not too much water being used. However, I don't do this as part of my process. If caterpillars are eating fresh milkweed, they will get all of the hydration they need from the leaves. Spraying water can help bacterial growth, though, especially if there is caterpillar frass (which means, caterpillar poo) in the container. Where did the idea of spraying them with water come from? Just curious. Again, it doesn't necessarily cause a problem. It's just something I know I didn't recommend in the videos I made, and would like to check out any source that recommended this that you found.
MrLundScience oh ok I guess ill have to stop...
I saw a monarch lay one egg 7 days ago. I brought it in my house cause temperatures dropped into the 30's but it still hasn't hatched yet.
Help! Please, My monarch emerged today, but I notice it can't seem to curl in it's proboscis Completely it keeps trying and it's been 6 hrs.
Sorry that I didn't see this until now, but, I'm curious as to if this solved itself. I had two people tell me this year (first time ever) that they witnessed the proboscis not fuse for over 24 hours, but it eventually did. I never thought that was possible. Has the proboscis situation you've experienced corrected itself? If not, I'm sorry, but I don't know of any option to help this issue. If it can straighten it out, it can still feed, so it might still be able to be successful.
What power magnifying glass is best for looking at the egg and small babies?
Depends upon how you define "best" and what you're hoping to see. For shooting the video, and getting the closeness that I was able too, I didn't use any fancy camera zoom. All I had was a small Coolpix camera, and I used a jeweler's eye type magnifying lens and put it up to the camera's eye.
My jeweler's eye is often what I use if I need (or want) to see detail on small things, but don't want to or need to bust out the microscope.
As for the actual power of magnification, it's tough to say, as the jeweler's eye isn't labeled. That number rubbed off years ago!
Hey I found some new born eggs how long does it take for them to hatch
It depends upon temperature, but typically, 3 days. Sometimes 4, but usually 3, I've found.
Hi, I have been raising caterpillars for 3 years and never had this issue until this year.
I have gathered eggs and they started hatching, but that day or that night the baby caterpillar dies. This happened all ready 3 times out of the 4 eggs. Do you have any idea why this is happening.
Very sorry to hear that. Without more information, it's not really something to easily do the forensics on. I have had some here and there do this. Pretty low percentage. Like, less than 1%. Still, it does happen, and if only dealing with 4, it could certainly happen by chance to 3. Don't give up! See what others do this season.
Do I need to poke small holes in the to-go containers to store the eggs and small caterpillars? I'm a beginner at this. Thank you.
I do... I have been doing this for going on ten years now. Although admittedly in microscopically small numbers until I found Mr Lund and his information. I think he puts holes in his containers as well from what I've seen in his videos. But I definitely do and always have nots for the eggs necessarily I just leave the lid propped open a little but once they have hatched I figure they need to breathe. 😂
Hey, what happens if the milkweed leads dries before it hatches?
Also wondering about this!!
Is that Carl Sagan giving Neil Degrasse Tyson a fist bump on your shirt? Also, solid video, thanks.
+Crystal Custalow
It most certainly is!