Monarch Caterpillars pupated without silk pad

9 years ago

Every year, I see something new. Two cats were hanging out on the floor of the habitat while others had attached to ceiling. Turns out they were J-s laying down! There was just enough silk on the leaf, and the paper towel, to hang them to complete pupation. I placed thick paper towels below to catch them in case they fell - and they did - but the chrysalises look ok.

I move my guys around a lot, but since there is no silk pad on the cremaster, is there another way to attach them to something so I can hang them to when they emerge (hopefully they are okay, although I am worried about why they would J on the floor), that they can hang to dry? Any other suggestions?

Comments (2)

NancyB.
9 years ago
If you are handy with a needle and thread you can tie a thread around the cremaster - tightly. Then thread one end of the thread through a needle and sew it to whatever you want to hang it on. I sewed one to a piece of cardboard and then used a hanger to hang it. Check out the photo. It's a bit of work but all of mine that fell off with no silk came out just fine.
weed30 St. Louis
9 years ago
If there is enough cremaster, you can also use masking tape. Wrap it with several folds, then tape that to a suitable spot. The one below did have some silk attached, but I've done it with silkless ones as well.

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