Monarch eggs or aphids?
sandyslopes z5 n. UT
8 years ago
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Soapy water for aphids? Will it hurt eggs and cats?
Comments (6)thanks, everyone!!! On the ladybugs, it's a curious thing. I had worked very hard to bring in ladybugs and other beneficials (by planting things they like) and it was uber successful. I had so many, and it was fun seeing all the interesting looking larvae. However, they were concentrated in my vegetable garden, which is about 20 feet away. Then about a week or so ago, I stopped seeing them. i haven't seen a ladybug in about a week now. I thought that either they ran out of food source and moved on, or my praying mantis egg case hatched and they ate them. (I never saw any praying mantises, though, so I don't know for sure it hatched) Those aphids were not there Sunday, because I had done a close inspection then. I do daily inspections in my veg garden, but more like 1-2 times a week in flower beds because I just don't have the bug woes in flower beds that I do in the veg garden. But now I really have to wonder if the ladybugs didn't move on to a better place, and that's what allowed those aphids to move in. I miss my ladybugs! I'm getting ready to go out and handle this now....thanks again for the info everyone....See More32 additional monarch eggs and baby cats plus an unknown egg
Comments (10)Cghpnd, I'm so sorry you're having bad luck. Did they seem OK when you found them? Are there more cats still living? If so, make sure you separate the eggs from them. You probably want to have multiple containers that you can move the cats and eggs to as they grow, and clean the alternate containers with bleach each time you switch them out. There are nasty diseases that Monarchs can carry and pass on to one another. Some people who raise Monarchs insist that each cat should be kept in an individual container. It certainly makes sense to keep small groups separate, so if one container is infected, at least the other groups have a chance to avoid infection. And wash hands and milkweed carefully. Again, some people soak their milkweed in a weak bleach solution and then rinse it thoroughly before giving it to their cats, in case sick cats have crawled over the leaves before they collected them. Sorry to be a bit of a wet blanket, but there is obviously something seriously wrong, and I want the rest of your experience to be positive. Martha...See MoreFinally, a few Monarch Eggs!
Comments (3)Mary, like you, I snip off a little piece of the leaf with the egg on it. I keep them in a fairly air-tight environment until I see the little hatchlings. I'll use old butter dishes or even plastic sandwich bags when I have just a few eggs. The sandwich bags work great. I'll put a folded paper towel in that I put a drop of water on. The most important thing is keeping the leaves moist until the eggs hatch. As the larvae hatch, I separate them from the remaining eggs so the eggs don't get accidentally eaten. I keep the small larvae in a fairly air-tight container until they reach the second or third instar. That's because I am usually just feeding them a leaf or two. I do switch to a dry paper towel. After they reach the third instar, they need more room and will eat enough to warrant putting stems in picks or wet foam, and then you want air flow. I am soooooo excited for you! Enjoy. You will probably find more eggs as the Monarchs seem to be moving south in preparation for the migration. This is their last chance to produce an abundance of butterflies for the trip. Hope this answered your questions. Sandy...See MoreMonarch eggs????
Comments (5)Negatory. Monarch eggs are placed one per leaf, they are cream colored, and, if you look real close, they have vertical ridges. One way to deal with an infestation of aphids is to prepare a "soapy cup of death" solution, and simply cut off the milkweed stem that is covered with aphids. You immerse the whole stem in the soap solution, and the aphids die very quickly....See Moresandyslopes z5 n. UT
8 years agosandyslopes z5 n. UT
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoGe Ki
3 years agoBlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
3 years agoBlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
3 years agoGe Ki
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoBlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
3 years agoGe Ki
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