Just got my first two tailed & western tigers today! Totally different from painted ladies I've been raising but I love entering this new territory!! Thank you for all this great info & clean layout!!
Hello! Thanks for watching! What state are you in? I get painted ladies too and always trying to get new butterflies in my garden. What were they attracted to?
@@dksgardenoasis Of course! I'm in Southern CA so I'm overwintering the swallowtails right now. With my painted ladies, they're munching away on Hollyhock! I bought a few live plants off amazon for my garden & for indoor use when I see eggs to contain inside; As soon as the butterflies were mating from the batch I had before, I guided the females over to the plant I separated (from the garden) within my mesh container. They started laying eggs almost immediately! It was one of the most beautiful sights to see. Even during release, they landed on the Hollyhocks outside and landed some more! The greatest thing is to see them curve around the leaf and place those baby dots so specifically. I've planted lots of milkweed as well with many wildflower packs, but that's to attract monarchs/any other species, as we can't order them in this area during the Winter. Hoping the spring brings around some new cool ones! Hope this helps & happy holidays to you & your butterfly babies!!🦋❤
@@gabriellar9576 it is amazing watching them gently lay those tiny eggs. I've heard great news about having great numbers for overwintering monarchs. I hope to visit their overwintering grounds in California in the next year or two. Happy Holidays to you too!
Greetings from Michigan near Lake Saint Clair Detroit area Zone 6b, Monarch butterfly and Black Swallowtail rearer aswell ❤️ I'm expanding to the pipevine swallowtail, spicebush swallowtail,Red Admirals, hummingbird clearwing Hawk moth next year, I'm having a problem finding the Virginia Snake Root,its one of the host plants for the pipevine swallowtails,the Dutchman's pipevine is also a host plant for the pipevine swallowtails but it takes 3 yrs for the pipevine to establish
Wow! That's awesome! I have a couple plants for the spicebush swallowtail but haven't seen one yet. Let me know which plants you've had success getting other types of butterflies. I've had many different types of butterflies flying through my garden but haven't seen caterpillars other than monarchs and swallowtails.
@@dksgardenoasis all of my black swallowtail eggs were laid on my abundance of Rue plants,I space out my 21 rue plants around the yard,my monarch eggs came on the Showey milkweed and swamp milkweed in the yard,I have 6 pipevine swallowtail chrysalises that I got from a local nursery,and I have 1 Giant Swallowtail Catippilar that I got from Brenda the Author of How to raise butterflies,I met her last Friday ❤️
@@CompetitiveFishingFreak that's cool you met Brenda. I met Sara Dkyman the author of Bicycling with Butterflies and Carol Pasternak author of how to Raise monarch Butterflies & 5 Butterflies at a monarch conference in Kansas last year. It was awesome!
I have raised Monarchs for three years now. In Indiana, I released 28 the first year, 38 the second year, and will have around 50 to be released this summer. I have not only several butterfly weed plants and two swamp milkweed plants but planted seeds of the common milkweed last fall and now have 42 plants. Believe that helps in increasing my numbers - and saving me time searching for caterpillar food! This is the first year I have tried black swallowtail and I will have 20 released. I have many eggs and caterpillars on my curled parsley presently but don't want to bring in and overwinter so I will leave outside. However, finding your videos will be helpful in trying this next year - thanks!
I've been raising about 8 years. The 1st year was one (lol) because I planted Milkweed and saw a fat monarch caterpillar. I was hooked and raised at least 50 the next year, 75 the following year. It was way too many as I had to search for food, so I limited myself to 25-30 for the summer monarchs and 25-30 migrating monarchs. I also raised almost 100 the 1st year of black swallowtails and then decided to raise outside in my vege pod where i have dill and fennel. I probably raise around 50-60 black swallowtails a year and about 10-13 overwinter in my garage. I think I'll have at least 10 overwinter this year. I've been tagging for 3 years. My 1st year one female of mine that I tagged was found in a Mexico sanctuary. 😊I'm attending monarch watch next week, so stay tuned. I want to see what they're saying about the decline in Illinois this year. Thanks for watching and I'm glad you have found it helpful. 🦋
I just learned (from an entomologist) that you can leave the cats to overwinter on the dill stalks in the garden by using a mesh screening fabric to make an enclosure over them right in the garden. You would wrap a long piece of screening around the Dill stalks or Rue where they are about to hang. Wrap to make an in-garden enclosure by tying at the top with a piece of wire and tie the bottom with wire , forming an enclosure “balloon”. I hope you can understand what I’m trying to describe.❤
Thanks for watching. It's been a strange year with the butterflies this year. The 4 that i hung all emerged so they did not overwinter, but one was a female and laid more eggs, so more than likely these will overwinter.
Last year I had a total of 10 Monarchs to release. The year before 2021 , I released 100. I could not find many eggs last year except for the 10. This year 2023 I managed to find 40 early on and even though I have lots of milkweed the eggs were not to be found after the initial find in early June.
Same for me the past 2 years have not been good. I had around 24-30 in early July and a lot did not survive. Every egg I've had since end of July has hatched but died in the 2nd instar. I'm thinking pesticide poisoning. My neighbors spray once a month🥲. By my front door I've had better success with that milkweed. Maybe the spray doesn't get soaked into the leaves there. They hatch and takes 2 weeks to get to instar 2 then eventually die. So sad. I just saw a monarch lay eggs again and i brought in 4. My 1st few years I had 75-100. Now I'm lucky if it's 30.
@@dksgardenoasis 2021 Iost 25 to something, they doubled over and burst, yuck. Guess I have to be satisfied with 40 this year. Normally have really good success with eggs and hatchling. Now what about that September question for the swallowtails. Might they emerge and if not put them in the shed for winter? I like to take my eggs from the milkweed leaf with a 1/2" hole punch, finger behind and twist with my fingers to remove a plug. Then place the plug onto damp paper towel until they hatch. Leaving the leaf mostly in tact
@ronaldcumpsty5605 I've prepared all of mine like they're going to overwinter. But i don't hang them in my unheated garage until October 1st. I have about 10 right now and 3 females have emerged. By September I'm assuming they'll overwinter. Also know that in the spring i bring them in the house around mothers Day . Spritz with water and they emerge usually within 10 days. But.. they can stay in their chrysalis up to 2 years. One of mine went into a chrysalis August 2019 and did not emerge until May 2021 !!! Skipped 2020 all together. Even with bringing it in the spring and back in the garage both winters. She was in her chrysalis 21 months!!! A big beautiful female!
And what a great idea with the hole punch, but I'd be afraid to punch thru an egg lol. I usually take the half/whole leaf, depends where the egg is, put it on a paper towel until it emerges. Second day i put a fresh leave underneath and they eventually move to the leaf
Hi, I live in the Bay Area. I have one swallowtail in its chrysalis now. It became a chrysalis on Oct 1. I have it in my apartment right now. I don't have a garage. It formed its chyrsalis on a stump of wood that I left in this mesh enclosure. 3 questions - 1)Shall I just leave it on the stump or would you recommend I detach it from its stump and put it like how you've done in this video? 2)since I don't have a garage, thoughts on putting it in the fridge? I could also find a place outside and leave it in the mesh enclosure in my community garden.. 3)At what point do I bring it back into my apartment?
Hello! You could leave it on the stump as that is what happens in nature. But, you could gently detach it's sling and put it in an enclosure outside. It just still needs to be protected from predators that could rip the enclosure. Don't put it the refrigerator. The conditions are not viable for them. As far as bringing in, you could leave it in your community garden and monitor starting May. I'm in zone 5B and I bring mine inside May 15th. I mist them every couple days and they usually emerge within 2 weeks. Good luck!
@@dksgardenoasis Thank you for the guidance! I'll leave it on the stump. :) Meanwhile a kind neighbor will take it and put the whole mesh enclosure on his balcony (which does not have direct sunlight). Since it formed its chrysalis on Oct 1 and has been indoors since then, will this 30 days of being indoors disrupt its process and might it come out earlier than May? Being a first time mama to this being, I'm so so thankful for sharing your experience!
Hello, I live in zone 9B and discovered a swallowtail caterpillar on a parsley plant I picked up from my local garden center the beginning of October and it has since formed a chrysalis on a mesquite brach on the 12th of October. It is currently in an enclosure inside and has not emerged yet. Should I be concerned or is there a chance he may overwinter? This is my first experience and want to make sure I am doing everything I can to have a successful outcome. Your video is so informative, thank you. :)
Do you have a garage to put him/her in? If it didn't emerge in 10-14 days it might overwinter. I'm in zone 5B so i put mine in an enclosure and hang in my garage. It does get below freezing but protected. In May they all will emerge. Any other questions don't hesitate to ask.
I'm in zone 5B and mine from last fall emerged in May. I have a few that are in a chrysalis and it's a little over a month so they'll probably overwinter. They could however take up to 24 months. I had one that took 22 months. I keep them inside or in good weather outside in an enclosure until late September early October right before the 1st frost which for me is October 15th. Next video by the way will be on overwintering Black Swallowtails. So make sure you're subscribed! Thanks for watching!
We had 5 go over winter. One emerged yesterday and one today. We had thunderstorms and tornado watches yesterday so I didn’t feel like I we could release him. But now today we have extremely high winds and the next three to four days are supposed to get really cold. I’m not really sure what to do. I had read about giving them sugar water. I just want to sustain them for the next few days and I’m praying the warm weather comes. Any advice?
Yes you could try sugar water. Where did you have them? They can't be kept indoors, depending on your zone it might be too early to for them to emerge. Generally they are okay without food for 24 hours, after that they need to be released and they will find shelter.
Hi! Thank you for this video! First time caterpillar host. Can you please tell me how long in takes for the caterpillar to make its chrysalis from the time it "hangs itself up" in the toilet paper roll? He's 20+ days old and I placed it 48 hours ago and he is still just in the stiffened, hanging form (silk pad) without a chrysalis. I am checking twice a day. Also, if I overwinter in cold garage, Zone 6A Michigan, do I need to mist them, and how often?
Depending on temperature it usually is 2 days. I'll bet it will be in a chrysalis tomorrow. Let it harden a day before putting in its pillow. I do not mist at all until spring when i bring indoors to wake them up. Make sure they're hanging in the garage to make sure mice don't get to them. Good luck!
Sorry you haven’t had as many swallowtails. ☹️ This was my very first year and I’ve released around 30, have two eclosed today (8/15 in zone 5 Nebraska) and have 8 more chrysalis left 🥰 I’m hooked!!! My goal is to get some monarchs. Yesterday 8/14 was the FIRST day I’ve had two monarchs eat from my brand new tutti-frutti butterfly bushes. Weird because I have 6 butterfly weed but I watched monarchs just fly through my yard. I’ll probably wait until the cats decide they are done eating and form a chrysalis then move the enclosure out to my garage….Thanks for your video!!!
Thank you! It's really a sad year for me along with many others. I have butterfly weed as well, but they seem to favor common and swamp in my area, I did see a monarch one year on the butterfly weed and it is native to my area, so I'll keep it in my garden. Hopefully next year will be better. All of the chrysalis I had emerged except the one I left outside in my vegepod. It looks like it should emerge, so I'm not sure if something is wrong with it. A strange, strange year. Everything I've done in the past is out the window this year! Thanks for watching!
I have had my swallowtail in its paper sleeve in a clear ventilated container in my basement since October 2023. What should I do or feed it with if it emerges
Hopefully it won't wake up. Can you put it in unheated garage? It defines won't survive if it emerges now. Nothing to eat outside. It needs nectar and bugs outside.
@@ronaldcumpsty5605 yep! That's what I do and I make sure I have flowers for them. I'm in zone 6A and they are ready to be outside mid May. First , I bring them inside the house the 1st week of May and spritz them very lightly with water to wake them up. Within days, they wake up and can be released. And they usually mate right away and I have eggs on my dill by the end of May which I start in mid March inside.
In the spring i have them in my vege pod . The female lays eggs and when the hatch they eat the dill/fennel I have planted in the vege pod. They make their chrysalis on the cover of the vege pod or stalks of the dill/fennel. Then they emerge i release them. If i bring one inside to record the life cycle i put dill in tubes of water. They make a chrysalis in the enclosure and I release when they emerge. I only put them in the "pillow" in late August for the caterpillars I think will overwinter.
I live in an apartment and have some plants on my balcony. One of those plants is a parsley plant and there are probably 30+ black swallowtail caterpillars on it in all stages of development except the chrysalis stage. They have eaten at least half of the plant already and i dont think it will be enough for all of them but i would like to see them all become butterflies. Do you have any advice on anything i can do will keeping them outside to help them? Thanks!
The best thing to do is to find more parsley or other host plants like dill. Remember store bought parsley will probably be treated with BT so don't use that. If their are any fields with Queen Anne's lace that will do too. Good luck!
@@dksgardenoasis one more question please.. If they are outside like that, do they usually make the chrysalis on the plant or do they crawl away and make it somewhere else? Thanks for the help!
@@dksgardenoasis I'm sorry, I promise I won't ask you anymore questions lol.. I tried to look it up but couldn't find answers.. could I buy organic parsley or dill to feed them? Would it have BT on it? Also, what is BT?
@joseyWales1796 don't apologize.. ask any questions. I just uploaded a new video where I talk about BT and to answer your question, unfortunately I would NOT buy organic dill or any herb from the grocery store. It is treated with BT to kill " worms" meaning caterpillars on vegetables. Supposedly safe for human consumption ( debatable) but not for insect consumption. It poisons them and they die. Most stores if you ask about it they don't know or say it's organic. But organic herbs are treated with BT.
They can stay outside. I'm in suburbs of Chicago and they do survive, but if you want to bring them in you could put in a small enclosure in your garage as long as it's unheated. Your basement will be too warm and they may emerge. Check out my newest video i just uploaded where I talk about it more. Thanks for your question.
What zone are you? I'm 6 A and all caterpillars that went in pupas from August on overwintered. It's not temps it's how much daylight is what determines whether they emerge or not. I wait until til October 1st then hang in my garage until til May.
@ryanzanimations9298 I'm not positive but you should be experiencing shorter days so i would assume these will overwinter. Because if they did emerge they wouldn't have time to lay more eggs that would emerge before your 1st frost.
So, they went into chrysalis about early August. You put them in the pillow or pinned others to enclosure. Not sure what you mean happens in September, might they emerge.? This is certainly different to Monarchs as once they go in the cage I do nothing else except provide fresh milkweed until they chrysalis and become butterflies
I wait until late September/early October to make sure they don't emerge, then hang in an unheated area like your garage or shed. Make sure it's hanging so varmints don't get at them. And yes , completely different than monarchs. I might put together a "how to" over the winter.
I did exactly as you said and today 30 April the swallowtail emerged. What should I do now, do I just put sugar water saucer and paper towel into the cage or let it go today. It is only 10c. Please reply ASAP. I am in Ontario Canada
Let them go! Yay! Right on time! She/He will now look for a mate. They like to be let go asap. Give them a couple hours to dry off and if it's flitting around the cage they're ready to go! Great job! I'm waiting for mine to wake up! :)
Sorry I just saw it's 50F/10C. What's the future forecast? If it's sunny, I would let it go-. If it looks warmer tomorrow, let it go tomorrow. Either way let them go in the next 24 hours regardless. They will find shelter. Pick the best sunny day and let them go. They will not need nectar like I said the 1st 24 hours.
Thank you so much for the speedy reply, this is my very first Swallowtail ever. Looking forward to more I hope, but in the meantime I will be looking out for Monarch eggs when my milkweed show later in May
Can anyone please tell me how cold is too cold for black swallowtail caterpillars? I have 8 and I’m in NJ It’s warming up the next few days and I’d like to place at least 5 outside in morning as soon as it reaches 58 degrees, in the bright sun, but it’ll drop to the lowest of 47 degrees during these 59-63 degree days Can I cover them at night until they go to chrysalis or must I bring them back in my house at night? I really want them to chrysalis outside this year so I don’t have to stress over them all winter. 5 are 24-48 hours to chrysalis I’m fairly sure from my experience and I have 2 - 3 that are in the third instar that’ll wind up having to stay their life cycle indoors It’ll drop too low by the time they get there I have been letting them chrysalis inside and then reattaching them to safe places outside during winter, but 8 out of my 15 were killed by European sparrows sometime during the winter sadly So this time I’m gonna hide them really well and make sure they’re completely camouflaged
Hello! I'm in zone 5B and I had a couple of late caterpillars that I left outside . I'm not sure where they made their chrysalis, but I do not cut any perennials in my butterfly garden until late spring to give them some camouflage and safety. The rest I put in my mesh enclosure and hung in my garage and it was no stress at all for me. Every one has survived with me doing this every winter. In late spring i bring them in, mist slightly and they wake up and I release. Super easy. Good luck.
Wow great video! It’s amazing to see them in there stages before they emerge.
Thank you! They all emerged! Guess they weren't ready to sleep, but I did find more eggs! Just a weird year. Everything is later about 2-3 weeks.
Just got my first two tailed & western tigers today! Totally different from painted ladies I've been raising but I love entering this new territory!! Thank you for all this great info & clean layout!!
Hello! Thanks for watching! What state are you in? I get painted ladies too and always trying to get new butterflies in my garden. What were they attracted to?
@@dksgardenoasis Of course! I'm in Southern CA so I'm overwintering the swallowtails right now. With my painted ladies, they're munching away on Hollyhock! I bought a few live plants off amazon for my garden & for indoor use when I see eggs to contain inside; As soon as the butterflies were mating from the batch I had before, I guided the females over to the plant I separated (from the garden) within my mesh container. They started laying eggs almost immediately! It was one of the most beautiful sights to see. Even during release, they landed on the Hollyhocks outside and landed some more! The greatest thing is to see them curve around the leaf and place those baby dots so specifically. I've planted lots of milkweed as well with many wildflower packs, but that's to attract monarchs/any other species, as we can't order them in this area during the Winter. Hoping the spring brings around some new cool ones! Hope this helps & happy holidays to you & your butterfly babies!!🦋❤
@@gabriellar9576 it is amazing watching them gently lay those tiny eggs. I've heard great news about having great numbers for overwintering monarchs. I hope to visit their overwintering grounds in California in the next year or two. Happy Holidays to you too!
Nice techniques! I'm going to try them.
I'm no expert, but these techniques are 100% successful every year for me. Thanks for watching!!
Greetings from Michigan near Lake Saint Clair Detroit area Zone 6b, Monarch butterfly and Black Swallowtail rearer aswell ❤️ I'm expanding to the pipevine swallowtail, spicebush swallowtail,Red Admirals, hummingbird clearwing Hawk moth next year, I'm having a problem finding the Virginia Snake Root,its one of the host plants for the pipevine swallowtails,the Dutchman's pipevine is also a host plant for the pipevine swallowtails but it takes 3 yrs for the pipevine to establish
Wow! That's awesome! I have a couple plants for the spicebush swallowtail but haven't seen one yet. Let me know which plants you've had success getting other types of butterflies. I've had many different types of butterflies flying through my garden but haven't seen caterpillars other than monarchs and swallowtails.
@@dksgardenoasis all of my black swallowtail eggs were laid on my abundance of Rue plants,I space out my 21 rue plants around the yard,my monarch eggs came on the Showey milkweed and swamp milkweed in the yard,I have 6 pipevine swallowtail chrysalises that I got from a local nursery,and I have 1 Giant Swallowtail Catippilar that I got from Brenda the Author of How to raise butterflies,I met her last Friday ❤️
@@CompetitiveFishingFreak that's cool you met Brenda. I met Sara Dkyman the author of Bicycling with Butterflies and Carol Pasternak author of how to Raise monarch Butterflies & 5 Butterflies at a monarch conference in Kansas last year. It was awesome!
I have raised Monarchs for three years now. In Indiana, I released 28 the first year, 38 the second year, and will have around 50 to be released this summer. I have not only several butterfly weed plants and two swamp milkweed plants but planted seeds of the common milkweed last fall and now have 42 plants. Believe that helps in increasing my numbers - and saving me time searching for caterpillar food! This is the first year I have tried black swallowtail and I will have 20 released. I have many eggs and caterpillars on my curled parsley presently but don't want to bring in and overwinter so I will leave outside. However, finding your videos will be helpful in trying this next year - thanks!
I've been raising about 8 years. The 1st year was one (lol) because I planted Milkweed and saw a fat monarch caterpillar. I was hooked and raised at least 50 the next year, 75 the following year. It was way too many as I had to search for food, so I limited myself to 25-30 for the summer monarchs and 25-30 migrating monarchs. I also raised almost 100 the 1st year of black swallowtails and then decided to raise outside in my vege pod where i have dill and fennel. I probably raise around 50-60 black swallowtails a year and about 10-13 overwinter in my garage. I think I'll have at least 10 overwinter this year. I've been tagging for 3 years. My 1st year one female of mine that I tagged was found in a Mexico sanctuary. 😊I'm attending monarch watch next week, so stay tuned. I want to see what they're saying about the decline in Illinois this year. Thanks for watching and I'm glad you have found it helpful. 🦋
I just learned (from an entomologist) that you can leave the cats to overwinter on the dill stalks in the garden by using a mesh screening fabric to make an enclosure over them right in the garden. You would wrap a long piece of screening around the Dill stalks or Rue where they are about to hang. Wrap to make an in-garden enclosure by tying at the top with a piece of wire and tie the bottom with wire , forming an enclosure “balloon”. I hope you can understand what I’m trying to describe.❤
This is a interesting video I been wanting to try this with the ones that come around here thank you so much for the information 🙂🙂
Thanks for watching. It's been a strange year with the butterflies this year. The 4 that i hung all emerged so they did not overwinter, but one was a female and laid more eggs, so more than likely these will overwinter.
Ive released 40 black swallowtails 32 which wintered over,I have 25 chrysalises and 31 catippilars,my host plants are Rue, parsley, Qweens Ann Lace
Fantastic!! Where are you keeping them over the winter?
I'm keeping them in my 24 inch mesh enclosure that they make there chrysalis in
@@CompetitiveFishingFreak i see. And are you hanging it somewhere ?
@@dksgardenoasis yes in the garage
Last year I had a total of 10 Monarchs to release. The year before 2021 , I released 100. I could not find many eggs last year except for the 10. This year 2023 I managed to find 40 early on and even though I have lots of milkweed the eggs were not to be found after the initial find in early June.
Same for me the past 2 years have not been good. I had around 24-30 in early July and a lot did not survive. Every egg I've had since end of July has hatched but died in the 2nd instar. I'm thinking pesticide poisoning. My neighbors spray once a month🥲. By my front door I've had better success with that milkweed. Maybe the spray doesn't get soaked into the leaves there. They hatch and takes 2 weeks to get to instar 2 then eventually die. So sad. I just saw a monarch lay eggs again and i brought in 4. My 1st few years I had 75-100. Now I'm lucky if it's 30.
@@dksgardenoasis 2021 Iost 25 to something, they doubled over and burst, yuck. Guess I have to be satisfied with 40 this year. Normally have really good success with eggs and hatchling. Now what about that September question for the swallowtails. Might they emerge and if not put them in the shed for winter? I like to take my eggs from the milkweed leaf with a 1/2" hole punch, finger behind and twist with my fingers to remove a plug. Then place the plug onto damp paper towel until they hatch. Leaving the leaf mostly in tact
@ronaldcumpsty5605 I've prepared all of mine like they're going to overwinter. But i don't hang them in my unheated garage until October 1st. I have about 10 right now and 3 females have emerged. By September I'm assuming they'll overwinter. Also know that in the spring i bring them in the house around mothers Day . Spritz with water and they emerge usually within 10 days. But.. they can stay in their chrysalis up to 2 years. One of mine went into a chrysalis August 2019 and did not emerge until May 2021 !!! Skipped 2020 all together. Even with bringing it in the spring and back in the garage both winters. She was in her chrysalis 21 months!!! A big beautiful female!
And what a great idea with the hole punch, but I'd be afraid to punch thru an egg lol. I usually take the half/whole leaf, depends where the egg is, put it on a paper towel until it emerges. Second day i put a fresh leave underneath and they eventually move to the leaf
Hi, I live in the Bay Area. I have one swallowtail in its chrysalis now. It became a chrysalis on Oct 1. I have it in my apartment right now. I don't have a garage. It formed its chyrsalis on a stump of wood that I left in this mesh enclosure. 3 questions - 1)Shall I just leave it on the stump or would you recommend I detach it from its stump and put it like how you've done in this video? 2)since I don't have a garage, thoughts on putting it in the fridge? I could also find a place outside and leave it in the mesh enclosure in my community garden.. 3)At what point do I bring it back into my apartment?
Hello! You could leave it on the stump as that is what happens in nature. But, you could gently detach it's sling and put it in an enclosure outside. It just still needs to be protected from predators that could rip the enclosure. Don't put it the refrigerator. The conditions are not viable for them. As far as bringing in, you could leave it in your community garden and monitor starting May. I'm in zone 5B and I bring mine inside May 15th. I mist them every couple days and they usually emerge within 2 weeks. Good luck!
@@dksgardenoasis Thank you for the guidance! I'll leave it on the stump. :) Meanwhile a kind neighbor will take it and put the whole mesh enclosure on his balcony (which does not have direct sunlight). Since it formed its chrysalis on Oct 1 and has been indoors since then, will this 30 days of being indoors disrupt its process and might it come out earlier than May? Being a first time mama to this being, I'm so so thankful for sharing your experience!
No problem! It should be okay as long as it doesn't emerge now. It will go to sleep until the spring.
@@dksgardenoasis Thank you! fingers and toes crossed. :)
Hello, I live in zone 9B and discovered a swallowtail caterpillar on a parsley plant I picked up from my local garden center the beginning of October and it has since formed a chrysalis on a mesquite brach on the 12th of October. It is currently in an enclosure inside and has not emerged yet. Should I be concerned or is there a chance he may overwinter? This is my first experience and want to make sure I am doing everything I can to have a successful outcome. Your video is so informative, thank you. :)
Do you have a garage to put him/her in? If it didn't emerge in 10-14 days it might overwinter. I'm in zone 5B so i put mine in an enclosure and hang in my garage. It does get below freezing but protected. In May they all will emerge. Any other questions don't hesitate to ask.
When did it finally emerge? I'm in zone 9b also and this summer have some that have still not eclosed for over 6 weeks.
I'm in zone 5B and mine from last fall emerged in May. I have a few that are in a chrysalis and it's a little over a month so they'll probably overwinter. They could however take up to 24 months. I had one that took 22 months. I keep them inside or in good weather outside in an enclosure until late September early October right before the 1st frost which for me is October 15th. Next video by the way will be on overwintering Black Swallowtails. So make sure you're subscribed! Thanks for watching!
We had 5 go over winter. One emerged yesterday and one today. We had thunderstorms and tornado watches yesterday so I didn’t feel like I we could release him. But now today we have extremely high winds and the next three to four days are supposed to get really cold. I’m not really sure what to do. I had read about giving them sugar water. I just want to sustain them for the next few days and I’m praying the warm weather comes. Any advice?
Yes you could try sugar water. Where did you have them? They can't be kept indoors, depending on your zone it might be too early to for them to emerge. Generally they are okay without food for 24 hours, after that they need to be released and they will find shelter.
I did keep a monarch for 8,weeks . It had a bent wing and couldn't fly, so i gave it sugar water on a sponge and orange slices.
Hi! Thank you for this video! First time caterpillar host. Can you please tell me how long in takes for the caterpillar to make its chrysalis from the time it "hangs itself up" in the toilet paper roll? He's 20+ days old and I placed it 48 hours ago and he is still just in the stiffened, hanging form (silk pad) without a chrysalis. I am checking twice a day. Also, if I overwinter in cold garage, Zone 6A Michigan, do I need to mist them, and how often?
Depending on temperature it usually is 2 days. I'll bet it will be in a chrysalis tomorrow. Let it harden a day before putting in its pillow. I do not mist at all until spring when i bring indoors to wake them up. Make sure they're hanging in the garage to make sure mice don't get to them. Good luck!
@@dksgardenoasis Thank you!!! You are such a gem. I hope this works. Fingers crossed! :)
You're most welcome!
@@dksgardenoasis I made a little sleeping bag for the one that has now created a chrysalis :) Just waiting on one more to finish feasting!
@@moderncoloring-jenniferzim6122 fantastic! They will wake up next spring !
Sorry you haven’t had as many swallowtails. ☹️ This was my very first year and I’ve released around 30, have two eclosed today (8/15 in zone 5 Nebraska) and have 8 more chrysalis left 🥰 I’m hooked!!! My goal is to get some monarchs. Yesterday 8/14 was the FIRST day I’ve had two monarchs eat from my brand new tutti-frutti butterfly bushes. Weird because I have 6 butterfly weed but I watched monarchs just fly through my yard. I’ll probably wait until the cats decide they are done eating and form a chrysalis then move the enclosure out to my garage….Thanks for your video!!!
Thank you! It's really a sad year for me along with many others. I have butterfly weed as well, but they seem to favor common and swamp in my area, I did see a monarch one year on the butterfly weed and it is native to my area, so I'll keep it in my garden. Hopefully next year will be better. All of the chrysalis I had emerged except the one I left outside in my vegepod. It looks like it should emerge, so I'm not sure if something is wrong with it. A strange, strange year. Everything I've done in the past is out the window this year! Thanks for watching!
I have had my swallowtail in its paper sleeve in a clear ventilated container in my basement since October 2023. What should I do or feed it with if it emerges
Hopefully it won't wake up. Can you put it in unheated garage? It defines won't survive if it emerges now. Nothing to eat outside. It needs nectar and bugs outside.
@@dksgardenoasis so I have moved it to the garage and when it does emerge in the spring, do I just release it to fend for itself
@@ronaldcumpsty5605 yep! That's what I do and I make sure I have flowers for them. I'm in zone 6A and they are ready to be outside mid May. First , I bring them inside the house the 1st week of May and spritz them very lightly with water to wake them up. Within days, they wake up and can be released. And they usually mate right away and I have eggs on my dill by the end of May which I start in mid March inside.
@@dksgardenoasis 22c tomorrow so she, he can go. Thank you again.
How do you handle the ones you put in the pillow in spring since they're not attached?
In the spring i have them in my vege pod . The female lays eggs and when the hatch they eat the dill/fennel I have planted in the vege pod. They make their chrysalis on the cover of the vege pod or stalks of the dill/fennel. Then they emerge i release them. If i bring one inside to record the life cycle i put dill in tubes of water. They make a chrysalis in the enclosure and I release when they emerge. I only put them in the "pillow" in late August for the caterpillars I think will overwinter.
I live in an apartment and have some plants on my balcony. One of those plants is a parsley plant and there are probably 30+ black swallowtail caterpillars on it in all stages of development except the chrysalis stage. They have eaten at least half of the plant already and i dont think it will be enough for all of them but i would like to see them all become butterflies. Do you have any advice on anything i can do will keeping them outside to help them? Thanks!
The best thing to do is to find more parsley or other host plants like dill. Remember store bought parsley will probably be treated with BT so don't use that. If their are any fields with Queen Anne's lace that will do too. Good luck!
@@dksgardenoasis one more question please.. If they are outside like that, do they usually make the chrysalis on the plant or do they crawl away and make it somewhere else? Thanks for the help!
@joseyWales1796 they usually crawl away and make their chrysalis somewhere else.
@@dksgardenoasis I'm sorry, I promise I won't ask you anymore questions lol.. I tried to look it up but couldn't find answers.. could I buy organic parsley or dill to feed them? Would it have BT on it? Also, what is BT?
@joseyWales1796 don't apologize.. ask any questions. I just uploaded a new video where I talk about BT and to answer your question, unfortunately I would NOT buy organic dill or any herb from the grocery store. It is treated with BT to kill " worms" meaning caterpillars on vegetables. Supposedly safe for human consumption ( debatable) but not for insect consumption. It poisons them and they die. Most stores if you ask about it they don't know or say it's organic. But organic herbs are treated with BT.
Can u keep different types of caterpillars together or do u recommend separating them
Hello! I recommend separating them. Unless you don't have another enclosure. I think they would be fine temporarily.
Can they stay outside in winter in their Chrysalis? I'm in Michigan. It can get below 0° here. Or put in my garage or basement ? Help please 😊
They can stay outside. I'm in suburbs of Chicago and they do survive, but if you want to bring them in you could put in a small enclosure in your garage as long as it's unheated. Your basement will be too warm and they may emerge. Check out my newest video i just uploaded where I talk about it more. Thanks for your question.
@@dksgardenoasis thank you for the info !
@joanmarsiglia4548 you are most welcome!
You're a lifesaver this is my first time raising this species thanks for helping me
What zone are you? I'm 6 A and all caterpillars that went in pupas from August on overwintered. It's not temps it's how much daylight is what determines whether they emerge or not. I wait until til October 1st then hang in my garage until til May.
@@dksgardenoasis Im in zone 7 Pennsylvania would that mean that my caterpillars might still emerge?
@ryanzanimations9298 I'm not positive but you should be experiencing shorter days so i would assume these will overwinter. Because if they did emerge they wouldn't have time to lay more eggs that would emerge before your 1st frost.
By the way we're still in the high 80s here and they will still overwinter at this point.
@@dksgardenoasis ahh ok Thank you so much tho
So, they went into chrysalis about early August. You put them in the pillow or pinned others to enclosure. Not sure what you mean happens in September, might they emerge.? This is certainly different to Monarchs as once they go in the cage I do nothing else except provide fresh milkweed until they chrysalis and become butterflies
I wait until late September/early October to make sure they don't emerge, then hang in an unheated area like your garage or shed. Make sure it's hanging so varmints don't get at them. And yes , completely different than monarchs. I might put together a "how to" over the winter.
I did exactly as you said and today 30 April the swallowtail emerged. What should I do now, do I just put sugar water saucer and paper towel into the cage or let it go today. It is only 10c. Please reply ASAP. I am in Ontario Canada
Let them go! Yay! Right on time! She/He will now look for a mate. They like to be let go asap. Give them a couple hours to dry off and if it's flitting around the cage they're ready to go! Great job! I'm waiting for mine to wake up! :)
Also, they don't need nectar right away. There made job is to mate now. And after 24 hours it will find nectar from whatever is blooming now.
Sorry I just saw it's 50F/10C. What's the future forecast? If it's sunny, I would let it go-. If it looks warmer tomorrow, let it go tomorrow. Either way let them go in the next 24 hours regardless. They will find shelter. Pick the best sunny day and let them go. They will not need nectar like I said the 1st 24 hours.
Thank you so much for the speedy reply, this is my very first Swallowtail ever. Looking forward to more I hope, but in the meantime I will be looking out for Monarch eggs when my milkweed show later in May
No problem. Good luck. They'll be more on the way. It's just the beginning. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Happy Spring!
Can anyone please tell me how cold is too cold for black swallowtail caterpillars?
I have 8 and I’m in NJ
It’s warming up the next few days and I’d like to place at least 5 outside in morning as soon as it reaches 58 degrees, in the bright sun, but it’ll drop to the lowest of 47 degrees during these 59-63 degree days
Can I cover them at night until they go to chrysalis or must I bring them back in my house at night? I really want them to chrysalis outside this year so I don’t have to stress over them all winter. 5 are 24-48 hours to chrysalis I’m fairly sure from my experience and I have 2 - 3 that are in the third instar that’ll wind up having to stay their life cycle indoors
It’ll drop too low by the time they get there
I have been letting them chrysalis inside and then reattaching them to safe places outside during winter, but 8 out of my 15 were killed by European sparrows sometime during the winter sadly
So this time I’m gonna hide them really well and make sure they’re completely camouflaged
Hello! I'm in zone 5B and I had a couple of late caterpillars that I left outside . I'm not sure where they made their chrysalis, but I do not cut any perennials in my butterfly garden until late spring to give them some camouflage and safety. The rest I put in my mesh enclosure and hung in my garage and it was no stress at all for me. Every one has survived with me doing this every winter. In late spring i bring them in, mist slightly and they wake up and I release. Super easy. Good luck.
How cold is your garage in Winter though ?
My garage is unheated. So protected from weather but I would say 5 degrees warmer than outside.