Common Monarch Ailments 101

8/7/2018

Many people have been asking, “What's wrong with my Monarch caterpillar/egg/chrysalis?”

This is a list of the MOST common problems that the Monarch Rearer may encounter and how you can either avoid your Monarch from being infected or avoid the infection from spreading to your other caterpillars. Hopefully these tips and indicators can help you raise healthier Monarchs in the future!

Warning: Some photos may seem graphic or unpleasant.

UPDATE: Flea and tick treatment along with several cleaning products in your home can be deadly to Monarchs caterpillars.

We recently received this tip from one of our readers.
Any flea or tick prevention given to cats or dogs, both topically applied and orally administered, are toxic to Monarch larvae.
Allowing your treated cat or dog to rub against your Monarch's cage can cause harm or death to the caterpillars inside. Petting your animal after treatment and then gathering milkweed leaves or touching anything in your Monarch's cage can harm your caterpillars.
Also, be aware of any potentially toxic cleaning products you may be using around your caterpillar cage such as Febreeze, other air fresheners, carpet cleaners, Windex, or Lysol. Remember that these are very delicate creatures and even small doses of chemicals can be fatal.

Prevention: Whenever interacting with your Monarch caterpillars make sure you washed your hands prior and/or wear gloves to be sure that your hands are free of any chemicals. Try to use natural cleaning products inside the room your caterpillars are living.

Black Death

What is Black Death?
As the name suggests, this is a fatal and very unpleasant ailment for the Monarch. Black Death is a general yet appropriate term used to describe the effects of two different infections. Pseudomonas is a bacteria that thrives in moist environments and Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) is a virus.

How to tell if your Monarch has Black Death:
Your caterpillar may be fine one day and the next start to become lethargic, start to deflate, refuse to eat and start to turn a darker color. Sometimes their chrysalises will turn dark brown or they pupate and then liquefy into a black goo. This can be a traumatic experience for the Monarch Rearer but once your caterpillar has contracted Black Death, it is nearly impossible to save them and the best thing to do is remove it immediately from the cage and disinfect anything it may have touched in order to prevent it from spreading to other caterpilalrs.

Note: NPV causes the caterpillar to climb to a high spot, hang in an l or inverted V shape, and die. The caterpillar then liquefies inside and when the skin of the caterpillars splits open, the black goo will send millions of virus particles on its surroundings. The smell is very pungent. If a caterpillar lies at the bottom of a rearing container (instead of crawling higher in the container) and dies either firm or mushy, it is not infected with NPV.

How to prevent Black Death

The Pseudomonas bacteria like moist, warm environments so try to keep your butterfly cage dry, well-ventilated and out of direct sunlight.
Clean the frass (butterfly poop) everyday and disinfect the tray before putting it back in the cage.
Gently rinse and dry milkweed before putting into your cage.
If you see any signs of an unhealthy caterpillars or chrysallises (read indicators above), isolate it from the other caterpillars.

O.E. (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha)

What is OE?
OE is a protozoan parasite that is spread through microscopic spores coming off the wings and bodies of adult butterflies. These spores are packed in between scales on the Monarch's body and when it lays eggs, often attaches to the egg shell. Because OE is a parasite, it relies on a living host and will generally not kill Monarchs but will lead to weakness, disfigurement, and lethargy. Eventually it may die from sheer exhaustion.

How to tell if your Monarch has OE:
You won't be able to tell if a Monarch has OE until it's in the pupal or adult stage. Infected chrysalises won’t have a uniform green color. You can check your chrysalis closely to make sure it's dark spots are mirrored on both sides. Heavily infected Monarchs may not emerge or if they do they may be deformed or too weak to hold on.

How to prevent OE:

Gentry rinse off milkweed with water before giving it to your caterpillars
Clean out frass and disinfect the cage everyday
In warmer regions where tropical milkweed grows all year, cut plants back to 6″ twice a year so fresh healthy foliage can emerge.

Tachinid Flies

What are Tachinid Flies?
Tachinid flies can be difficult to differentiate from other flies in your garden. However, if you look closely, you will see that they are hairy and have huge red eyes.

How tell if your Monarch was infected by a Tachinid Fly:
This is one of the easiest Monarch infections to identify. They lay eggs on monarch caterpillars and once hatched, the maggots will bore into the caterpillar and feed on them while they are still living. You can generally tell if your caterpillar has been infected if it suddenly gets much skinnier and will sometimes die while attempting to form it’s chrysalis. These flies also lay eggs inside chrysalises. After it’s host has died, the maggots will emerge, leaving tell-tale white strands of silk hanging from the caterpillar or chrysalis.

How to prevent Tachinid Flies:

Closely inspect monarch caterpillars before bringing them inside and choose ones that are second Instar or even smaller.
Keep a close eye on your caterpillars and eggs

Pesticide Poisoning

Sadly, it occurs quite often where nurseries treat their milkweed with pesticides or roadsides/fields are sprayed where you collected milkweed/caterpillars unknowingly.

How to tell if your Monarch has come into contact with Tainted Milkweed:
If your caterpillar has ingested pesticides it will often expel green vomit.

How to avoid this from happening:

If you notice your caterpillar vomit, gently rinse off the caterpillar under water and put it on a different (untreated) milkweed plant immediately.
Plant a large amount of milkweed in your garden so you don’t have to buy milkweed elsewhere
If you have to buy milkweed from a nursery, ask if they have been treated with ANY pesticides
If there isn’t a local provider close to you, check online for untreated milkweed seeds .
Proceed with caution even when companies list their products as safe for beneficial insects. Even organic products can be unsafe for caterpillars such as Neem Oil and Diatomaceous Earth

Trichogramma Wasps

What are Trichogramma Wasps?
They are tiny parasitic wasps that inject a single egg into the eggs of the pest. After consuming the contents of its host egg, a new adult wasp will emerge within 10 days.

How to tell if your Monarch has come into contact with Trichogramma Wasps:
If your egg turns completely dark keep an eye on it for the next couple of days to make sure a Monarch doesn’t hatch. If it doesn’t hatch, squeeze the egg inside of the leaf and dispose of the leaf.

How to avoid:

When gathering Monarch eggs, try to get them inside right away

Chalcid Wasps

What are Chalcid Wasps?
This is another tiny, parasitic wasp that waits for the perfect moment to attack your beloved caterpillar. It will approach when the caterpillar is in it’s vulnerable “J” stage and wait for it to form a chrysalis. Then, right afterwards, it lays hundreds of its eggs in the soft chrysalis.

How to tell if your Monarch has been infected by Chalcid Wasps:
Look for small black dots where it appears they have deposited their eggs.

How to avoid:

When gathering Monarch eggs, try to get them inside right away
Use fine mesh enclosures to raise monarchs. Larger holes in laundry baskets will allow these impossibly small wasps access to your monarchs during this most-vulnerable time.
If raising outdoors, do not leave your habitat open for long periods while cleaning and check the cage for flying insects before closing

Anal Prolapse

When this occurs, the caterpillar’s rectum protrudes from its anus, leaving a bright green ball at the end of your caterpillar. It’s not known what causes this, but it’s always fatal to the caterpillar.

Resources

https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/common-monarch-diseases-prevention/
http://butterflyfarms.org/monarch-predators-parasites-and-diseases/
https://monarchjointventure.org/resources/faq/common-monarch-problems
https://butterfly-fun-facts.com/oe-ophryocystis-elektroscirrha-monarch-butterfly/

88 Comments

Renee Larsen

9/15/2018 04:52:46 am

This is the most complete explanation I have seen. Is there a way to share it by e-mail or FB?

Marilyn Rackley

10/2/2018 10:54:11 am

I was trying to find an answer for this lady I met on a Boxer lovers site. She had a pic of a beautiful large Monarch sitting on the nose of her boxer and also in her hand and she said the butterfly appeared lethargic. She wanted to know why. I had created a Habitat for Monarchs some time ago and I remembered they can appear very docile but I didn't know why!

dee lee

12/5/2018 09:52:10 pm

please remember that any flea prevention given to cats&dogs -- topically applied or orally administered -- can affect these delicate creatures. the chemicals are effective through the pet's skin & fur, so even when petting them, care must be made to wash hands before handling cats or butterflies.

Rebecca

6/19/2019 08:36:26 am

Hello Marilyn!
Thank you for your question. Do you know if her Monarch was freshly emerged from the chrysalis? For about 24 hours after emerging from their chrysalis, the Monarch will appear lethargic. It is important not to touch their wings at this stage because they are still drying and can be damaged. Thank you for reading!

Rachel

8/27/2019 12:39:45 pm

Did anyone ever get an answer? I just found a large monarch lying somewhat on its side in our lawn. I thought it was dead. I used a small stick to put under his legs and belly and it moved. Barely at all, but loved. I lifted it up and put it on a table and it’s wings are trembling almost like they’re in a strong breeze. There is no damage at all to its wings. It will not fly though. It has been sitting there for hours. I can’t find anything damaged or wrong with it but it won’t fly and it’s wings just shake like a ton of wind is blowing on it. Any advice?

6/19/2019 08:34:39 am

Hello Renee!
Thank you for reading. You can share this blog by copy and pasting the link to Facebook. We will try to add a Facebook share button in the future to make it easier.

Jaime

9/3/2019 09:24:45 pm

Hi Rachel sounds like the butterfly you found must have just emerged and probably had fallen before she was completely dry, that might explain the movement of her wings. Butterflies need their wings dry and their muscles warm before they can take flight.

Jan

9/27/2018 07:29:04 am

Ive been watching a chrysalis for 2 weeks. It appears darker and I can see lines from the pattern of the wings. The dot attaching the chrysalis to the now dead milkweed leaf has been very dark for a week. Is it ok? The temps have been fluctuating from 40s to 60s. Should I take it inside and surround it with goldenrod and flowers frm the garden?

6/19/2019 08:40:09 am

Hello Jan,
Thank you for your question! The Monarch will generally be in the pupae (chrysalis) stage for 9-14 days. The chrysalis will turn clear right before it emerges and you will be able to see the wings inside. Hopefully this helps!

Iris Marie Bloom link

10/25/2019 08:52:00 am

Hi, just so you know, I've had one Monarch emerge this year after being in chrysalis for 24 days! I also know Maraleen Manos Jones had one for 30 days in chrysalis. Both emerged just fine and flew away after drying wings, in my case, for a full days since it was cloudy and cold out. When the sun came out on her second day of life, and temperature rose to 65, we brought her out into the sun on a flower, she nectared a bit on my Butterfly Bush, then flew away! (Heading south). She was able to grip, nectar, move and fly just fine. My theory is that as the nights get colder, they develop more slowly inside the chrysalis. Same with J. I had one mature big 5th instar cat hang in his J for 3 days before he made his chrysalis! Wow. And the chrysalis is developing just fine.

RMS

10/4/2018 01:36:01 pm

Yesterday I went over to one of my butterfly bushes in my backyard to count monarchs. I saw one that seemed to have green legs but when I looked closer it was a preying mantis leg. The mantis had the monarch in its grasp. I took the mantis off the bush, but it was too late and had ripped the head off the monarch.

Today a new monarch emerged from its chrysalis. It was fine and was flirting about on a different butterfly bush in my front (not back) yard. I just went outside and found it dead on the butterfly bush. I think it still has its head, but the head is sort of deflated oe collapsed. I looked all around and inside the butterfly bush and could not find a mantis.

I noticed some tiny black spots on the deck railing under the area where the butterfly was found. They look slightly bigger than pepper flakes and are perfectly round. This makes me wonder — did a mantis kill yesterday’s butterfly or was it already dead and the mantis took advantage of an opportunity to eat it?

This is my first year with monarchs. I planted common and swamp milkweed last year and only noticed my first chrysalis about a month ago. Since then I’ve had 5 monarchs hatch. I have 3 more chrysalides and they seem somewhat small and haven’t changed color yet.

Lindsey

7/19/2019 12:49:57 pm

A mantis will only eat food that moves.

9/3/2019 09:31:22 pm

The crysalides will stay on this stage from 10 to 14 days before they turn dark and emerge, they're also like us of different sizes.Hope this helps

Linda Vincent

10/12/2018 12:11:06 pm

I have a healthy black monarch, and four that are almost all black, very large eating good. Should I move them to ther own cage. They don’t get sun or slot of light.

6/19/2019 08:25:41 am

If there is a chance of an infected Monarch cat, I would always isolate them to keep an eye on them and to avoid spreading anything to other cats. Thank you for your question!

9/3/2019 09:34:09 pm

Caterpillars as well as crysalides should be kept away from direct sunlight.

12/5/2018 09:55:48 pm

I have one cat 3rd instar developed blackened skin 5 days ago, yet eats & poops voraciously, very active, getting big & fat....but hasn't molted in over a week. none of other cats have the black skin nor molting cessation. Any advice?

Kristy D

5/16/2019 12:37:41 pm

Mine turn a dark almost black before the go up to their J and chrysalis.

6/19/2019 08:24:34 am

It's possible that your cat may be infected. I would isolate it to a container by itself so that you can keep an eye on it and so that it doesn't infect any other cats you may be rearing. Best of luck!

Candace Glasgow

4/11/2019 05:09:12 am

My caterpillar started making its chrysalis two days ago. There's a small green cap of the chrysalis that formed at the bottom, but nothing has happened since. I'm trying to figure out how long this stage lasts or if the caterpillar has died. :(

6/19/2019 08:22:28 am

Hello Candace!
Thank you for your question. Usually the caterpillar will form it's chrysalis in 24-36 hours after getting into the 'J' position. Often this will happen at night or in early morning. If it has not formed a complete chrysalis by then, it is very likely that it has been infected with some sort of pest or disease. What you can do is take a piece of thread or floss to gently remove the silk pad from its cage and isolate it so that you can keep an eye on it and so that it doesn't infect other cats you may be raising. Good luck and please keep us updated!

Karen link

5/20/2019 04:29:28 pm

What a fabulous site, thank you for all of the information that you share with all of your fellow Monarch lovers. I have been raising Monarchs for years and this is the first time that I came across this situation. I have a chrysalis that is pink, apricot on color. The cat seemed perfectly healthy and robust, became a a normal gorgeous green chrysalis and within a few hours turned pink, apricot in color. The chrysalis is not dry or wrinkled like Black Death not does it have any dark spots. None of my other chrysalis are this color or have any other diseases. Would you happen to know what is/has happened to this chrysalis? I took photos to give you an idea of the color that I’m talking about. Thank you again for all of your help! I’m going to try to send a photo for you to see.

Karen

5/20/2019 04:51:06 pm

https://i.imgur.com/GewBIy9.jpg

Here is the link to the picture. Place it in the address bar in your browser to see it.

6/19/2019 08:17:59 am

Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for reading! I'm sorry to hear about your caterpillar. My best guess is that it is a bacterial disease similar to Black Death called Pseudomonas. The best thing you can do at this point is to remove any other cats you may have in the cage and disinfect the cage thoroughly to prevent it from spreading to any other cats. Best of luck!

Louise Bianco

6/18/2019 08:58:23 am

My monarch caterpillar began its chrysallis formation, but has stalled in the J formation. Should I be concerned?

Rebecca Chandler

6/19/2019 08:11:40 am

The Monarch will generally take one full day to form it's chrysalis while in the J stage. I have found that they often form the chrysalis at night or early morning. I would not be concerned yet and give it as much time alone and without interruption as possible. Thank you for your question!

Heather Bednar

6/23/2019 08:28:51 am

so many of my cats die from anal prolapse. It is so sad to watch them eat, look so healthy, go into J position and then it strikes! they appear to lose their strength to hold their heads up in j, then the bright green appears. I euthanize them since it says it is always fatal. Does anyone have an idea what causes it. It it very depressing for this to happen to mostly all of them.

Antonette

6/30/2019 12:13:34 pm

Hello. I have monarch host plant milkweed species on my patio garden in containers. I have had good success with nature taking it's course and have had lots of butterflies emerge. I have had about 2 rounds of caterpillars making it to butterflies. However all of a sudden my caterpillars are all dieting. I find them at the base of the plants in the dirt. They are either dead or lethargic, They do not appear to be black and I do not use any pesticides. Although the plants are in moist and full sun. So they do meet the conditions of the Pseudomonas bacteria Any trouble shooting ideas or any ways to treat the bacteria if the plants are outside? Thank you

Angela

7/1/2019 08:21:15 am

Thanks for the great information. I’m heartbroken to say our Monarch appears to have been attacked by fly larva. :(. It is fully black in its chrysalis. There are 6 larva in bottom of cage.

Will the Monarch survive? Should we assume it’s dead? We don’t want to give up on it.

Elisabeth link

7/31/2019 11:01:26 pm

It’s definitely dead. Sorry :(

Loretta Silecchia

7/4/2019 10:58:56 am

I am in SC. My cats are going good until they emerge from chrysalis. They are in mesh hamper cages. A few have died in j form but all of my butterflies emerged perfectly formed but can’t hang on. I had one today on the cage floor, I was able to get it to hang on to a twig with one foot and then it just died.It had been able to hang on to puff his wings out but that was it.
So upsetting not sure what to do anymore. I do not even see any monarchs laying eggs. Maybe another type of milkweed doesn’t have the parasite. I have Asclepius curassavia milkweed

Jeri

8/18/2019 10:05:07 pm

This is a bit late, and maybe you found your answer, but when they are weak, cannot hold on and are usually crumpled, they are infected with OE. Disinfect whatever it was in contact with as OE is like glitter and scatters everywhere from the wings. It is highly contagious in the sense it can be on anything an affected butterfly touches or comes near, like milkweed leaves. It is dreaded by us all and I have had a lot of them this year. Hope this helps

Marian

7/24/2019 12:11:45 pm

Thank you for the helpful information. Although not a common, a first intar cat can be infected by the fly. One of my first instar cats in my yard came down with it. My daughter noticed a suspicious white spot on it's back. I mainly rescue eggs now because Tachnid fly is too present in my yard. 95% of the wild caterpillars are infected. But I decided to collect this cat and watch it. It ate moderately well until 5th instar, but I always noticed that it was smaller than my other caterpillars. When it finally molted to 5th instar, it was about half the size of a normal newly formed 5th instar and a day later tried to J unsuccessfully. It eventually died and I opened it up to discover a couple fly larva inside.

Tera

7/26/2019 01:24:38 pm

Two of my caterpillars look lifeless. They are underneath a luge and hanging on only by half their feet. Their heads are just hanging down. Not in a J. More of an arc. I'm worried that its two of them. Could it be a sickness?

8/20/2019 05:40:21 pm

It sounds like they may be infected. The only thing you can do is to prevent the sickness from spreading to other caterpillars. To do this, you can carefully move the chrysalis with a Q-tip or string to another cage and monitor them closely. In addition, clean the cage thoroughly before adding other caterpillars. Best of luck!

Penny Curtis

7/27/2019 06:52:43 am

I have a monarch caterpillar that has formed u-shape but hasn't formed crystalis..its been about 12 hrs since it attached. Is it ok?

Carla

7/28/2019 03:06:44 pm

Please help. A fifth instar caterpillar was wandering off the milkweed plant, looking for a place to J. It climbed up the side of my house, but then fell onto the rocks below. It was “bleeding”, but the bleeding stopped. However, it seems unable to use its hind prolegs and is dragging itself along with its true legs and first few prolegs. Does it have a chance or should it be euthanized?

Emily

7/29/2019 05:23:32 pm

I have a mesh cage that i keep my cats in. I started with 5 monarch caterpillars. They ferociously ate the large milkweed plant, but only one fed off of the smaller milkweed plant as far as i know. I have one that formed a chrysalis on the wdge of the pan, 3 have disappeared (its kindof the end of the summer for the box and there are plenty of places to escape thanks to rain and wind, or they have made their chrysalises someplace i cant easily see). I see no dead cats anywhere in my enclosure. Today i noticed one writhing around. I have taken him out, rinsed him and placed him in a new place with fresh leaves from one of my wild plants (that i know I didnt treat with anything). It is possible that my plants weren't grown with out pesticides, but none of the others seem to have died and there is no vomit that i have seen. Just writhing. What could it be?

Pat

7/30/2019 11:17:42 am

This is our third year raising monarchs. First year was enormously successful. Second year started to get black chrysalis on most of them. So we removed the old plants and bought new ones this year. Disaster! They are all black and dead. We have dozens of eggs, butterflies visit every day.

Pat Dellios

8/4/2019 04:54:30 pm

Help!

8/20/2019 05:42:40 pm

Did you clean your cage thoroughly before adding new caterpillars? If there was an infection, the infected cats need to be isolated and the cage needs to be cleaned with a diluted solution of bleach if possible. Best of luck!

mari

8/4/2019 01:13:05 pm

The chrysalis form nicely with a good color then all of a sudden when it was about time to become a butterfly it turn black and could not remove itself from the Chrysalis What to do?
If there is a desease how do I get rid of it the leaves of the milkweed have black spot and then it urn yellow and dies Are they connected?

8/20/2019 05:45:05 pm

Did the chrysalis turn black or clear? Before a butterfly emerges the chrysalis will turn clear which appears black but this should only last for 18-48 hours. The best thing you can do is to remove the potentially infected cat or chrysalis before it infects the others and clean the cage thoroughly.

Jade

8/10/2019 11:15:54 am

I have hatched many monarchs in my life but have never seen it happen until today. At first what it was doing was normal then the chrysalis broke in half and the butterfly fell. Parts of the chrysalis were stuck to the butterfly and it was unable to release its frass. It hasnt moved since but is still alive. And only 1 of its legs are working.

8/20/2019 05:46:27 pm

Once infected, the best thing you can do is prevent other cats from getting infected. Remove the potentially infected caterpillar and put it in another cage to be monitored and then clean that cage thoroughly before adding any more monarchs. Best of luck!

Loretta M Smith

8/13/2019 02:41:05 am

I have a 8 day old monarch caterpillar. He He was eating great and than I came home from work and he is just laying there. It has been 12 hrs now that he hasnt eaten or moved ( that i noticed) What is going on?

Jill

8/17/2019 11:57:10 am

When they molt they stop eating and moving for a day or two

Marissa

8/13/2019 07:29:12 am

My daughter and I are are new to raising monarchs. We have several in different stages. I have one that I am concerned about. It was on a milk weed we dug up and I didn’t notice it. It was hanging upside down not in the j position. It’s legs are still attached to the leaf. I thought maybe it was going to changing in to the next phase but this am it is still hanging upside down. I thought it was dead but it started to move it’s head around like it it is trying to reach the leaf. It has not ate since we dug the plant up. I thought prolapse rectum but it’s not green like every thing I have read. Any ideas?

Anjones24

8/16/2019 06:09:22 am

I have a chrysalis that has a dark spot on the one side of it. What could this be from? The caterpillar acted normal and ate normal. Went into the normal "j" Should I take it out so it doesn't spread this to the others or just keep an eye on it.

8/20/2019 05:48:33 pm

Thank you for your question. If there is any suspicion of an infection, I would remove that caterpillar or chrysalis very carefully, place it in another cage to monitor it and then clean the cage thoroughly.

Carol

8/16/2019 11:37:01 am

This is a question. My monarch hatched today but fell from the chrysalis before the wings were dry. What can I do?

8/20/2019 05:49:51 pm

You could carefully pick it up with a Q-tip and place it in a safe place for its wings to dry. Be careful not to further damage the wings of course. Best of luck!

Maddie

8/20/2019 09:34:18 am

I have a caterpillar (I honestly don’t know what kind of butterfly it will turn into) but the thing is, it attached itself to a stem and wove a few things of silk around itself but never finished the cocoon. U can see the wings and head forming on it, it stopes forming about a day or two ago, do u think it’s dead? I don’t know what to do with it. It’s been about 5 days since it attached itself

8/20/2019 05:51:08 pm

Hi Maddie,
I would give it all the time it needs to form it's cocoon or chrysalis. At that point, there is nothing you can do to help it along.

Tawnts

8/28/2019 07:07:42 pm

I have found that the best way to keep my caterpillars healthy is to keep each one in its own jar with a square of window screening overtop. After each chrysalis hatches, I wash the jar. I also wash the jar in the dishwasher if the caterpillar dies. This has been a bad year for the tachnid flies. I have lost 5 caterpillars to them already. Last I had none infected, regarded of the instar when I collected them. I hatched over 270 butterflies successfully last year. It was insane! In previous years i have never had more than one caterpillar infected by tachnid flies. I have also had two butterflies that hatched with pieces of chrysalis stuck to their wings and a lot more than normal that fell to the bottom of the jar before the wings opened. My husband laughed at me a few times when I washed the milkweed if I collected it from somewhere where it may have been contaminated by pesticides but obviously it may be a good idea to do all the time. I think I will start to do that all the time and see if that helps. Thank you for an excellent article!

Carolyn S. link

10/16/2019 04:27:12 pm

What do you use to wash your milkweed leaves?
Tap water plus dish soap? Or something else?
Thanks so much!

Jami

8/30/2019 05:19:59 pm

I live in NJ. Chrysalis form then with in a day are gone. Top of chrysalis is left stuck to fence. What would be taking them?

9/2/2019 05:08:52 pm

It could be anything, but I would suspect a praying mantis. Anything bigger than the chrysalis might grab it. They don't have a chance in the wild with so many creatures out to get them.

Jeanine

9/3/2019 08:20:27 am

This wss very helpful to me. 2018 I had a bumper crop of monarchs in my flower beds. This it looks like the black death got all of them. I don't use any pesticides. I had a great crop of milkweed too. How can I prevent this?

9/3/2019 10:09:27 pm

Hi Jeanine. Try collecting the eggs when they're freshly laid and to do so just grab the whole leaf and wrap it in moist paper towels they'll emerge in 3 to 5 days, can make homes for them out of spinach containers, just cut out a rectangle off the cover and tape a piece of screen on it this will help with ventilation, you could easily put 2 to a container and bring them indoors. Watch a video of Rich Lund he has great knowledge about raising Monarchs. God bless.

Lilian

9/5/2019 07:40:50 am

Chrysalis formed against glass as such it;s flat on the top side (above the gold band) wonder how will this impact the butterfly? Thank you

9/5/2019 01:19:54 pm

It's hard to tell. You could remove it and hang it somewhere else. The glass may get pretty warm. Try to pull up the silk around it where it is attached and tie or use a spot of glue to attach it to a stick or something where it can hang straight down. Don't move until it has hardened a couple of days.

Liz

9/7/2019 01:55:14 pm

Hello, I currently have a cat that took about 36 hours to molt. It has now been about 6 hours since molt but hasn’t consumed all the skin and is really just laying around. Is this normal? It just entered its fifth Instar.

Ann

9/8/2019 04:04:13 pm

Greetings,
We have a monarch chrysalis on the side of your house which has been fun to watch. However, it has turned black, is it dead?

9/8/2019 05:15:24 pm

Before they eclose, they get black and you can see their wings inside the chrysalis. Otherwise, it could be infected and die. Once they turn black, they usually eclose the same day. Mine always do in the morning or very early afternoon.

Emily Roth

9/13/2019 11:06:32 am

I have a monarch which I raised from an egg. He just can't fly he is 72 hrs old. I have tried everything I can think of. Food gave orange slices, made nectar, put him on flowers and left for hrs. He just sits there a strong wind knocks him over he can't really even hang on to the plant. I need HELP!! I am not sure how to help this little one. I have even unfurled his proboscis and put in the nectar.

Alice Paidas

9/17/2019 06:17:17 pm

Hi I had a butterfly fall from his chrysalis last year. We helped him back up to the top of the mesh cage,but he clearly had a damaged wing. He was perfect in every other way. My 6 yr old wanted to keep him since he only flapped around and wouldn't survive in the wild. So we kept him and cared for him until he died almost 3 months later. He was a very special butterfly. He would wait to come out of the cage and ride on our shirts. He was amazing..we still miss him.

J Albetski

9/25/2019 12:10:22 pm

Someone gave my wife a chrysalis glued to a stick. After 10 days or so it changed from green to clear and started to emerge but it never fully did. A red liquid appeared on the paper towel under where it hung. We waited some
Hours, then I tried to get the clear part off. Didn’t want to hurt it so left it overnight. This morning got it off of the stick but it’s wings never opened and it’s very weak. I gave it an orange slide and sugar water on a paper towel. But I think we should just freeze it? Something is clearly wrong with it.

Jennywren

9/26/2019 11:34:40 pm

Once they eclose, if their wings are not pumped with their liquid, they won't be able to fly. It could have the dreaded OE, or a type of bacteria that causes them to be weak and they can't hold on after eclosing, so they fall and can't get up. Once they've been lying for a while, their wings won't fill out. If it hasn't died already, yes, you could freeze it.

Jennifer

10/19/2019 11:07:29 am

Hi, our monarch chrysalis’ have been clear/black for 4 days and are in a mesh enclosure. Suddenly I found about. 4 flies inside the enclosure one day. A different cat had died at the bottom of the cage just prior to the other two forming their chrysalis. I noticed after the fact and was unable to open the enclosure due to the fact the chrysalis had been attached to the zipper. So I’m hoping that the dead cat did not infect the others. They have made it through the entire chrysalis cycle except have not emerged (colors changed from green to black/clear- I can still see orange wings a bit). Is there any chance they’re alive? We’re in October so I think these are 4th generation cats- maybe they take a little longer to emerge? The chrysalis have been up for about 16 days

10/21/2019 08:12:15 am

Within the last week I've lost two large monarch caterpillars to a predator. After researching pretty sure wasps found them. Both caterpillars were on the giant milkweed plant (potted). I just brought the plant inside to try and save the remaining caterpillars. Will they survive on the plant inside and should I do anything else? Or move the pot in another area of garden? Not sure what to do:( so devastating to see aftermath. Thank you for any advice!

10/21/2019 10:04:24 am

Where are you located? Must be far south since it is so late. Won't hurt to try to keep them in. I do all of mine separately in containers and feed them a leaf or so a day. I try to get as eggs, but often bring in all sizes and take my chances. I'd be worried about other things being in the plant that might also get to them.

10/21/2019 10:52:54 am

Thanks so much for your suggestion. Yes, I am in Central Florida- it's still 85 degrees here and lots of monarch activity. But seeing more and more disappear. ..Will look into containers and try that!

Paulina

10/27/2019 11:46:29 am

Hi,
My monarch caterpillars are leaving their host milkweed plant to find a place to form a chrysalis. They are nice and plump and active. However, some of them are bending over the middle of their body, forming a very sharp angle, and dying. They don’t have any change in color, I don’t see any discharge from their body, or any spots that suggests eggs from parasites or insects. Any ideas on what’s happening to them? Thank you, I appreciate your help.

Paulina link

10/27/2019 01:27:48 pm

I’m including a short video of the caterpillars

10/29/2019 01:20:52 pm

Generally, when they bend, they turn black and die. They apparently had some type of bacteria entering their bodies that eventually kills them. Recommended to disinfect everything and not keep them altogether in a container so it spreads. I do keep all of mine individually in containers, but do lose some like that. At least separated, it can't spread to others.

Susan Smith

11/18/2019 06:02:57 am

I have eight Monarch chrysalises (chyrsalids?) and it's already November 18. Should I winter them inside? I have a decent sized cage and can let them for exercise. The longest I've had a Monarch was a week or so for one with deformed wings and then s/he died. I'm very willing to try but very unsure how to do this.

11/18/2019 06:04:18 am

Pt 2-I'm sorry. I forgot to say we are in Central Florida but having a colder than usual autumn.

Amber

11/24/2019 05:53:50 pm

Hi Susan! I believe there is a group of monarchs that stay in florida instead of migrating to mexico/california, so I think the monarchs should be fine.

11/24/2019 05:42:37 pm

We recently raised some Monarch butterflies in my science classroom. Although it was a very fun and exciting experience there has been one thought that's been on my mind. A couple of our monarchs had some thought-provoking deaths. One of them went into a strange j-shape before they turned black and fell. At first I thought it was the black death, but after doing some reading I realized that our monarch did not liquify. Another death that I found interesting was a case of monarch cannibalism. One of our monarchs went into their chrysalis and a caterpillar that was still alive ate part of the chrysalis. The part of the chrysalis that the caterpillar ate turned black, I'm guessing because of the blood, but it looked like it continued to develop. The caterpillar also went into a chrysalis. After 2 weeks I believe, we could start to see the outline of the wings on both chrysalids, but it has been 3 weeks now and we believe that they are both dead.

11/24/2019 05:51:39 pm

Hi! it's me again. I forgot to mention, there was one of our monarchs that died as an adult monarch. I believe it was because of OE, since his wings were deformed when he emerged. But he did fall from his chrysalis, we moved him to a string on top of cotton balls, and when he was in his caterpillar stage he grazed over a caterpillar that was bent at a very strange angle (it was in it's 4th stage). Could that have affected the wings somehow? I thought maybe the caterpillar he grazed over might've had OE but I don't know.

Sally

12/3/2019 09:13:11 pm

I have a caterpillar chrysalis since 21/11. It turned dark but still transparent on 2/12. Now it’s not moving at all. Is it dead? Usually it will move it’s tail.

12/4/2019 05:43:52 pm

What do you mean by tail? A monarch chrysalis does not have a tail. Is it a chrysalis for something other than a monarch?

12/4/2019 11:23:31 am

Hi. I've read all the comments and answers and mine is a little different.
I have milkweed in my yard with lots of catipillars.
I saw them dying . Both in catipillars and in chrystalis. Had maggots and possible black death?
So a month ago I bought a new milkweed to give the catipillars I brought clean leaves so they weren't infected.
A couple days later there was a baby on the new milkweed. None of the other catipillars were ever near it. So I put mesh around it so it was totally protected from everything. I nvr even touched it.
I did put it outside away from the other milkweed and nvr opened the mesh bc the catipillar was doing just fine.
It was eating good. Then climbed up the mesh and was up there for 2 days then two days in J form. Total 4 days. Weather fluctuating from high 55 to 69 to lows 45 to 50 at night.
Alive and well last night. Checked on it this morning and it was shriveled up. Barely anything there. Maybe just the skin? Nvr went green. What happened?
I found another one like this two days ago by other milkweed on the ground. Nvr in j form.
What happened to it? It was big and healthy last night in J. Was hoping to see it in crystalyis this morning.

ricardo link

3/7/2020 03:25:56 pm

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faye eaton link

4/2/2020 12:02:04 am

My milkweed cotton bush was covered in large caterpillars. It also has tiny ones hatching from numerous eggs. However, at no stage have I seen any crystalises..I don't use any sprays etc - I only have the one bush. It came up out of some compost I bought. The bush has been very healthy. Some of y native plants died because of the hot weather and drought but this bush has thrived!

4/4/2020 11:08:51 am

Hi Faye,
Thanks for your comment. Would you be able to send a photo of your milkweed bush with the eggs? I would be curious to see what the caterpillars look like. Thanks!

Jeri Thiede

4/9/2020 10:10:05 pm

It could be that they aren't big enough to make a chrysalis yet. But the other thing is that they leave the plant to make their chrysalis, often about 30 feet away from where they were feeding. If there are eggs and some hatching, larger caterpillars may accidentally eat them. I always bring all my eggs and caterpillars inside to raise them.