Monarch Butterflies...?

Question

We have a couple of milkweed plants in our front yard. For the past couple of years, there have been very few caterpillars and of those there have been very few that lived to be butterflies. IT was the assasin bugs that did it, we think. But this year, something weird happened. After all of the assasin bugs disappeared in about November, a bunch of caterpillars popped up. I mean a bunch! The only problem - it's December! Luckily, I live in the south, but tonight is cold, so I took as many as I could find inside to keep warm, but I dont know how much good it will do...What should I do?

Answer 1

OK Leroy, feed em like meal worms. If you have a large container to put em in, with lid, you will need to vent it. Put meal in the bottom, the caterpillars, and some lettuce, a peice of potatoe, and carrots, they should do fine. I moved my meal worms in. Now you know the caterpillars are going to want to form cocoons. So you need branches and things like that that they can crawl on and spin their cocoons. Just keep em inside. I too live in the south (Ga) not far from Callaway Gardens. If you want more info, email me.

And you are right temps have dipped way down tonight. Supposed to hit 24 here, less the wind chill.

Answer 2

Your heart is in the right place. If these caterpillars were lucky or clever enough to delay hatching until the predators went way, some of them may be lucky/clever enough to survive some cold temperatures. If they are not able to eat milkweed and build cacoons, they will certainly die. I suggest you put them back where you found them and watch to see what happens. Most times, nature know best.

Answer 3

regrettably there is not something you're able to do. that's the season once you will see them migrating south to Texas. regrettably, hundreds die, when you consider that they have a tendency to fly very virtually at severe point with automobiles. The older ones have a tendency to die before they attain Texas and its the extra youthful ones which will roost there till spring while they are going to return lower back north the place they lay their eggs on some form of milkweed, i've got self assurance.