Mr. Lund, Today...the final two Monarch Butterflies hatched. We will release them this afternoon. I am proud to say we were able to raise and release over 100 healthy Monarch Butterflies this season. I learned A LOT. There were definitely some "highs" and "lows" along the way, but well worth the experience. Thank you so much for your videos. They were definitely the inspiration for us to participate in this wonderful experience. Looking forward to next Spring. All the best to you. Tracee

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

I'm very happy that you kept with it, despite some early set backs you described. It's great to have a committed person such as yourself along for those ups and downs. Next spring, I'm hoping for a better beginning than I was able to get this year. And, keep an eye out for some more Monarch vids this winter. I have footage, but need to get some other things out first. I'm hoping for a November or December vid that will be a pretty important one.

@JenniferH1724

5 жыл бұрын

A hundred? Surely no lows lol.

@fostoriadistrictrailfan3907

2 жыл бұрын

@@JenniferH1724 i raised 175 last year lol

@mythicgamingmk1105

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrLundScience love this song in this video😊

I swore I watched the whole series just a couple weeks ago to get ready for the monarchs to come here (TX) on their way back to Mexico and now that I’ve spotted my first tiny instars on my milkweed, I forgot everything and freaked out! So here for a refresher :). Thank you again for all you have done to help educate!

I've just picked several large milkweed plants and grew them in a pot, and put the caterpillars on those. No changing, replacing leaves, simple.

@MrLundScience

8 жыл бұрын

GhostBoyX13 That's definitely another way to go about it. As long as one can supply their caterpillars with enough leaves, then their system is working just fine. For me, the year I made the Raising Monarchs series, I collected exactly 150 eggs. This year, I've collected 267 so far. For me, collecting complete plants is not a feasible option. I collect leaves from plants in nearby locations, and never take enough leaves from a plant to decimate it. Once I get going with a number of eggs, I don't really go on specific egg hunts any longer, but just end up finding eggs while collecting leaves for caterpillars I'm already rearing.

Such great footage of the baby caterpillar and the musical accompaniment is perfect. 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽

@MrLundScience

9 ай бұрын

See everyone? I'm not crazy. Not with music, at least.

I’m currently showing the 4 year old who is amazed by the caterpillar we discovered; coincidentally being monarch, and what I know about extinction, we’re taking this on and your videos are so helpful! Wish us luck! I hope he gets to see the entire transformation. Also adding, ky girl, I found a milk weed abundant at red river gorge engulfed in monarchs! I am going to be buying a lot of joe Pye weed next year, I would encourage everyone to do the same to support our butterflies. Designated one corner of your yard to wild flowers and weeds, go pull the weeds if bad... no chemicals. Not just for butterflies but our honey bees which make the world go around!

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Greetings Andi! I definitely do wish yourself and the 4 year old mentioned luck in the rearing. Hopefully the 4 year old will get to witness some of the really cool (and quick) transformations that can happen, such as forming the chrysalis or the adult eclosing from it. It is always breathtaking. Amazing and humbling at the same time, with a dash of pride thrown in. You can't help but feel some pride when it makes it to the adult stage. Best of luck!

Rich, my first season has ended with 73 released! Thank you for the videos, they have been very helpful. Your students are lucky to have you!

The "wandering cat" that was on the plastic lid had secured itself ans was waiting to molt. You can tell by the detached face plate that looks like it's just barely sitting on the face (but their not easy to get off). The cat removes the face plate after it sheds the skin by wiping it's head back and forth agains the plant or other object it's attached to. The cat will often wander off the plant in the hours before molting looking for a quiet private place because they do not want to move or be handle while their waiting to molt. Molting takes a lot of energy and effort and any interruption could cause problems.

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

That may be true, and I'll trust your assessment of the head caps. Back then, I wouldn't have known enough to spot that. However, at the time, I had previously had some caterpillars do such a wandering (perhaps to molt) only to never make it back to the leaf. I lost some of those. So, it could be a risk either way, I think. I can say, I haven't had any wanderers I've relocated have any noticeable negative consequences to being relocated back to the leaf.

I have raised larger caterpillars and today found much smaller ones on my milkweed. Thanks for the video in caring for 2nd instar caterpillars. Great series. Ty.

Great video! Was thrilled hearing FNM’s Midlife Crisis too. Angel Dust is one of my favorite albums ever.

Just watched your entire series. I have been raising monarchs since I was in grade school (I'm 57) and I had to learn for myself what works and what doesn't. I can find no fault with your videos except for this omission: When the caterpillars are about to molt, they will spin a thin layer of silk to attach their feet to. If they are removed from this anchoring, they will have difficulty shedding their skin completely and could die as a result. I always check a caterpillar that is not active before moving it to see if it's in the process of molting. This is indicated by the head being translucent with a new, larger head showing behind it. If this is the case, I'll move the caterpillar along with the leaf it's attached to. The "wanderer" in this video is about to molt. At 4:26 you can clearly see the small, translucent, old head with the larger, new one behind it. That caterpillar should not have been moved. You should also advise your viewers not to move molting caterpillars from their anchoring.

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Your advice is much appreciated. I too have wanted to correct this a bit, and plan on showing a more accurate video about the molting process. If it's any consolation, I only try to coax the caterpillar onto the leaves in this way, and if they aren't into it after just a few seconds, I wouldn't move them. These days, though, it's been a lot easier for my eyes to spot what you are saying about the translucent cap, and the silk pad. Hence why I wanted to make another video about it. Many thanks for your input!

@theredstonehive

5 жыл бұрын

This happened to me just now, and the skin got stuck on half way through molting. I dunno how it came off the silk though.

I'm so happy to have found your channel! Two days ago I found a monarch chrysalis in an area on my property where it would surely be destroyed. After doing a lot of research, I decided to not only keep it indoors until it emerges a butterfly but also went on an egg hunt. Got a little more than I bargained for and now have 10 eggs, two larva in the second instar, three in the third instar and one pupae. The information you've shared here is so incredibly helpful. New subscriber, here, and very excited to see more videos!

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Very cool, Liane! There's many videos these days, but if you're getting started at this time in the season, you may wish to watch these two videos next... "Captive Rearing And Migration" - kzread.info/dash/bejne/ipd8matyc9fAgrQ.html "Outdoor Rearing" - kzread.info/dash/bejne/fp55ybdphcWbmLw.html These two discuss some recent information about the outdoor environmental cues that are necessary for the Monarchs to "know" to migrate. Good luck, and welcome aboard!

I appreciate you put so much time in making these helpful videos. I learn a lot.

when in doubt, use a “piece of leaf!”

Just released my 1st one from 2nd batch this am. Your teaching videos have helped me so much. Thank you

I wanted to leave a Thank you for your videos and tips. I’ve e been rearing for over ten years and last winter I was looking on KZread to see how others reared. I watched all your videos and decided to use your leaf method this year. In the past I’d bring home stalks but a lot of times they’d wilt so I was wasting it. This year I was able to get cats from my own milkweed patch, and feed them from the same patch. I brought in 29 eggs and only had one casualty (made it to chrysalis stage, turned black). 28 healthy Monarchs this year! Your shoe box idea of stage separation worked great because I knew how much I’d have to supply. Thank you!

Not only are your videos hella informative, the videography and music accompaniment is perfection! 😻

sweet camera shots! thank you for raising Monarchs, bless your heart!

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed them. It's nice to get up close and personal with them, for a limited time, of course.

Going to start this year. Planted a bunch of milkweed last year. Nice primus tunes and midlife crisis by faith no more also. Thanks so much.

Thanks for sharing the series,, it’s been almost 9 years but I found it really helpful

Greetings Mona. I do collect the "cats" that I find on the milkweed plants when looking for eggs, solely in the hopes of ensuring their survival as well. I question whether I should, as they did make it "that far" on their own. Even so, I have had a 100% success rate with collected cats, so I have continued to collect them.

Very informative series. I started raising them this year after seeing so many Monarchs on my Mexican Sunflower plant last year. They love those flowers! I planted milkweed seeds last fall and now have 4 nice size plants. I cut out the center of the plastic lids on some Sterilite plastic bins, shoebox size and 16 qt size, and covered the smaller bin with a piece of very fine mesh voile from fabric store, and the larger bin with fiberglass screen then put the lids on to hold in place. I trim the leaf away from the bottom of stem about an inch and stick them into little florists tubes filled with water. So far I have 2 chrysalides, one cat building a button, 2 on walkabout and 4 smaller instars. I am so excited for eclose! You would think I've never seen a butterfly before! I have to say, a tad overkill on the music, but thanks for your hard work on the vids themselves.

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, some like the music, some don't. Honestly, when I was making these first five vids, I had zero idea that they would become popular videos. So, I was making them with music I enjoy. In hindsight, I suppose to reach a wider audience, I'd not have as much, but as my father likes to say, "It is what it is." Thank you for taking this task to heart! They appreciate it!

Love your music choices! I just started raising Monarchs. It's addictive.

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Most...definitely...addictive...

You're amazing and very educational. I can't wait to do this

Great video! I live down in the woods where there is a lot of milkweed and I take care of Monarchs every year!

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you much, Sean! Thank you for your efforts in helping out this species!

Mr.Lund I am in Northern Ontario. But thanks for all information. I am anxious for summer gonna make a monarch garden. Will plant milk weed plants and nectar plants. I hope to be able to help these little fellows. Love love love butterflies and flowers. Hope they come for a visit so happy to have found your videos. So so helpful💚🌅🌞

I found 3 eggs on a plant here in NW IL yesterday, thanks to watching your video series. I brought them home. Have ample milkweed around for them. Two were fresh and one was ready to hatch. It hatched over night in a separate container and ate the whole egg and was eating on the leaf before 6 a.m. Really cool. Our family will enjoy watching them grow.

@MrLundScience

6 жыл бұрын

Awesome news! Great that your whole family is involved to share the experience.

You pick the best music for your videos! Thank you so much for filming these and posting these. I'm excited to raise my caterpillars now.

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear you enjoy the music. It's been the one thing others have complained about sometimes. Ha!

@pearlchsiung

3 жыл бұрын

@@MrLundScience I'm also loving your musical choices...but then again I was a teen in the 90s :)

Thank you for these very helpful videos!

Love the Faith No More song! I used to love this band when I was a kid :) The videos are very helpful and informative, thanks so much.

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

I appreciate that comment, for sure. Others have commented that the music isn't to their taste and would prefer the videos without it. It's futile to try to please everyone on the internet all of the time, so that's never been my goal. Just trying to get good information out there, if I can, and have some fun while I do it. If a Faith No More or David Bowie song is enough to prevent someone from getting the relevant information out of the video, they weren't likely to be that committed to the efforts anyway. "I was going to start raising Monarchs, but then he started playing that Primus song and I knew then that I was out."

@rezzyraptor

7 жыл бұрын

well I like the music, and I like your tshirts too. So just keep being you and doing things your way. My eggs just hatched this morning! So excited, this is my first time attempting this. Thanks so much for all you're doing to protect and preserve this beautiful animal

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

Awesome when they hatch, right?

@rezzyraptor

7 жыл бұрын

yes! such a blessing :D omg I have 14 larvae and 5 more eggs though...that's a lot of mouths to feed but I'll do my best. It's awesome I even got to witness the mother laying them, such a treat.

Thank you for posting this!!

I’m watching this and I thought my playlist of music started playing! Faith No More - one of my top 5! Anyhow I have 6 eggs on leaves that I can’t wait to get home and start taking care of! Great videos!

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

I appreciate that much. Others have complained about the music. Can't please everyone all of the time. In retrospect, I suppose I would have just made my own music, perhaps more soothing. Who knows. But, I tried to choose songs that went along with what was happening in the video, and at the later caterpillar stages, "Midlife Crisis" seemed fitting.

The choice of music is so awesome I forgot to read the captions you added lol

@MrLundScience

3 жыл бұрын

Ha! Thanks! Others comment that they hate it. Strikes and gutters.

Your videos are super helpful. I wish I'd found them last monarch season! I'm in process of transferring the chrysalides onto twine per your instruction, w/ labels. We have 13 this year!! :-) Thanks again!

I read a recent study that stated Monarchs raised indoors can have problems migrating. This is just one of the articles pertaining to this: www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/06/monarch-butterflies-raised-captivity-don-t-migrate I only raise wild monarchs (I do not purchase eggs or cats from a commercial source but rather take in eggs from my milkweed plants) and keep them outdoors in mesh enclosures but protected from high winds and heavy rains. I keep milkweed cuttings in large floral tubes or jars and mist them every other day or so as well (I’ve seen the cats drinking the water droplets). It makes sense that prohibiting them from receiving normal environmental cues by subjecting them to a pretty much artificial indoor environment could have a detrimental effect on their ability to navigate correctly. Last year I had two 4th generation cats raised from eggs in mesh enclosures outside. The first to eclose was a female who flew off due south as soon as her wings dried and she was released. She sipped some nectar from a flower she flew onto and then took off directly south. The second was a male who I brought inside a few minutes prior to eclosure in order to videotape the event (I have no idea why I didn’t do that outside, but this was prior to the study having been published). Shortly after he eclosed, I brought him outside in the mesh cage so he could be in the sun to facilitate his wings drying. Once he started to flutter around the cage, I released him onto a zinnia bloom. It was a very warm day in early September about a week after the female had eclosed. Two hours later, when he still hadn’t moved from his flower, I made the decision to bring him back in to keep him safe from predators. As we were expecting rain overnight, I brought the cage into the house and put it in a dark room with a vase of fresh zinnia blooms and no air conditioning - as close to outside temps as I could manage. Although he did finally fly off the following day, he did not take off south as the female did. He lingered for a bit in the garden and then flew northwest up into a tree, where he stayed for some time. It was a very different release experience from the female, who spent 💯 of the time outdoors - from egg to butterfly. Sometimes in meaning well, we cause more harm than good. Probably the best thing we can do for the monarchs and for ALL of the non-human beings we share the earth with is to stop destroying habitat, stop using pesticides and herbicides, and restore habitat by planting native species. I’m not a butterfly expert or a scientist; to me, this is just common sense. It doesn’t matter how many monarchs are successfully reared and released if their habitat and host plants continue to dwindle. All of the schools and other organizations who raise droves of commercially purchased cats each season would probably serve the species better by using their time and resources to encourage their communities to restore habitat, stop the use of chemicals, and plant milkweed (and other native host and nectar plants for other pollinators as well).

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Greetings Teresa, When the study broke, there was a lot of confusion and panic in the Monarch community. Many comments started pretty immediately hitting my in box. So, I reached out to one of the authors of the study, Dr. Marcus Kronforst and talked to him through emails and a phone conversation or two. Also, downloaded and read the paper. Turns out, the media was not handling this very accurately in some cases. Some articles treated the study fairly, but some left out important details that definitely matter, and others were just flat out inaccurate. With the assistance of Dr. Kronforst, and the review and recommendations of Dr. Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch, I put out this video that talks about the study and its implications for those of us who rear wild sourced Monarchs: "Captive Rearing And Migration" - kzread.info/dash/bejne/ipd8matyc9fAgrQ.html A follow up to that video came out next, where I used Dr. Kronforst's description of their outdoor rearing set up to come up with one that is feasible for hobbyists at home: "Outdoor Rearing" - kzread.info/dash/bejne/fp55ybdphcWbmLw.html You may wish to check those out. I'm "favoriting" your comment, as I feel it's good for those reading the comments to see this one early and know that some updates have happened, in case they don't stumble upon these two videos on their own. As far as the direction of flight goes upon release, I don't know that we can trust what direction we see them fly when let loose in our back yards (or other locations). If you release one and it flies south, hey, it may very well be that it's doing so for migratory reasons...but also...it might not be. In one of the phone conversations with Dr. Kronforst, he mentioned that earlier in the experiment, they first tried to measure butterfly flight orientation, but that they didn't have the cylinder around the Monarchs. The cylinder prevents them from seeing anything other than the sky directly above them. When they didn't have that cylinder in place at first, the Monarchs they tested seemed to go in strange directions. Not just random, but decidedly in a certain direction, and then later in the day, decidedly in another direction. In trying to get to the bottom of it, they eventually made the connection that one of the people witnessing the experiment was wearing a yellow shirt. It turned out that most of the Monarchs, if they could see the yellow shirt, would head in that direction. This told them early in the experimentation process that they'd need a cylinder to block out such distractions. A migratory butterfly, while migratory, might head in a direction when released that isn't south, but is in the direction of something that caught its eye, or even the smells of flowers that it detects with its antennae, or a plethora of other possible distractions. Not trying to diminish your observations, but this info is definitely relevant. After this study being released, too, many have pointed out (and the authors are aware of this) that many recovered tags of Monarchs in Mexico are sourced back to hobbyists who reared them at home, and while there's no column to indicate on most tagging program forms if it was reared indoors or outdoors, most certainly rear indoors. And this is where most articles handled the topic poorly. The articles (not the study) make the claim sometimes that Monarchs reared indoors "can't" or "won't" or "don't" migrate, which is demonstrably false. They can and do. What the study specifically shows is that rearing them indoors can interfere with their immediate flight orientation after eclosing, and that this could potentially interfere with their ability to migrate. That's it. The study never said that these Monarchs couldn't migrate, yet, because of the news articles treating it as such, many who have read these articles assume that this is what the study said. Instead, the implications of it is that to give the Monarchs the best chance of being migratory, they should be reared outdoors, so that this orientation they have when eclosed is in line with wild non-reared migratory Monarchs. I hope this information helps clear things up somewhat. I definitely appreciate you bringing this up, though, so others who read the comments here can be a bit more informed about it. Thank you!

Thank you....so informative...I've reared many black eastern swallowtails...I've just been very lucky in finding monarch eggs on my milkweed....

Thank you for the information. 4 years ago I hatched 4 monarchs from caterpillars to butterflies. This year I planted 5 different types of milkweed into my gardens and pots. The monarchs are laying eggs like crazy. I've seen some small caterpillars but now I've lost them. Because of your information I will bring some of the eggs inside to safely rear.

Thanks for your videos! They are so helpful! (And the music cracks me up. I almost fell over when I heard Primus during the egg hatching!)

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Wait, wait...did you notice *which* Primus song it was? Huh? ;-) I try to choose songs where either the title or the lyrics had something that fit what was being shown. Nyuck nyuck nyuck!

I raise like 10-15 Monarch butterflies a year. & Black Swallowtail butterlies with parsley plants.- another species & another time of the year. I buy the actual milkweed plant for Monarchs 6-8 of them at least, maybe more. I use a pop up laundry basket ( you can get at Walmart- one with wire that pop out into rectange or octagon) put the plants tightly together- so the catipillars can easily move from plant to plant.from the leaves - flip the laundry pop up basket over it- carefully- & seal the bottom so they cannot escape or frogs- lizards- stink bugs, ect cannot get to them. I also put some heavy rocks inside & on top to weigh it down- so wind won't carry away. I water the plants every 2-3 days going through the bottom & carefully seal it back- when he says some can wander- he's not joking. If the plants have too little leaves, I just go buy more for them- they are about 4 bucks a piece at Home Depot. I personally like to keep outside so they get sunshine & fresh oxygen. Then suddenly you wake up & you have beautiful butterflies & get to set them free- ♡ Be sure to take pics- their wings need to dry out & pump blood in them so they can stay on your finger for a little while before they fly away. It's usually in the morning they hatch. I've been doing it every year for about 7 years. Look forward to it every year! This was a very good video, by the way. Thanks for posting.

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Great tips. Thanks for sharing your method. Such an awesome hobby, right?

@BenDover-wu6lu

4 жыл бұрын

Mr. C. Jokey I currently have 3 black swallowtail chrysalides. One is brown and 2 are green, the brown one seems to be harder than the green ones, and the green ones squirm if their container is bumped- or even if the wind blows on them. The brown one has yet to move- do you know if this is normal? They brown one has been a chrysalis for 9 days, 8 days for the green ones. thank you!

Thank you for all this info. I have grown milkweed for years, specifically for Monarchs. In addition I have many other butterfly host and nectar plants. Monarchs have always visited and laid eggs, very rarely have I found any caterpillars. In following your suggestions about gathering eggs and bringing indoors, I am happy to report I have 12 !!!!! Chrysali and more happy caterpillars who will soon transform! Thanks again

@MrLundScience

6 жыл бұрын

You're absolutely welcome. Great job!

I have those water picks that you get when you buy cut flowers - they help keep the leaves fresh and there is minimal leakage. I went to a local flower shop and the associate just gave me a handful. I cut up the stalk so there is more of the milkweed stem in the tube and lay them or prop them in my container so I don't have to worry about the ends drying out. Works for me !!!! BTW love your videos .... they have been a great help.

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Yep. That's a great innovation too. I haven't gone with that, as the paper towel has worked for me, but it's been long enough that probably purchasing such water picks once would be more cost effective than going through the paper towel over the years. Something I might look into. Good tip!

A friend posted your videos on Facebook and I was like wow I can do this and my kids will love it. Next day I went out and found 3 eggs, the next day they hatched, now i have three baby caterpillars. Hoping we can get all of them to butterfly. We hardly see monarchs anymore (only 2 sightings this year) but now I'm going to search my yard for eggs each time I see one in hope of helping them survive. Thank you!

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Very cool, and so awesome to be getting your kids involved! Nice work, and I'm glad to hear that you have already had some early luck in looking for eggs!

I am in Macedon NY. Started finding caterpillars on our milkweed last July 2017. I watched your excellent videos and learned so much. Thank You! It is now June 2018 and I found my first 6 caterpillars on June 9 th. Then I found my first egg that hatched June 16th. Just found another egg today June 17 th. I now have three chrysalis and two J hanging and one still eating. Last year I released 14 healthy monarchs. I love your videos. Thank you so much, you are a great teacher. I am ordering my tags soon for tagging the last generation. Keep up the videos!

@MrLundScience

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Janet! Much appreciated. I'm very pleased to hear that the videos have helped. I try to do my best with them, and if they can help spur on others to help out this animal, man, it just means so much to me. I appreciate the feedback very much. Keep up the efforts, and know that it's making a difference!

Love the heavy metal during the sped-up eating of leaves.

@MrLundScience

8 жыл бұрын

+YpsiFang That would be Faith No More with "Midlife Crisis", and yes, that song was chosen for this video partially do to the title of the song (as were the other songs in the other videos). Glad you liked it!

@L.Spencer

5 жыл бұрын

It's too loud in comparison to the voice volume.

@rachaelt3294

4 жыл бұрын

My kind of music! ♡

I had discovered in Northern Indiana that If I delay milkweed planting I can actually time the arrival of Monarchs with a viable food source and rear Larvae. It has been found that early milkweed flowers are long gone before he arrival- this interrupts the life cycle. They need the milkweed nectar to attract and feed adults. Most "natural" Milkweed flowers and dies long before

these videos are very helpful👍

Our milkweed leaves in Southern CA are small. I raise my own plants and don't want them stripped clean. So, I cut a stem with several leaves at a time and keep them in tight bud vases for the caterpillars to eat. It keeps the leaves fresh and helps my plants stay healthy. I've raised around 100 healthy butterflies so far.

Hi, Mr. Lund, I love your videos! SO helpful. I haven't seen this question raised yet, so here it is: I have the net cages for the several, now 2 but one has J hooked AND is now in Crysalis which is amazing, caterpillars I rescued during Hurricane Florence off our Milkweed plants near our house. Now we have found a new one, tiny 1/2 inch long fellow ,and since not having an egg w/ container needs limited to plastic take-out containers, (marvelous idea btw), so I put him on his leaf from our field into a wide-mouth mason jar, with it standing a bit at an angle, top perforated and he is actually next-day on the side of the jar right now, which Not sure if it's just his instar stage- he is a young'un for me- or perhaps not liking the nice cozy single-bed glass jar though he has ventilation and food. Then I read someone saying that the temperature had been high- in the 90's - when they discovered the cats and you plus others commented that the temp. diff. could be why they stopped eating for a day since they were moved into AC. I hope I am right thinking he/she is ok plus moved her into the sunlight at my kitchen window while we did a photo shoot! We look forward to our "first" flying away after metamorphosis, in days numbered now, and this new baby growing like a weed! Thanks about the glass-jar container using til she gets bigger!

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

They do have some hardiness to them when it comes to temperature changes. Sometimes, a week of summer warmth gets hit with an abrupt colder front that moves in. It might put them off from eating for a bit as they adjust to the new temperature, but I wouldn't worry about it. I did not have air conditioning in my home until this year, and when I took in some wild cats, they too went from 90F temps to the more controlled 72F, and I didn't have any issues because of it. Also, though, I didn't notice any lack of appetite due to the transition either. So, yours not eating for a bit may be from the temperature change, or it could be due to something unrelated. While limited, they do have their own personalities as well, and for whatever reason, it may have decided to take a break. I have had some random caterpillars do that for no apparent reason as well, from time to time.

I'd love to see an update on this video and corrected information about moving them if they wander. They don't need our help to find milkweed, they didn't get lost but could be molting. Moving them when they've wandered can be fatal. I've seen a lot of issues with people moving caterpillars back to milkweed lately and they're dying. They know what they are doing, they don't need us to interfere so much.

Hopefully the Monarchs will rebound. Me and Mr Lund are working on it. Please help us do it . How? Plant Milkweed. If you are in Texas Plant FALL nectar plants for them for the fall migration and of course plan Milkweed for the spring migration. Especially if you are in central and south Texas they need nectar in Fall so they can make it to Mexico!

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Word.

never in a million years I would think that I would be in a business of raising Monarch butterflies! I have a 9 y.o. grandson who wants to be an entomologist. We had praying mantises hatching, superworms turning into beetles, and now I have three fat caterpillars in the jar. One of them is doing J stage thing. Thank you for your videos, very informative. Next time I would know exactly where to keep them as it is kind of difficult to clean all that frass and not to disturb the one who is hanging up side down.

@MrLundScience

8 жыл бұрын

That's awesome that your 9 year old is already interested in nature, ecology, and entomology! The insect world can serve us not only as indicators of how well we are taking care of our environment, but they have inspired a myriad of inventions, from water storage to structural integrity, from chemical engineering to social behavior modification techniques. Awesome stuff!

Thank you! I love your videos! I've never seen milkweed that big...

@MrLundScience

8 жыл бұрын

+meisdiane Rose Thanks! Where are you from? Common Milkweed of that size is the norm here in Michigan.

@fefegurl23whitty

7 жыл бұрын

MrLundScience I've found quite a few eggs on my milkweed plant but I am not sure I have enough of the plant to feed all of them. Is there any other plant that they eat? The milkweed we have here in Hawaii is very small. A leaf on my plant is about 2-3 inches long and 1 inch wide.

Great video. I was given a milkweed plant from my girlfriend as a new home owner and have now several from which I have had at least over 100 monarch butterflies. Actually made a crib type enclosure and it has helped protect them from the wasps that killed a couple previously. And just had another 35 or more that we still have in their chrysalis stage still to go and just had one butterfly emerge and let it out on its new journey. Just love them and watching & helping more monarchs to their new beginnings 💓

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

I'm always a tad jealous of those in climes that allow you to raise Monarchs throughout the year. Here in Michigan, we are a number of months away (and a few inches of snow away) from getting to see some adults from the south. I hope they are roosting well down there in Mexico.

@jeritroia3635

6 жыл бұрын

What type of milkweed are you growing?

@mariamdavidson2770

6 жыл бұрын

Laura Eriksen hello does the cold kills them I live in Florida I took them in for 3 days today is 77 degree but I found 3 dead and on the tree the bigger ones seem to be frozen are they sleeping .

Great video, we released two monarch butterflies today and have 30 in Chryslais awaiting to eclose. And about 80 caterpillars munching away on our inside swan plants.

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Very awesome! Thanks for doing what you can to help out this population! It's definitely appreciated. I'm looking forward to the upcoming season in Michigan for sure.

amazing!

Thanks for doing these videos. I watched them all! I will be doing a presentation very soon at a butterfly/hummingbird festival in my local area. I will be covering several topics regarding Lepidoptera including their biology, natural defenses, collecting truths, myths and the history of collecting insects, and conservation. At the top of the list will be the Monarch(Danaus plexippus). A few other species will also be mentioned such as the Eastern Regal Fritillary(Speyeria idalia), and the Schaus' Swallowtail (Papilio aristodemus ssp. ponceanus)-of southern Florida, which are now listed as federally endangered. I will also include some links for folks to watch, and your videos will make a nice addition to the recommendations I will mention. I hope to inspire some folks to become active enough to plant not only milkweed species on their property, but other important nectaring and food plants, such as Wild Bergamot, Joe-Pye Weed, Ironweed, Wild Violets(Fritillary larval food), and Thistles. These are all vitally important to our pollenators. I will also be handing out free packets of Milkweed seeds at the presentation.

@MrLundScience

6 жыл бұрын

That sounds pretty awesome. Great activism! Thanks for finding the videos useful!

I had 9 little caterpillars hatch out of their eggs today! I also have some 3rd instar ones. I'm also raising other species, like gulf frittilaries, variegated frittilaries, black swallowtails, and zebra swallowtails, all found in my field on my property!

@MrLundScience

6 жыл бұрын

Quite the undertaking. That must be busy, yet awesome!

@owenmccool322

6 жыл бұрын

Thx!

Great music selection

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated! (Not everyone has agreed... [sad face])

Merry Chrysalis!!! Hi Mr. Lund. Just wanted to let you know that I have (5) Christmas Miracles that should hatch in about a week. Seems that some of my Southern California Monarchs decided to stick around for the Holidays and it's been an on-going cycle, though much smaller groups that in the Spring/Summer...but healthy all the same. Right now I have about 10 cats and (5) healthy Chrysallides. Happy Holidays! Looking forward to more Monarchs in 2017!!!

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

That's certainly a great addition to festivities. I myself am happy to not be finding cats, as it'd be quite tough to find milkweed leaves in our 8 inches of Michigan snow! I hope while others await future Monarch vids, people still check out some of what else this channel puts out. First week of January, we have a science hip hop song coming out that has been worked on for a full year (though certainly not every day of that year). Hope you dig it!

This might be some helpful advice. It's true, you'll be amazed how much caterpillars eat in their last couple of instars. If you're running low on common milkweed, you can feed them honeyvine. Heck, even if you're not running low, you can feed honeyvine to them. They absolutely love it. I have it growing all over my yard, and not on purpose. It's a very invasive weed. I yank out handfuls of the stuff and feed it to my caterpillers. They will happily switch back and fourth between the honeyvine and common milkweed. Honeyvine is in the milkweed family. But it grows like a vine, rather than an upright plant. The foliage looks a lot like morning glory. But you should be able to easily distinguish between honeyvine and morning glory once you know what to look for. I've read that you can feed pumpkin in the last instar if you're running low on milkweed. But maybe you have milkweed without knowing it, if you have honeyvine in your yard.

thanks for sharing these videos with us! Very helpful ( I have raised many Monarch caterpillars!) The wasps and gecko's seem to get them, if I leave them outside to survive on their own.

@MrLundScience

8 жыл бұрын

Vickie Horsley You're very welcome! For me, it's not geckos, but I did find four egg shells today, very recently hatched, but no caterpillars. I did see black ants on the plant and wondered... If only I had checked for eggs the day before!

THANK YOU for telling us this stuff i never t=new this stuff!

First instar as you said can get lost in a container, but most of the other instars find their way back to the milkweed. Many people think the caterpillars need to stay on the milkweed when they will spend a good 24 hours molting on the side or the top of the container. The leaf idea is a good one. If they move on to a leaf move them, especially first instars with ADHD. In the wild Monarchs go off the milkweed to molt and off the milkweed during the day to avoid predation. The best time to find larvae is early in the morning. Do you only collect eggs or do you collect larvae, too?

Keep them in a place that maintains the most natural day night light exposure and temperature changes. A porch might be ideal. Great video.

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Next episode will be dealing with outdoor rearing set ups and what that can look like. Thanks for doing what you can to help out the Monarchs!

I love how at 6:25 you show the different containers for them at different life cycles. Well organized! So ventilation isn't so important until they get bigger? The takeout containers don't seem like they would promote very good ventilation.

I'm raising some monarch caterpillars for the first time and your videos have been so helpful. Thank you. I recently had a caterpillar that was j hanging. When I checked on it in the morning, it had maggot coming out of it. So my question is, is there a way to tell if another caterpillar is infected with what I'm told is a parasite from a fly. I currently have on hanging straight down and am worried it may have the same thing going on with itm. Help!

My wife and I started raising monarchs and have learned a lot from your videos. We recently bought some milkweed from a local nursery; however, our caterpillars are slowly dying. We think the nursery might have used insecticides. What advice can you give us?

Love your videos!!! Added you to my pages!!!

@MrLundScience

2 жыл бұрын

Many thanks!

Mona Miller brings up a good point about the necessity for some of the cats to "wander" in order to molt. I definitely agree with her for others out there doing this at home that removing the "wanderers" if they are about to molt is a bad idea. This is why I also try to use the leaf method, and coax them onto the leaf in order to transfer them back. If they are unresponsive to the leaf presented to them, I'll leave them alone and try later. However, I can't fully agree that "they know how to return to the milkweed." I'd say that they SOMETIMES know how to return to the milkweed. I've had a couple wanderers go off on a journey at the young stages, and never find their way back. After a couple of days, they were dead. This happened my first year, and that's when I started transferring wanderers back to the leaf. Since doing that, I have not had any deaths result from wandering and not making it back. Mike Barnes, I have not tried the method that you described, but it definitely sounds like a great plan. There's many ways to modify what I'm doing and get great results, so it sounds like what you're doing will work. I know for me, having many plants doesn't work for me, and the leaf method is better. As long as they make it to adulthood, though, then mission accomplished, right? Thank you both for your comments and critiques!

@jamalglass5891

8 жыл бұрын

Caterpillars poop

@kinglyzard

8 жыл бұрын

MrLundScience Most cats wander before apolysis (molting) in order to escape predators attracted by the smell of their frass (poop). In the garden, these Wanderers will usually follow their silken trails back to the original plant, but some will search out other plants.

@jamariglass24

8 жыл бұрын

+Jamal Glass yes

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

Hey Jack! I know this was from a year ago, but I just wanted to let you know, for whatever reason, I never had notification of this (or apparently most/any) of your comments. I have no idea why. I clicked on my video here, and was reading through these comments, and see that you have made a few that I never replied to. I try to make sure to reply to all who leave them. If you've taken the time to watch the video and then take the time to leave a comment, I think it's only polite to take the time to at least say thank you, and to answer any questions. Thanks for your mention of the cats being able to find their way back. I agree, they can and sometimes do. I guess we've found, though, a gray area of "controversy" within Monarch rearers, right? (This might be as "bad" as it gets as far as butterfly controversies.) Some have told me as well that they'll be fine, and molting is a time of stress for them. I don't disagree. However, I know from my own experience, I've never had one that I moved be harmed by it, but I have had wanderers not find their way back after molting. Thus, I'll probably still keep moving them when I find them. That, doesn't mean, though, everyone should be doing it if they aren't willing to take *great care* when doing so, as you're right, they are vulnerable.

LOVE your videos I’ve learned so much. A few questions: for growth of caterpillars which is more important, outside temperature or sunlight? Not that I can control the weather but I was wondering. Next- how long would you give a cat in a J hang before euthanizing? I have one hanging in a J for 5 days. I’m in Southern California zone 10. Temperatures are 60 to 80’s right now.

The for this terrific series. I brought in 4 eggs and I’m hatching them in takeout containers. I ordered some hatching cages from Amazon and I wonder if they’ll be okay to use? They’re mesh ventilated and about 6 in tall. Are you using plastic aquariums?

great video, even if the "faith no more" flashback was a little distracting. One monarch myth that has spread like wildfire around butterfly enthusiast and raising communities is that removing a caterpillar before a molt can harm/kill the caterpillar. As long as you remove it with several gentle pulls (as opposed to one hard yank) moving them does not hurt them, and they can molt laying on their side on a milkweed leaf. (done this many times) If they are too small to remove with your fingers, I agree with Mona that you should give them a chance to work it out for themselves, because they're not going to crawl onto anything when they're secured to the side of the cage. I also agree with Mr. Lund that they won't always come back to the milkweed...especially if you have a large cage!

@danijelaivezic453

7 жыл бұрын

the one of the mothra fairies is called mona and she's my gf

Hi MrLundScience, love your series. I’ve been doing so much research on how to raise monarchs from egg to butterfly, but your series has given me the confidence to try. QUESTION: i did notice a lot of catipiller droppings, how to clean them up ? I was thinking when I transfer pillars to just dust out container, what would you suggest?

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

I'm having a video come out this season about sanitation. That will flesh out many details. For now, though, what I tend to do is remove droppings once in the morning, and then again in the evenings if it requires it. (That depends upon how many caterpillars I have in the container.) By "remove", I just mean shaking them out into a trash bag, or even out on the lawn. I then wipe them with a paper towel to get out stragglers. In my small "to go" containers, once those caterpillars are large enough to go into the larger terrarium container, I place them in there, and then fully scrub out the "to go" container just like a dirty dish. That's usually about 4 or 5 days from the time I use a clean "to go" container before it then gets washed. For the large terrarium, again, daily I'm removing the droppings once or twice. Then, once a week on Sunday mornings, I remove all caterpillars for a bit, and then wash out the large container with soap and water. I thoroughly rinse it clean with water. Then, I put 5% bleach solution in there, full, and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. I then thoroughly rinse that out several times to make sure there's no remaining trace amounts of bleach, and then put the cats back in. The upcoming video will explain all of this in more detail.

Great music

Can I use one of the butterfly net things that come in butterfly kits to keep the caterpillars in?

Can you link to the magnifier you used to get the closeups?

Love your videos. Wondering if you put holes in the top of the food containers?

@kittykarlin42

3 жыл бұрын

I was wondering this as well

@MrLundScience

3 жыл бұрын

There's good reason for ventilation through the process. If you have a closed container with little or no ventilation, there's a larger chance for mold to grow (or grow faster/sooner) due to humidity. So, some ventilation when they are caterpillars is a good idea. In the "to go" food containers that I use, people may see holes in the lids, but those were due to the food that originally was in the container. In other words, the restaurant put those there, not me. Out of curiosity one day, I did the Fermi "back of the envelope" calculation on oxygen in my containers and compared that to the oxygen intake a caterpillar would need. In the smaller "to go" containers, the calculation showed that there's plenty of oxygen available for a few days, if without ventilation. So, I don't *need* those holes, and some of my containers don't have them, but they aren't a bad idea. As I'm opening the containers at least twice a day to air out, clean frass, maintain sanitation, etc., holes are not necessary in my process. If someone were to put caterpillars in a closed container with milkweed and leave it closed and sealed for a couple of days without ventilation...that would give me slight concern. Afterall, I'd hope we're checking on the caterpillars daily, and when doing so, why not pop the top and freshen the air, right? Hope that helps!

@MrLundScience

3 жыл бұрын

Home my answer to Sandra Lea Melendez helps you out as well. Cheers!

@sandraleamelendez9679

3 жыл бұрын

@@MrLundScience Thanks so much. I couldn't tell if there were holes when watching the video. Will you still be making Monarch videos?

This is my first year. I had six beautiful caterpillars, probably 4th instar, then only one. I saw many wasps around...I then moved them into a habitat. So very sad. But moving forward. I have one chrysalis, one 5th instar, and 16 eggs in my habitat.

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Great that you have provided them a safer enclosure for sure! Thanks for helping them out, and congrats on your first year!

we are in region 4 in guyana its fun doing monarchs cccooolll

Hi! I love these videos so much they have helped me immensely. Question: do you ever find that some of your caterpillars are “lighter” than others? My cats are getting bigger but are not showing the super vibrant black and yellow. They’re still probably in their 2nd or 3rd in star. Is this normal or do I have a problem? I open the Tupperware container several times a day and give them fresh sanitized leaves (following your bleach recipe) everyday.

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

I have heard of later season caterpillars having wider black stripes, and thus, more narrow white and yellow. I have heard that this adaptation is weather related, and also due to how beneficial it is and isn't to advertise yourself with color in the summer versus fall season. So, there is evidence of coloration changing from the start to the end of the season. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean that this is what is occurring with yours. Still, that's the best I've got. Sorry I don't have better.

Love your videos. My first time...I have 7 eggs. When wrapped in wet towel, how long will the milkweed last? How will I know it is dried or not any good? Ty :)

@MrLundScience

6 жыл бұрын

They last about three days that way, but also note, the more the caterpillars eat from it, the more they expose the leaves' veins to the air, which accelerates how quickly they dry out. Once they get large enough to be doing this a lot, though, they eat through the leaf before it has a chance to dry out.

loved watching this but couldn't get part 2

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

Hmm... Not sure why. Here's a direct link: kzread.info/dash/bejne/d5ylwcFvfbS2Y9o.html I hope that works!

@jamboanwen

7 жыл бұрын

+MrLundScience sorry no says this video not available

This videos fine but my milkweed just popped up and a monarch has laid her eggs on the sprouting milkweed less than an inch tall. I covered the plant with netting a hope that the eggs will hatch after the milkweed has grown enough to support the hatched eggs

Mr Lund, I have enjoyed your series, and learned a lot of valuable advice. I just started raising caterpillars a few weeks ago. I currently have 2 cats, and one that developed it's chrysalis early this morning. (Total of 3.) I notice your porch is screened. Ours is not. If we string our chrysalides up as you do, do they have any natural predators to be concerned about? Will they be safe? Thanks!

@MrLundScience

6 жыл бұрын

Adult Monarchs most definitely have predators once they are out in nature. Still, as you are going to release them, they'll begin facing them that day. If you want to ensure that they are safe until you get home from work or wherever, and are able to release them, some use collapsible butterfly enclosures (about the size of a microwave), but also those accordion like college laundry hampers are often cheaper, and work equally well.

Sorry my last question wandered as if I was that little rogue small cat mentioned in the mason jar! I am putting him into the regular container asap as you have clearly described the food containers work best. Now looking for the link to getting the classroom type aquarium-looking one that you use. Is it here or should I just search online, which is easily done? Thanks for all you do!

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

I don't officially endorse any particular brand. To be honest, if I needed another one, I'd rather just make one from a large enough food storage container, as it can get the job done equally, as long as you take the time to ventilate it. For those who don't want that fuss, though, if you type "plastic terrarium" into Google and go to the "shopping" results, many like mine come up.

Hi! Thanks for your videos, they've been super helpful. I have a milkweed that I've been monitoring and when I couldn't sleep last night I watched your videos so this morning I brought the 11 eggs and 2 caterpillars in just how you showed and now I have a little monarch nursery. I have a question though. Is it not necessary to put water in the caterpillars container? Thanks again! Em

@MrLundScience

7 жыл бұрын

That's great. Some people do mist in order to give moisture. I did that once, but it promoted mold. They don't actually need misting (though I know some might disagree with me there), and get all the needed moisture from the milkweed, *provided it's fresh*. So, no, I never moist anymore, but I'm also using leaves that are usually fresh within 1 or 2 days.

Do you poke air holes into the containers you keep them in? I found two very large (about an inch long) monarch caterpillars on the milk weed plants in my garden today. They seem to be doing well, but would you recommend I take them in to ensure they reach adulthood? I have three large plants, and have only come across two caterpillars, I have the time, just am worried about doing more harm than help! Thanks in advance!

I'm on monarch project part 2. Part 1 I had my milkweed plants inside by the window. But I dont think they were getting enough sunlight. So towards the end I moved the plants outside. 1 out 3 Caterpillars made it once I moved em outside. The other two went MIA at 5th instar and the one that made it was already in chrysalis form.On part 2 the plants are doing much better. Instead of stems I got three thriving milkweed plants. And now those plants got about 6-7 monarch catepillars on them. I'm debating whether or not to move em back inside and wait till they all go into chrysalis stage

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

In your decision making, you may wish to watch two videos that came out this year that discuss some recent findings about outdoor rearing. As it's this time of the year that the Monarchs developing are likely to be migratory, it's some info that is pertinent to your decision... "Captive Rearing & Migration" - kzread.info/dash/bejne/ipd8matyc9fAgrQ.html "Outdoor Rearing" - kzread.info/dash/bejne/fp55ybdphcWbmLw.html I hope those help! Good luck!

@julianscott7766

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video, I watched the outdoor rearing one. Yeah I saw an article about the loss of migration ability. This definitely helped me with my decision especially since it's late August. Keeping them outside less Florida gets one of them crazy storms

I love this... I raise monarchs every year.. I had 112 last yr... So much work...,I love them so much and this video is awesome

@MrLundScience

5 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks! Great to hear that you're doing your part! Thank you for helping out these wonderful backyard friends!

Lol when the monarchs eat at the end of the video why does it look so epic? Also did anyone else think that?

I collected some milkweed plants to root by cutting and add to my garden. Unfortunately, I ended up with a small caterpillar on the plants. It is now in stage 4-5 I would say. It's been exactly 7 days. I have the plants in a large vase and the cat. is still hanging out eating and growing by the minute. I have since put the vase in a butterfly tent. I have the milkweed in a vase of water to keep it alive and fresh. Should I take the plants out of the jar at this stage and feed it as needed or will it be ok to keep it in the jar of water? I'm worried it won't find the net area to attach itself when it's time. Or, am I worrying about nothing?

i just love this....and what you do... let me tell you i started doing this too like 2 months ago and I love it.... i didnt know wasp where NOT friendly at all... i found one today after i release my cute monarch stinking her and i was soooo mad!!!! and I am feeding another one that was not able to fly.... do you have any videos about what insects are friendly and witch ones are not? and also what to do in this cases like mine that my cutie was nos able to fly?

@MrLundScience

8 жыл бұрын

+freyona1 Thanks for the kind words. I don't have any videos on harmful vs. neutral insects. Perhaps that's a good topic for another video, however, my knowledge is not extensive on that yet. As I'm in Michigan, trying to cover what insects in all regions might be harmful could be a daunting task! I'll still look into it, though. If a butterfly is not able to fly, that is a sad thing. You have some options, but none of them are likely what you might wish to hear. You can still release the animal on some nectar producing flowers and let nature take its course. Perhaps it might be eaten by a bird who will learn from that one not to eat others. While that's sad, it's still a slight possible benefit. Or, you could keep it and give it what quality of a life you can, if you can provide it with nectar for the duration of its life. Another option which I'm neither endorsing nor discouraging is that some feel the most humane thing might be to freeze it so that it doesn't starve or be eaten in nature. This can also preserve the body if you learn how to properly mount it, and allow others (I'm thinking children) to see one and study it, and get interested in monarchs.

@freyona1

8 жыл бұрын

+MrLundScience :'( omg this is so sad... im feed it ... it dye like 3 days after.... i have a new one like that,,,lets see what happens thanks for all the info a lot! and for sharing

Hello, Rich, I have watched several of your videos and I adopted your style for myself. I hope you still monitor your site. This is my very first time, not thinking that I would get into this, this year. I have swamp milk weed in my garden and found two very tiny caterpillars and I wasn't sure just what the were. They didn't have the little black heads. I took a chance and to my surprise I am now raising them. I also have 3 eggs. Look at them with a jewelers loop. So I am going to give this everything I can. I hope you see this, I would like to communicate somehow with you. JanG

Do you have a video or picture of the caterpillar shedding its skin?

Caterpillars eating to heavy rock is something I didn't think I needed

I have been raising Monarch's for years now. I usually just have common milkweed plants growing in my front yard. I did buy a swamp milkweed plant this year. My question is can my common milkweed caterpillars munch on swamp milkweed also?

I had planned to leave them on the plant and let nature do it's thing. Is that not recommended? Although, there is a scary number of eggs on my one plant (which is a bout 3 feet tall in a 2 gallon container). I wonder if it'll be enough. I've planted many more for next season.

What temp do yours stay at? Thoroughly appreciate the tunes btw

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

When rearing indoors, a typical indoor temperature of 68F - 75F. When rearing outdoors, whatever the ambient outdoor temperature that is, and that certainly depends upon the season, and can be different from week to week, but anywhere from 65F to 95F or higher.

Good info, music detracts

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

Some have said they love it, others say they do not. In retrospect, I probably wouldn't have put it in. At the same time, I've learned that I won't please everyone all of the time, and I'm comfortable with that.

So awesome! Question: how did you get the caterpillars to crawl into the top of the container in order for it to attach? Did you move them manually or did they all crawl there on their own?

@MrLundScience

4 жыл бұрын

No movement on my part. That's just what they are naturally able to and looking to do. They form silk along the surfaces they move around on to give their feet pads more traction/surface area.

@jewelvibes6765

4 жыл бұрын

Rebecca Ewing for me, they crawl on there own, if yours can’t do that, try switching the container

Hi Rich, Thanks for the great videos. I seem to have a very low percentage of eggs that hatch when I collect them as you do. I have actually stopped bringing in the eggs and I just try to watch the eggs on my milkweeds until they hatch. But the eggs seem to disappear. So, what % of the eggs you collect actually hatch? Do you know what might be eating my eggs on the milkweeds in my yard?

@MrLundScience

8 жыл бұрын

Greg DuBois I don't have a long line of data as to what hasn't hatched, but this year, I'm up to 313 eggs so far (which, I tell ya, I don't think I can do that number again next year!) and of that many, only 4 have not hatched. If the eggs that didn't hatch were laid by the same monarch, it could be that they were unfertilized, especially if what they did was start to shrivel after a few days. If these eggs were spread out in time, I honestly haven't a clue why a significant percentage of them wouldn't hatch. Anyone else reading this have some ideas based on experience?