I've started a butterfly garden here in zone 10b, and planted 5 milkweed
plants. It's great to finally see monarchs in the yard and it looks like
hundreds of eggs are now on the plants. If all of these eggs hatch, I'll
evidently have hundreds of caterpillars on these 5 plants. My question is:
should some of these eggs be eliminated or should I just leave them alone?
Thnx

Barbara C.

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I've started a butterfly garden here in zone 10b, and planted 5 milkweed
plants. It's great to finally see monarchs in the yard and it looks like
hundreds of eggs are now on the plants. If all of these eggs hatch, I'll
evidently have hundreds of caterpillars on these 5 plants. My question is:
should some of these eggs be eliminated or should I just leave them alone?
Thnx

Barbara C.



I would leave them alone unless planting additional milkweed in the garden
can be done near those original plants. The larvae will eat the unfertilized
eggs and some of it's nearby unhatched competition. Not sure about Monarchs,
but some insects (Ladybugs, fleas) that go through a complete metamorphous
will cannibalize as larvae to receive a protein that triggers a hormone
change to start development into an adult.
--
It is said that the early bird gets the worm,
but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

wrote in message t...
I've started a butterfly garden here in zone 10b, and planted 5 milkweed
plants. It's great to finally see monarchs in the yard and it looks like
hundreds of eggs are now on the plants. If all of these eggs hatch, I'll
evidently have hundreds of caterpillars on these 5 plants. My question is:
should some of these eggs be eliminated or should I just leave them alone?
Thnx

Barbara C.

Good question. The only British monarch I ever saw was one that had
got run over after flying across the atlantic. We get them here in the
Autumn (or Fall as you say) after storms.

I don't think that monarch larvae are given to canibalism like some
other types of caterpillar are so you may have problems if they all
hatch.

However there is a list called Dplex_l which is run by Monarch Watch.
(Danaus plexipus is the Scientific name of the Monarch)
I'd suggest asking there. For More details.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/dplex/

Neil Jones
http://www.butterflyguy.com/

I always have milkweed in my own garden and also volunteer
in a local butterfly house where we grow milkweed inside to
feed the caterpillars of our Monarchs. Inside the covered
butterfly house where there is no natural predation, we do
get so many caterpillars that they can completely denude the
plants. We usually move a lot of them outside to other
milkweed plants. However, outside, the plants never get
that denuded and we do not see nearly as many caterpillars
on the plants. I believe that outside, the eggs are more
likely to get eaten and the caterpillars are eaten by birds
and attacked by wasps and some just wander away.

I guess I would just wait and see how many caterpillars
actually appear on your plants. It is most likely that your
plants will be somewhat eaten on but not too badly.

Linda
A long time grower of a number of varieties of milkweed.


wrote:

I've started a butterfly garden here in zone 10b, and planted 5 milkweed
plants. It's great to finally see monarchs in the yard and it looks like
hundreds of eggs are now on the plants. If all of these eggs hatch, I'll
evidently have hundreds of caterpillars on these 5 plants. My question is:
should some of these eggs be eliminated or should I just leave them alone?
Thnx

Barbara C.

I always have milkweed in my own garden and also volunteer
in a local butterfly house where we grow milkweed inside to
feed the caterpillars of our Monarchs. Inside the covered
butterfly house where there is no natural predation, we do
get so many caterpillars that they can completely denude the
plants. We usually move a lot of them outside to other
milkweed plants. However, outside, the plants never get
that denuded and we do not see nearly as many caterpillars
on the plants. I believe that outside, the eggs are more
likely to get eaten and the caterpillars are eaten by birds
and attacked by wasps and some just wander away.

I guess I would just wait and see how many caterpillars
actually appear on your plants. It is most likely that your
plants will be somewhat eaten on but not too badly.

Linda
A long time grower of a number of varieties of milkweed.


wrote:

I've started a butterfly garden here in zone 10b, and planted 5 milkweed
plants. It's great to finally see monarchs in the yard and it looks like
hundreds of eggs are now on the plants. If all of these eggs hatch, I'll
evidently have hundreds of caterpillars on these 5 plants. My question is:
should some of these eggs be eliminated or should I just leave them alone?
Thnx

Barbara C.