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susanlynne48

Milkweed Decontamination Reagent

susanlynne48
12 years ago

Have you used this, or would you consider using this? Supposed to be less toxic than using Bleach. Seems expensive, but the bottle does make 15 gallons of solution.

Since many of us have problems with OE and other bacterial and fungal diseases, I am looking at using this next year. It is also a "no rinse" product.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Milkweed Decontamination Reagent

Comments (5)

  • christie_sw_mo
    12 years ago

    I think it's a Chlorine dioxide product which also has other uses so maybe there's a cheaper source. I would find out how quickly it expires if you order a lot.
    I'll link an interesting article about Chlorine Dioxide, some stuff about it being explosive, but I would hope the stuff they're selling for milkweed isn't.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Disinfectants Chlorine Dioxide

  • ericwi
    12 years ago

    I would consider using this next season-this year was a bad one for OE, here in Madison, WI. I rinse the milkweed leaves off in running cold water, & that does seem to help, but I don't think it is totally effective.

  • susanlynne48
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the info, Christie. I cannot find info on what the contents are in the MDR sold at Butterfly Encounters.

    Further research from breeding sites indicates that the spores must be ingested, and most ingestion begins with the egg. Of course, it then follows that spores are most likely on the foliage. I found that a lot of the breeders begin with sterilizing, or decontaminating, the eggs. Eggs are collected, placed in either a coffee filter or non-gauze milk filters (see link) and sterilized with either the bleach solution or another one I'll describe later. It seems the milk filters are more effective as to drainage than the coffee filters. At the site linked, you can buy 100 of them for $3.95 or you can probably find them at local farm stores.

    The solutions are many but I found 2 sites mentioning this one. Use grain alcohol, sold as Everclear, which is a 76.5% alcohol solution. Don't drink it, please! Altho, apparently some do. Dilute with 1/4 water (4:1 ratio - 4 parts Everclear to 1 part water). Pretty strong, huh? No need to rinse. Also can use to sterilize cages, equipment, hands, brushes, etc. This solution is said to dry quickly (I would imagine) and leave no residue. It is said to kill the OE spores on the eggshell before the cat hatches and eats it.

    Opinions, comments?

    Susan

    Here is a link that might be useful: Non-Gauze Milk Filters

  • Tony G
    12 years ago

    Eric, just seeing this now. I always thought OE was prevalent in warmer climates. In 30 years of raising monarchs I have never had a disease outbreak (in Minnesota) and all I've done is rinsed leaves with cool water. I also try to to clean cages once in the morning, and again before sunset. (I also change out leaves both times) Last year I also raised some cats on potted tropical MW with no problems.

    How often does everyone clean out frass and replace leaves? Could an extra daily cleaning make a difference? Tony

  • edith_lee
    12 years ago

    The best way to find out if something works for OE is to try it. If you can obtain a female with OE, have her lay eggs and treat the eggs. Separate the eggs into three piles. Pile 1 - use the agent you're interested in using. Pile 2 - use a good bleach recipe with some of the eggs. Pile 3 - wash with ordinary water. Keep them separate so you'll know which pupae are from which pile. When they emerge, check to see what percentage has OE. We've tried this several times. We find that bleach is the only thing that works well for us BUT we haven't tried everything, of course. The more people/gardeners who try this and share their info, the better.

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