I reared a monarch and it’s not doing well. What should I do?

It’s tough to have a monarch that is unwell. Releasing it to the wild is not advised because there is a chance that it has a transmissible disease it could spread. Learn more about monarch diseases here and safe rearing practices here. Please note that in Canada, California, and Washington, special regulations may restrict monarch handling. Always check local and federal laws before collecting or rearing monarchs: Washington, California

• If you choose to keep the adult monarch indoors, always keep it isolated from others and bleach its container prior to reusing to prevent the spread of disease.

• If the monarch may be infected with OE (has crumpled wings, lacks white scales on its abdomen), our partner Project Monarch Health provides guidance on euthanizing unhealthy monarchs here.

No matter your choice, please report your findings to a community science program, such as the

Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) or Project Monarch Health to help us learn more about monarch threats.