Raising Caterpillars

THE START

I have ordered caterpillars off Insect Lore and had a great experience but wanted to have a way to raise them naturally and thus the caterpillar obsession began. This process into becoming a weird caterpillar breeder took a lot of trial and error and I am still learning but wanted to share my successes with you guys!

ORDERING PLANTS

The plant called Milkweed is really the key to everything. Monarch caterpillars eat only this plant and it is their favorite place to lay eggs. I have gotten some little plants form home depot but not all home depots carry it so if you struggle finding call around to local nurseries. Plant these in your garden and frequently pick fresh leaves for your new caterpillar babies!

Be warned these suckers eat SO MANY LEAVES!! Its honestly ridiculous how much they eat, I swear I’ve found my new spirit animal.

HABITAT

I kept my caterpillars in a large glass jar I got form Hobby Lobby for $5.00. Now for the lid you can get creative, It needs to breathable but also removable. If its a mason jar just remove the inside of the lid and replace with some screen like material.

RAISING THEM

As stating above they eat SO MUCH! Their insane diet is for good reason as they grow rapidly, I am talking doubling in size in just a few days. This does result is a ton of poop, makes sense, “what goes in must come out” kind of thing. I had some sticks so we could watch them climb and just made sure to have a steady flow of leaves.

TRANSFORMATION

After about of week of raising your caterpillars you will notice they are hanging out on the lid for a while and then start hanging off of it in a “J” shape. They will hang like this for sometime a day and then their cocoon will form. They will remain in their cocoons for 7-10 days. Wait until all of your caterpillars have been fully cocooned for 24 hours and transfer them into their net habitat (this is also found at Hobby Lobby).

BUTTERFLY PARENTS

CONGRATS! You’re a new parent! Once your caterpillars hatch its important that you DO NOT mess with them. The first couple hours after they emerge they will be drying their wings. After all your babies have hatched you can feed them some fresh fruit as they love their sugar! After you watch them for a bit you can release them into the wild. The hope is that they will return to your milkweed plats outside and lay their eggs, thus providing you with all the future caterpillars you would ever need!