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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
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:
Tachinid FliesWhat 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:
Pesticide PoisoningSadly, 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:
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:
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:
Anal ProlapseWhen 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.  Resourceshttps://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/
123 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!
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?
Rebecca
6/19/2019 08:34:39 am
Hello Renee!
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?
Rebecca
6/19/2019 08:40:09 am
Hello Jan, 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.
Lindsey
7/19/2019 12:49:57 pm
A mantis will only eat food that moves.
Donna-Jo Grove
6/6/2020 03:51:08 pm
I have a monarch caterpillar that has climb to the top of the cage I made to protect them. He has wandered since
KP
6/10/2020 07:40:56 pm
It's probably going to molt?
Jaime
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
LeeLee
6/6/2020 07:13:15 pm
Donna Jo....absolutely normal. They stop after several hours & when moving head back & forth is when they are creating silk pad.
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.
Rebecca
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!
Jaime
9/3/2019 09:34:09 pm
Caterpillars as well as crysalides should be kept away from direct sunlight.
dee lee
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.
Rebecca
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. :(
Rebecca
6/19/2019 08:22:28 am
Hello Candace! 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
Rebecca
6/19/2019 08:17:59 am
Hi Karen,
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.
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.
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.
Mary Ap
6/21/2020 01:47:04 am
Regular fruitfly traps (likewlike redvred apples containingtcontaining applefapple cider vinegar) will kill tachinid flies. I place one near every milkweed plant and it helps a lot to get rid of them.
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?
Rebecca
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!
Rebecca
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?
Rebecca
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.
Rebecca
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?
Mary Ap
6/21/2020 01:51:20 am
That's what the caterpillar does when it tries to form a chrysallis and you or movement are disturbing it
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.
Rebecca
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?
Rebecca
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
Rebecca
8/20/2019 05:51:08 pm
Hi Maddie,
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! 10/16/2019 04:27:12 pm
What do you use to wash your milkweed leaves?
Mary Ap
6/21/2020 01:52:52 am
Use vinegar fly traps for the tachinid flies. Put one near each milkweed plant. They work
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?
Jeri
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?
Jaime
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
Jeri
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,
Jeri
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
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
Emily
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!
Jeri
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.
Emily
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,
Jeri
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.
Susan Smith
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.
Amber
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.
Amber
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.
Jeri
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?
DH
12/4/2019 11:23:31 am
Hi. I've read all the comments and answers and mine is a little different. 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!
Rebecca Chandler
4/4/2020 11:08:51 am
Hi Faye,
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.
Isabella
4/11/2020 10:52:45 am
Hi, um I have a few questions and concerns. First off, about five of my small, instar 2 cats died (about 5 of them) I'm not sure why but I try to follow all precautions but they just stop moving. I know for sure their dead because its been 4 days since they moved. Next: One of my caterpillars was molting and now its done but the old skin is stuck to its butt, what can I do to help? And lastly, I have a chrysalis that it starting to turn dark (I think normally) but the wing areas of it aren't as clear as they rest et, is that okay?? sorry if that didn't make a lot of sense :(
Angeline
5/7/2020 10:09:42 am
I’ve been raising monarchs for nearly 8 years now and stumbled upon something new that is affecting my caterpillars. They are dying while turning green, as though they’re soon to enter chrysalis... you can almost see the chrysalis under their striped skin. Sometimes it hardens sometimes the caterpillar stay soft, but it always dies. I’ve also had more cases were caterpillar’s are entering their chrysalis and part of the green chrysalis protrudes but then the caterpillar stops there and dies. Do you have any idea what could be causing this and how I can prevent it? I’ve dealt with nearly every other Butterfly ailment and predator including: assassin bug’s, tree frogs and toads which are usually not listed but this one is new to me and I am baffled.
Rosanna
5/26/2020 11:02:35 pm
Same thing here, tbut his is the 1st time its happed to my caterpillars. I also I'm trying to figure out what's causing this.
LeeLee
6/4/2020 07:17:15 pm
This just happened to me too. My remaining caterpillars were able to form their chrysalis but I have been having issues with them eclosing weak & falling. Have had to euthanize a few. I suspect I purchased pesticide free but OE infected milkweed. I think my 1st caterpillar that only formed part of the chrysalis was weak. It's been a sad week of eclosing here!
Lynette Calfee
5/12/2020 11:00:28 am
I have a mesh habitat and noticed a caterpillar crawling across on the mesh leaving a light green watery like trail. I'm wondering if it is getting ready to form a chrysalis. It doesn't appear to have anal prolapse so I'm wondering what is going on. Thank you.
Aracely
5/13/2020 11:02:34 am
We have been watching our monarch chrysalis for ten days now and has been a very solid black color for over 7 days. Is it dead? We originally found the green chrysalis on the dirt and decided to leave it alone to not bother it. But after research we decided to relocate him on the 3rd day and hang it from a branch. Could it be that the moisture from the dirt was too much for it? It has some dirt that stuck to it from laying down. Could have deformed it, but would this cause it to die? I can see wing outline on chrysalis, but it's all solid black. We had small child front one day during this time. Is it dead?
Jessica
5/14/2020 06:58:03 pm
Hello- I have both a butterfly garden and also grow/propagate succulents. In one of the online groups I am in, someone posted photos of early instar monarch caterpillars on trailing jade (senecio family) and thought they were eating it. Others in the group commented that they had had this happen as sell. Have you heard of this? If they are actually eating it, do you think this is harmful to them? Hello, yesterday I had one of my caterpillars die while attempting to pupate. The green underneath was showing just around the head and that’s as far as he made it. It looked similar to anal prolapse although at the other end. And obviously the green bit was normal looking for a chrysalis. I was wondering if this sometimes happens or if he was likely infected with tachnid flies or some other ailment. Thank you.
amritha
5/20/2020 10:55:30 am
I found a caterpillar attaching to the ground to form a chrysalis and brought it inside with some of the dirt underneath it. parts of its have turned darkish brown and the bottom tip has become black. It looks smaller than when it started. I thought this was part of its chrysalis process but now I'm afraid its not surviving well. Can someone advise me?
Eileen Brabender
5/30/2020 12:15:31 pm
My monarch butterfly chrysalis is one week old. It is green but has a bump on the side for days that looks like either the butterfly is stuck or some bug has attached itself to the outside. What is happening??
Sayyedah
6/2/2020 01:10:12 pm
Hi..... my caterpillar was originally a bright green, but after 2 days of keeping it, it started to turn sort of brownish and dark green, basically dull colors, and very lethargic and lazy..... he started to eat very little too 😔😬! So I wanted to know, IS MY CATERPILLAR 🐛 DYING?! Or is it natural?
Jeri
6/6/2020 09:08:06 pm
I guess whatever was happening is done now. I thought maybe it was getting ready to make a chrysalis, but not sure. What ended up happening?
Lily
6/3/2020 02:29:10 pm
Hello :-) one of our monarchs keeps falling off the leafs would you know why?
Zahaslan
6/6/2020 06:44:39 pm
Hi, I just had a Monarch butterfly coming out of its chrysalis and clinged on well to dry. After about 2 hours it's started traveling a bit further up my plant so I thought its going to be flying soon so I took my plant outside. An hour later I saw the butterfly had fallen off (there was wind) and I tried to put it back on the plant but it seems to have stopped knowing how to cling, it keeps falling off! And it still appear not to be able to fly yet (maybe the wings are not completely dry yet. How do I help this one? Feeling helpless
LeeLee
6/6/2020 07:10:33 pm
My experience has been minimum 3 hours of drying but preferably 4 hours. After 4 hours they seem to have no issues. I would bring it back inside or hang it from a flower or tree limb
Lauren
6/10/2020 01:01:51 pm
We found a caterpillar in our yard and put it in a jar with some leaves, within one day he started to hang in the j form, the next morning he had a gray cocoon surrounding him, I put a little water in the jar and left him, today I noticed the cocoon still the same but I could notice the wings forming, and then I saw in the bottom of the jar what looked like the top of his head???? What is this? Is it dead, or is this normal part of the process???
Jeri Thiede
6/16/2020 01:13:22 pm
When you found the cat, it was in the process of finding a spot to make its chrysalis. Usually they are green. Are you sure it's a monarch? Monarch cats only eat milkweed leaves. If water is still in there, I would take it out if you can. When they pupate, their old skin falls off, with the head being last, so that's probably why you think it's the head. You may want to do a little research about monarchs.
Rebecca
6/11/2020 05:22:44 am
A friend gave us 3 monarch caterpillars to care for, I have them in a box with a mesh covering. One climbed up to the mesh netting and stayed there overnight into this morning. He is alive and pooping
Jeri Thiede
6/16/2020 01:18:22 pm
When the cat is getting ready to pupate, they lay down a layer of "silk" to attach the cremaster to so they can hang down without falling.
Lauren
6/15/2020 04:52:04 pm
My one caterpillar I am trying to raise crawled to the top or the mesh enclosure I have, in what I expected was to pupate, but then dropped. It doesn’t look injured, but I can tell it had started to attach to the top with silk. That is now gone and the caterpillar is on the side of the enclosure, but hasn’t gone back to the top. It’s been several hours. Is there still a chance it will make it and start over again?
Meredith Priestley
6/16/2020 01:35:19 pm
My (outdoor) caterpillars are all dying. Their normally green stripes are pale yellow. Plants are in pots, and there are spider webs around the plants. I have tried to clear those, but found many little caterpillars in the webs as well. Does anyone know why they are yellow?
Zoe
6/25/2020 05:21:49 am
I’m having the same issue of paleness in the faces of maybe 2/100 of my caterpillars here in Florida as well! Never seen but thankfully none have died yet from this. Wondering if I should separate them for a bit
Connor
6/17/2020 08:43:29 pm
Not a monarch caterpillar but it was a small banana yellow one that fed on the vines that grew on my fence, I haven’t been able to identify the plant. The caterpillar seemed to be in the second or third instar during the time I had it (it was shedding when I found it). During its shed outdoors, it progressed very quickly and immediately started crawling again, however, about 2-3 days later and the time for it to shed and transition instars came again, this time however, it started shedding and then it just... stopped, midway through. The shedded skin had what looked like dark red dried fluid on the inside of its skin. It’s been more than a full 24 hours and it has not progressed at all through its shedding. I checked on it at the 24 hour mark and the caterpillar has gone completely limp. Its new skin is brown and When I went to coax it into moving, it seemed unusually squishy where it’s new skin was exposed. I was wondering if its new skin got caught on its old skin and it started hemorrhaging or if it couldn’t get its way out of its old skin and suffocated itself.
Laurie Passer
6/19/2020 07:55:06 am
Help please! My caterpillar fell from its I position and is no longer attached to its silk. What should I do?
Jaidin Borenski
6/19/2020 09:21:05 am
Hello! Wonderful site you have here, but anyways onto my question/ ask for help.
Laurie
7/3/2020 06:02:19 am
I have 4 black swallowtail cats and they seem to have eaten pesticide. One had the green vomit and I cleaned them all, patted dry and cleaned their jar. The green vomit one is in his own jar...but the rest look lethargic and have sticky poo. I feel horrible. Is there any chance of them making it through and just popping it out?
Rebecca
7/5/2020 07:59:57 am
Hi Laurie, it's great that you are keeping them isolated from the rest of the healthy caterpillars! Does this jar you are using for them allow proper ventilation? Many butterfly rearers prefer to use mesh cages because this allows water to evaporate within the cage and lessens the risk of disease. Another question is how are you sourcing your leaves for them (from your garden, a nursery, elsewhere?) You may want to rinse the leaves off before feeding them and make sure they haven't been sprayed with a systemic pesticide which makes the entire plant toxic even if you do rinse it. Best of luck!
Lana
7/4/2020 08:19:33 am
Hello! I have my milkweed plants in the house. When I bought them I found several caterpillars on it. But now I only see 2 of them. One of them has his backside stuck to the plant and he is struggling to move. Why is he stuck to the plant? He is on the top side of the plant. Can you help me please. If he dies, I will only have one left. Thank you.
Rebecca
7/5/2020 08:15:04 am
Hi Lana, thank you for your questions. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRebecca Chandler 
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