This is one of the only times I’m on board with using pesticides in the garden, but please read the label carefully and try to keep the spraying directly on the nest: Last season we sprayed an underground yellow jacket nest in our raised beds. That was obviously a ridiculous mistake on their part, but it seems worth noting on this page that the LA Times article does say that it will kill the Monarchs, and must be used on a cottonball to dab only the aphids. This morning I had three eggs that had turned dark, and through my cheap phone magnifying glass app, it looked like the pics online of soon-to-be-hatched cats. Of course I follow Tony’s advice first, checking for butterfly eggs and baby caterpillars first. However, that doesn’t mean you need to host wasp nests on your property. Secondary forest is the main feature here. Hi Elaine, check out my milkweed resources page. About the width of one stripe. After lots of research and trial & error, we’ve managed to stop our cat’s killing spree. sorry to hear about your aphids. Here’s some more info: Are your milkweed anywhere close to elm trees? I usually try wiping them down with my fingers and hosing them off. Years ago I had a wasp chew a hole through window screening to get to a chrysalis. It sounds like it could be a bacterial infection or virus. Thanks for the many useful tips. I’m a squasher advocate. Garden Netting. Do domestic and asian ladybugs eat the eggs of Monarch’s? I got them off with alcohol after I saw a tiny monarch caterpillar on one but am concerned about leaving him on them with the alcohol. A healthy ecosystem in your garden contains both monarchs and their predators. I pick them off a few at a time and place them in a cup of water. Hello, about pinching off the buds of the flowers, will that impact the butterfly or caterpillar in any way? It sounds like you’ve done everything you can to get the area cleaned up…good luck! If it’s going to hatch, it should hatch soon. I have not put out any milkweed this year because of this. This time I put lids on with a couple tiny poked holes for air. hey tony, i’m growing some milkweed in my greenhouse and was wondering if its ok to spray neem oil on them as a fungacide. It’s so sad. I suspect it was a lizard! Do milkweeds mind having no space between them. The wash has a very silky, oily consistency and makes the “orange vampires” very easy to wipe off. I simply collected about 4, and set them on my milkweed. Now I’m worried that I should have cut the MW back as soon as the first bunch left on their journey North. I water about once to twice a week depending on how hot it is. Hi Christi, I don’t suggest putting any substance on milkweed and leaving it there. Had a cat go into a j hang then went limp and deflated. I have been a fan of monarch butterflies for 40 + years. In essence, coding those stimuli for a successful journey and return. I have tried every “natural” repellant available and even poured ground cloves all over my butterfly garden last year. Hi Jessica, so sorry to hear this. They just come back. My personal favorite is smooshing with forefinger and thumb (permanent stain throughout Monarch season) and then blasting them off with the hose. However, bringing a few indoors to raise can help boost their low survival rate…less than 5% outdoors! Are they also in danger. I had wanted some seed pods, so I could expand my garden, but the plants and pods were totally consumed by the aphids. (wasp, hornet, yellowjacket) traps that are supposed to be very effective for trapping these relentless predators without harming the environment: Non-Toxic Wasp, Hornet, Yellowjacket traps, The next solution is potentially more dangerous to the both the environment…and to you! For those with less established gardens and a limited supply of milkweed, it’s more difficult to sit back and watch your milkweed be decimated by uninvited pests…you could always go to a store and buy more plants, but some are on a limited budget and, worse yet, it can be difficult to find milkweed plants that have not been treated by monarch-killing pesticides. Does anyone know if fence lizards eat Monarch caterpillars? Also several of the cats have discolored and died just before they pupate. We have blue birds feeding in the area, I feed them dried mealworms away from the plants. Please check out this post about protecting eggs: Thanks Tony. This idea works best for potted milkweed plants. I didn’t read through all of the comments but have you ever tried or heard of anyone trying this with the milkweed? I’ve had more yellow aphids than ever on my tropical milkweed and they’re way out of control. Good luck! I also had an almost overwhelming infestation of aphids which I didn’t catch in time because I was away on vacation. I live in South Florida and have successfully released hundreds of Monarchs from eggs. Some will survive outside, but you can help boost their numbers by raising a few indoors. And, if so, how do I combat them? What do you suggest now? After taking an adult education class on populating monarch’s, I’m hooked. I will finally be getting his home tomorrow, but I’m not sure if it’s too late. As it turned out all 15 cats turned into roughly 35+ cats! However, over time, many predators have adapted…, Do you still have questions about monarch predators in your garden? Enjoy! Do you have any ideas of things we could do to make the day more exciting? I read that horticultural oil will work to get rid of the aphids. I still rub out and spray with water. Last night I went to check on them, and again his morning. It looks like the cats hatched, ate most of their eggs, and then crawled away through the screen holes (I assume they’re small enough). I started a butterfly garden just this year. Smash the little guys with you fingers, no big deal, or if too many soapy water and a teaspoon of vegetable oil added to the water is good. I see a lot of people here have planted Tropical Milkweed. Does it matter if it’s used grounds vs not? Many species of ants will feed on both monarch eggs and caterpillars. I’ve never dealt with caterpillars before but my daughter (who’s 8) is a big fan of monarchs and we want to help it. For example, while holly will stop your dog from digging, it’s also toxic to dogs. If you need to move it, you could always cut a small square around the caterpillar and move the caterpillar/leaf piece to a new plant. APHIDS Homemade remedies are a longstanding tradition among organic gardeners, who have had to be creative in finding ways to battle insects and diseases without the help of synthetic chemicals. There are no chew holes anywhere, and I cannot find any caterpillars . Did my larger caterpillars eat them? Many predators do their damage at night. My question is this: I am going to get new milkweed so all seven caterpillars will have plenty to eat. Hi Laura, if you take the time to read my blog, you’ll see how a monarch focused garden supports lots of other wildlife. The unique features here are five habitat types not found in the other major Malaysian nature reserves. Other than that, we late nature working things out in the garden…and it has been surprisingly effective! HELP! Hi Nicole, your questions cover a few different topics. Many times in home gardens (where you have the luxury of letting things play out a little longer) aphid predators will take care of the problem. Only rare butterfly sitings since, but IU collected 30 eggs, and placed them in 3 cubes. I squash those aphids with my fingers. Looking more closely, I found a earwig right under the path of the caterpillar. Soaps and oils can harm the monarchs, and I also kind of trust the ecosystem to do its thing with this one. Plants from the big box stores are especially susceptible! I tried clove oil at first as an organic solution, but no one could afford that much clove oil. I was so happy when I discovered what those brown little dots on my mw plants were! I sprayed all 25 or so plants, waited 5 min then rinsed thoroughly….the next morning the aphids we we back w a bang! I wish I had. I would leave your mark on them or attribute them to you. I have what I thought was a new variety of ladybug, but noticed the new bugs were eating the leaves at a very quick rate. We did have some rain so I thought maybe that had something to do with it. Tony, I’m in Oklahoma and this is the first year I’ve noticed the ‘tick’ looking buggers and now these beetles. Then I sprayed 20% bleach & water w a bit of soap. Info about Organic Pest Control for Other Milkweed Pests, Filed Under: Butterfly Garden Ideas, Container Garden Ideas, Milkweed Garden Ideas, Milkweed Garden Pests and Guests, Minnesota Garden Ideas, Monarch Butterflies, Organic Gardening, Raising Monarchs, Wildlife Garden Ideas Tagged With: aphids, butterfly gardening, how to get rid of aphids, milkweed aphids, oleander aphids, organic gardening, organic pest control, The butterflies takes awhile to pump blood into his wings . I have seen very few of those yellow buggers since. Since common milkweed also spreads underground, I don’t really need more seeds. Good luck! I am new to all of this. 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