SALVAGE A DISTRESSED ADULT:
Newly-emerged adults may need a long time to fully deploy.
Newly-emerged adults will not be able to fly in cold weather.
It may be necessary to put a distressed new adult on a potted milkweed and bring it indoors.
Adults will stay quiet at night on the potted milkweed if the room is dark.
Newly-emerged adult Monarchs can go at least 48 hrs without eating.
If you offer a sugar-water mixture that is too concentrated, adults will not be able to suck it in.
The concentration of sugar water should be one TEASPOON to one CUP of water.
Place a tiny drop of the sugar/water on each of the open flowers of the potted milkweed.
SALVAGE A FALLEN CHRYSALIS:
If a chrysalis has fallen, it can be salvaged.
At the top of the chrysalis is a tiny black stem, about one millimeter in length.
Use DENTAL FLOSS. Thread will not work: thread will cut thru the stem.
Get a length of DENTAL FLOSS.
Create a single square knot in the middle of the length of DENTAL FLOSS.
Carefully tighten the knot around the stem.
Use the two ends of the DENTAL FLOSS to suspend the floss and chrysalis from a plant.
If the stem if damaged while you attempt to tie the knot around it, there is only one way remaining to suspend the chrysalis.
Get a length of DENTAL FLOSS.
Create a lump in the middle of the length by tying many square knots, one on top of the next.
Then, place a tiny drop of superglue on the lump of square knots.
Then, gently press the top of the chrysalis against the tiny drop of glue.
Wait for the glue to dry, then use the two ends of the DENTAL FLOSS to suspend the floss and chrysalis from a plant.
SALVAGE DYING MILKWEED PLANTS:
Seed pods, yellow leaves, and stringy branches are signs that the plant is deleting itself.
It has produced flowers, its mission is accomplished, and it is dying.
You need to trim back the milkweed plant at this time, otherwise it will die.
It is best to trim back the plant a little bit at a time, on a regular basis.
SALVAGE MILKWEED PLANTS FROM APHIDS AND MILKWEED BUGS:
Aphids and milkweed bugs appear when milkweed plants get leggy and sprout seed pods.
You must trim gradually trim back leggy plants, and trim away seed pods.
The aphids and milkweed bugs will disappear from the trimmed milkweeds.
SALVAGE CATERPILLARS FROM THE HEAT:
Caterpillars do not tolerate heat.
Position the your refuge cage in in partial shade.
Consider placing a cap of sunscreen mesh over the outside top of the refuge cage.
SALVAGE SOIL THAT HAS HARDENED:
Till the soil around your milkweeds whenever it appears to be hard.
If you let the soil get tamped down and stay that way: NOTHING WILL GROW IN IT.
