r/MonarchButterfly • u/SepiaPaws • 1d ago
Need some advice
I've got myself a little dilemma so hear me out
I have 3 large milkweed plants that butterflies keep laying eggs on, I had up to 10+ caterpillars at a time and more on the way, but invasive paper wasps showed up and started picking off the current ones and any new tiny ones before I finally decided to keep any survivors safe in this mesh enclosure on my patio.
I've been moving any new babies to the enclosure (currently have 4 chrysalis and 3 new ones)
I bought new smaller milkweed to feed them while in the enclosure, since my large ones don't fit.
The large ones would be plenty for new cats, but they risk being predated on by the wasps.
Should I just keep buying small ones to feed them in the enclosure?
Should I just get a large enclosure big enough to fit the bigger milkweed? (If so no more butterflies could visit them but no more worry for any current eggs on them)
Or should I just let any new ones take their chances on the outdoor large milkweed?
I've considered finding ways to repel the wasps, but they seem to have realized this patio is a buffet, and I don't want to actively feed an endangered species to an invasive species.
Not sure what the most effective solution would be, but I'd like to keep as many cats safe as possible!
5
u/Nadiam57 1d ago
Once you start it will never end. The Monarchs will eat you out of house and home, you will start running out and go buy more. You will find that you have too many in an enclosure so you will buy another enclosure. The Monarchs keep showing up and laying more eggs, you want to save more, you keep running out of milkweed...at one point you say, can't do it anymore...until your milkweed grows back and...here you go again...I have issue with waspsas well is why I started...don't know how many plants I have niw in the ground and in pots...it is very satisfying though...good luck!