My Set-Up for Raising Monarchs
- Misty
- Aug 27, 2019
- 5 min read
I normally post on Sundays, but due to overwhelming demand, I will post extra early this week! I hope this answers all of your questions. I'm so incredibly excited, that so many of you are interested in helping the Monarch population!
Raising butterflies is incredibly rewarding. There's not much in life where you can see the incredible process and transformation right before your eyes. Monarch caterpillars literally will grow overnight! Not only is this hobby fascinating, it is also incredibly rewarding.
I would like to take a minute and say a few things first. I am one person, and this is my way of doing it. It is not the only way, and it may not be the best way for you. I encourage you to make adjustments and find what works best for you. I also want to say that you can raise one butterfly per season and that is still making a difference! Please take it slow and don't overwhelm yourself. Get your feet wet so to speak and research as much as you can. Knowing what you're doing and how to do it, is going to be the best way to ensure your success and raising healthy butterflies.
This is a lot of information, so let's get down to business!
The first step is to plant milkweed and lots of it. Caterpillars are very, very, hungry and they eat a lot! Fall is actually the best time to plant from seed because milkweed seed has to be cold stratified. Definitely make sure you are not using any chemicals on your lawn, or any to kill insects, as that will harm the caterpillars and the butterflies that you're trying to help.
They are extremely sensitive! I cannot stress this enough. It may seem silly, but in my mind, my mantra is, just like a surgeon, scrub in, scrub out. (yes I wash my hands before and after, doing anything with the caterpillars or milkweed. -EVERY. SINGLE. TIME) The tiniest seemingly insignificant thing will harm your caterpillar. (Ex. If you have a pet on flea and tick medicine, you pet your cat/dog then move a caterpillar, no more caterpillar. I've heard some very sad stories, I want yours to be a happy ending, that includes butterflies being released, because it doesn't matter how many you've raised, a loss is still hard)
If you don't already have milkweed and nectar plants this would be your first step.
But if you do, you want to check milkweed as often as you'd like. Monarch mommy's will most commonly lay the eggs on the underside of the leaf, but the eggs can actually be laid anywhere on the plant (including on the flowers, stems and seed pods)
What I do is, I take my fingernail and poke out a little area around where the egg is (leaving a majority of the leaf intact) I do this because I may need the leaf for food and it also provides an area for more mommy's to lay more eggs.
After I'm done collecting the eggs, I bring them inside and put them in individual condiment cups (also called souffle cups, I prefer the 2 oz ones) I purchased mine from Walmart in the Disposable plate isle.
*And for those curious, yes, I absolutely do reuse anything and everything I possibly can. I reuse my Ziploc bags and cups and anything else I can, over and over until they wear out.
The eggs will hatch in about 3 to 5 days, cooler temperature slow this process so raising them indoors will make it take longer. Personally, I do raise my butterflies inside, (caterpillars rather)
Once the baby caterpillar has hatched, I move them out of the souffle cup, with a large needle (like the kind you would used for hiding thread when crocheting) I move them into a small latchable shoebox, that I also got from Walmart in the storage section. If I remember correctly it was $1.97, I put a napkin down in the bottom to make it easier to clean but you can also use copy paper or something similar.
I have modified these latchable containers so that they are breathable, I put a super fine mesh fabric on the top and I've either used a soldering iron to put holes or exacto knife to cut out the top. I hold fabric in place with hot glue and allow it to dry. I put fresh leaves in and clean as needed. Babies, especially tiny ones, do not like crunchy leaves so they need to be fresh.
I try not to put any more than 50 caterpillars in one of these. When they get larger, you may want to divide and put 25 in each container, if you are planning to raise that many. I leave the caterpillars in there until they grow large enough to go into a mesh zippable pop up laundry hamper, also from Walmart, I believe they were $6.97. I turn the mesh hamper on its side so it's longer and not so tall. I line the bottom of the mesh hamper with copy paper, I normally use about six sheets. In the hamper, you can see I put a bit of yarn across each side so I can hang milkweed leaves down from paper clips. I reinforce this with fishing line tied it to the outside and clipped in place with office clips, just to make it a bit sturdier.
Click thru this slideshow directly below for more pictures
To hang milkweed, I straighten a paperclip to push it through a pile of milkweed leaves that I stack on top of each other. This is the easiest and fastest way I have found to feed a large amount of caterpillars. If you are only raising few, you can simply lay the leaves on the bottom of the mesh enclosure, on top of the copy paper. Just like the smaller container, I clean and feed as needed.
Click thru this slideshow directly below for more pictures
Once the caterpillars have turned into a chrysalis ( I recommend waiting 24 to 48 hours for it to harden) I very carefully use a needle to pry the silk away from the top of the mesh enclosure. I then attach the silk to masking tape, and then put a paperclip to hang the Chrysalis from. I would also recommend moving the chrysalis out of a container if you have other caterpillars. They tend to be cannibalistic and may eat the newly-formed chrysalis. Make sure you have the Chrysalis and a place that the butterfly will be able to climb up the side of the container if necessary. Normally they just hang from the Chrysalis until their wings have hardened.
Pictures below are how I hang the chrysalis from masking tape with a paperclip.
After about two weeks after turning into a chrysalis, the butterfly will emerge. Toward the end of the metamorphosis into a butterfly, the Chrysalis will begin to turn clear, you will actually be able to see butterfly inside the chrysalis. Once the butterfly ecloses, it will take a few hours for the wings to harden and dry. Don't be alarmed, but the butterfly will expel meconium, this is a reddish fluid, there is nothing wrong with your butterfly- they all do this. After the wings dry and harden, your butterfly will be ready to take its first flight!
To learn more about the life cycle of a Monarch and how long each stage lasts, check out my blog linked below
This indoor rearing method that I have described, is what I do with monarch caterpillars and butterflies. I have raised other species of butterflies indoors using very similar steps to this.
If you have other questions, feel free to post here or on our facebook page listed below and we will be happy to help.
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