Wow! Sure a lot of people showed up for roll call. Good thing I decided to come back to visit after being absent for a few weeks. Please add me to your (ever-growing) list. Using the tv weathermen's lingo, I'm from SoCal. Thanks Minnie for undertaking this huge task. Kat

Joann, I have longer list and keep on adding more info as it resurfaces in the posts. Still some info is missing. Here is my latest Amazing Aunt Aubrey - Oklahoma - female Adellabedella - ? ? ? Alisande (Susan) - PA Scranton ? orig.from NYC - female Angela_Nor_Calif - Northern California - female Angelaid - Idaho ? - female Arkansas girl - ? ? ? Barb-45 - south-west Washington. - female. bengardening - Middle of South Dakota - female Bigack. (Susan) - Fairmont WV - female Big baby - Southeast Minnesota - female breenthumb - Upstate New York - female Bulldinkie - Kim in PA - female Cardamom - North Texas - female Carla35 - ? ? ? Carol in California - the beautiful central coast of California - female Caroline - Larimore, ND You can Google me at 806 Booth Ave. W. Casey (Karen) - St.John , Newfoundland, Canada - female CathyId - SW Idaho, - female. czech_chick Carol - Long Island, NY - female Cherryfizz - Windsor Ontario Canada - female Chemocurl - Indiana Cheryl ok - southeastern Oklahoma - female ChiSue - 30 miles north of Chicago - female Chi83 - Irvine, S.California - female ChloeCat - St. Louis - Home of the WS Champion Cardinals - female ColeenOz - Australia - female Chubby Rat - El Paso, Texas - female Cynic - Minnesota - male dances_in_garden - Ontario , Canada - female DeaMN - Southwestern Minnesota - female deborah ps - Palm Springs, California - female des_arc_ya_ya - N. central Arkansas - female dirtundermyfingers - Stacie in Nebraska - female dianamo 1 - MO - female Dollydolots - British Columbia, Canada - female Donna37 - South central MO - female Dotmom - N.Central Minnesota - female drewsmaga - Oviedo (by Orlando) Fl nowb. The Woodlands (by Houston) TX - female Ellie45 - Alexandria, VA - female FlamingO in ar (Susan) - near Eureka Springs, AR - female Fran1523 - SE Massachusetts - female Fun2BHere - Southern California - female Gazania - SW Pennsylvania just north of Pittsburgh - female georgysmom - Williamsburg, VA. - female gemini40 - ? ? ? glenda-al - Birmingham, al - female gibby3000 - ? ? ? gmom74 - Roswell, Georgia - female Granlan TX - Texas panhandle ? - female grinch_gut - Stacy in OK - female Haffie - North Shore - MA Heather ON - Ontario, Canada - female Hellion - North central Florida - female hoovergal - Hoover, Alabama - female. hostapasta - Western New York State - near Buffalo - female houstonmom - Houston, Texas - female Jannie, Janice, age 58 - Kings Park Long Island NY - female Jasdip - Southwestern Ontario (Canada) - female Jaybird - Texas - female jbelle108 - Boston, MA - female jeaninwa - Colorado Springs, CO - female jel48, - Michigan U.P. - on the Keweenaw peninsula - female jemdandy ? ? ? -male jennmonkey - Virginia ? Seattle? - female joann_fla - North Florida, orig. NJ - female Joan mn - E.Minnesota (Pine City?) / Ocala, FL in winter - female jodi_in_so_calif - Orange CO, CA - female joyfulguy - southern Ontario, Canada - reputedly male Kathsgrdn - Central Kentucky - Kathleen - female Kathi_mdgd - S.Calif,Oceanside to be exct. - female Kathy G in MI - northeast Michigan - female kat__wa - Washington - female Kayjones - Panama City, Florida - female Kfca37 - Bay area CA Kittywhiskers - 4B - female lazypup - Chicopee, Massachusetts - male Lidia1959 - Mid-Missouri , an hour from St. Louis - female Liira - Edmonton Alberta Canada - female lily316 - south central PA lindalou - Tonawanda, new yor k - female lindie_mi - west Michigan - female Linda_in_Iowa - Ames, Iowa - female linda_6 PA - Sewickley, PA - Female Lisa_fla - Orlando, Florda - female Littlebit - West TN - female Lindaohionowga - Linda Ohio now GA--Fayetteville, GA - female lindyluwho - Remlap, AL - female littlebug5, - north Missouri - female Liz_ga. - fayetteville - female lovemymimi - Mesa, Arizona - female LuAnn_in_PA - PA (southwest) - female luckygardnr - Southwestern Ontario (near Jasdip) - female Lynn D - Johnstown, PA - female Marilyn Sue - Central Indiana, Madison Co - Female mary7060_mi - Northern lower peninsula of Michigan - female Mamatoad - Tucson, Arizona - female Marita40 Mary - St. Paul MN 2011-Rome - female Marry - northeastern Indiana - female Matti5 Cheryl - Northern CA - female maybee - Iowa - female mboston - Lakeland, FL - female mcmann - southern NJ originally from Pittsburgh - female Michelle PhxAZ - Phoenix, AZ - female minnie_tx - NE Texas - female mom24 - Pennsylvania - female momof6 - SW Louisiana - female moonie 57 -female MonicaPa - Blue Bell,Pa - female mwheel - Falling Waters, WV - female nanaofmany08 Linda weeks - western KY - female nanatricia - central Texas - female Nanny98 - Southern Oregon - female nancylee_ ky - Western Kentucky - female Nicole - Colorado Springs - female NitaAZ - Sierra Vista, AZ - female Nodakgal - female OklaMoni - Oklahoma City - female oldgardener_2009 - western Washington - female Pam 25f - northern NY pammyfay - N.VIRGINIA ? patti43 - Ocala, FL - female pattico - female paula_pa - Pennsylvania - female pekemom - Lynne from southern Colorado - female Petaloid - Southern California - female petra - female pickyshopper - Ontario , Canada - female Poohbear 2767 - Dunlap Tn - male Phyllis mn - North Central Minnesota - female ratherbegardening - near Lansing, Michigan - female RavenCajun - Houston,TX area - female Reader77 - Johnson City in upper E.TN (almost in VA) - female Renee FL - DeLand FLorida - female redcurls - Ft Lauderdale FL - Female ronf - Southeast Minnesota - male ronm80 (Ronnie) - south Georgia - female Rosemaryt - Rosemary Thornton - female rosepetal2 - near Liverpool, England - female ruthieg__tx - Texas - female Sable - Monterey Peninsula, California - female Salgal - ? ? ? SamKaren - Milledgeville, Illinois - female Satine - Northern Maryland - female schoolhouse - Ohio scissors - ? ? ? secsteve - Delaware? - male sheilajoyce - southern California - female sherrmann - Wisconsin - female sjarz (Susan) - Canada - female sjerin - Bay Area in Ca, originally from Oregon - female sleeperblues - northwest Wisconsin - female Socks12345 - South CA - female ? soxxxx - mid East Texas - female stoneybaloney - Patty from Kansas - female sue_va - Stuarts Draft, VA - female Sunny DJ - SW. Pa, near Pgh.... Sunshines - Weeki Wachee, Florida - female susanjf - in SE Michigan - female Sushipup - Monterey Bay central coast of California - female sweet_betsy - Decatur, AL - female Tally - Los Angeles, California. - female Terilin - Texas - female Thistledew5750 - ? ? ? Tobygirl - Upstate New York - female Trishaw - Landrum, SC (upper W. part ~ 5' from NC border) - female trixietx - Texas panhandle - female two.25acres - SE Wisconsin on 2 1/4 acres - female Valla55/Bj - central Kansas widowed - female Vannie - Tyler, East Texas. Dallas and Shreveport vee1 - Pensacola Florida VetaAl - Vestavia Hills, AL - female Vicki lv - Las Vegas, Nevada - female vicki7 - North GA - female wanda_va - Front Royal, Virginia - female wildchild - CA - female zeetera

In an effort to prevent bacterial infections to the larvae and then to the adult butterflies, forum members use varying methods: Posted by susanlynne48: I was reading the FAQ info on discouraging and preventing the spread of OE in Monarchs, and that one of the solutions suggested rinsing the milkweed in a 10-15% solution of bleach and then rinsing well before feeding it to the cats. Does anyone do this? I have not been doing this and wondered if I should be. Thought perhaps some of the rest of you might have opinions on it. Posted by tdogmom: Personally, I don't do it nor would I encourage it. A Dr. Altizer recomended the method. I know that there is even some sort of proprietary product available from Educational Sciences (I think that Live Monarch also sells something) but then again I just don't think that it is 'safe' to provide something like this...but, that's MY opinion. I think the best thing is to check for OE in the adults and make sure that you don't have infected ones out there in your yard. I know this is not always possible, particularly if you have 'gazillions' of them flying about. But doing what you can sure as heck helps. I do one thing with my Milkweed and whether or not that helps I do not know...I wipe each and every leaf I feed with those anti-bacterial Kleenex tissues. I doubt that this is really doing much to help with OE but I have found that it has helped to reduce the Black Death caused by the bacteria and virus that can be found lurking about in the soil... I wipe every single leaf with the tissues THEN I wipe them one more time with a paper towel (now you can see why it takes me forever to feed the caterpillars!). I have never used any solutions of any sort on the Milkweed leaves. I haven't had a problem with OE on the Monarchs I raise myself-only with those I collect in the wild. I separate cats & eggs so it can get to be quite hectic when I raise Monarchs! Posted by connie-k: I soak all of my milkweed leaves in a 5-10 percent solution of bleach for about 5 min. and then rinse and rinse and rinse. I then stand up my leaves so that the water drains off and then I refridgerate the leaves and use as needed. I have not had any OE and I have not lost any to parasites or Black Death--I have raise well over 500 this year. Posted by linda_centralokzn6: I have been doing a 15% bleach solution, soaking leaves for 20 min., and letting set in rinse water for 20 min., and then rinsing thoroughly the milkweed leaves and cuttings for about 2 weeks now. Then it takes about another 20 min. for the leaves to dry. By that time the poor milkweed is pretty darned wilted!!! No OE yet, but the leaves look pretty pathetic. Coming from a medical background, I would question 5 minutes being long enough to sterilize anything. Perhaps, 15 min. would be long enough. And IF the leaves were rinsed really well, I wonder if the the letting sit in rinse water for 20 min. could be omitted. I've still got about 20 min. drying time, before they're dry enough to feed the cats. I believe that I will back off to the 10% solution. Posted by msrpaul: Cleanliness is a great thing, but bleaching in my mind is extreme...of course, that depends on your feeding method. I have found the best way to feed cats is to have plenty of MW both wild in the garden, and in many many pots that I can use and rotate. I gather the small cats from the yard as I find them, and place them on the plants in my garage tent. This is by no means an immaculate area, but I do hose the floor daily to rinse the frass (poop), and I rotate the pots as they eat the leaves down. My biggest chore is moving cats so that they have plenty to eat....using cut MW is even more labour intensive, requires a lot of container maintenance, and wilts quickly. It's my last resort if my pots are eaten. This is a matter of preference, I think Connie is more experienced in this than I, and I have contemplated this method, but I have been well over 95% success, compared to about 10% in nature...so I'm happy with that.

I'd have to know if $10 is a premium price because the item is now in demand or a discounted price because no one wants them. fondue pots (like that answer although for me that was more the 70's-80's) entertainment centers