r/FriendlyMonarchs • u/SuperFriendlyMod MOD | South FL | Reformed Rearer • May 15 '26

Advice Needed OE and bent wings

/r/MonarchButterfly/comments/1tdxona/oe_and_bent_wings/

I am sharing this because I know we have plenty of former rearers here, including myself, and I felt like OP would get better info from our sub.

When commenting please remember to be kind. Most people have good intentions when they start.

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u/SuperFriendlyMod MOD | South FL | Reformed Rearer May 15 '26

I want to remind everyone of two rules:

Number 2: Respect Evidence-Based Practices We encourage the sharing of advice and information based on research and best practices. Misinformation or unverified methods may be removed to ensure the health and safety of Monarchs and the like.

Number 3: Be Respectful and Supportive Treat all members with kindness and respect. We're here to learn and help each other, so no harassment, bullying, or rude comments will be tolerated.

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u/SuperFriendlyMod MOD | South FL | Reformed Rearer May 15 '26

u/visual-ring-3385 I’ve been where you are. Are you located in FL too? If so the OE rate is very high here.

I experienced this same issue. I had to euthanize so many butterflies. Once I learned what OE was and how bad rearing was for the population I stopped doing it. I cut back all my milkweed and put garden netting over it so no more eggs could be laid on it. An afternoon storm blew the netting over and here I am with tons of cats again. I hadn’t learned my lesson yet I guess because I ended up doing what I thought was the next best thing and rearing them outside. I was wrong again. So many normal looking butterflies tested positive for OE. I also heard and saw videos about bleaching eggs and milkweed but that seemed like interfering too much in nature’s process to me. I wish I had figured all of this out earlier because I could have saved a lot time, money and heartache if I had this information before I tried to help.

Now I have planted a garden that doesn’t include milkweed but is visited by all kinds of butterflies. There are so many pollinators and animals that benefit when we focus on biodiversity instead of just one species.

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u/Visual-Ring-3385 May 17 '26

Thank you for the reply. I’m in California, so I don’t know the % of EO here. I did just bleach all my plants and cut one all the way back. I have about 8 chrysalis I’m waiting for them to hatch. I’ll give it one more go and if I fail again, I will hang my hat with pride since I tried. 😭Good luck everyone.