Before we all enter into the 2018 butterfly season, let’s look at something that can help decrease OE and disease occurrence when we feed caterpillars indoors.
Many disease pathogens as well as OE spores are on leaves. When a caterpillar eats a leaf, it ingests the pathogen. At that point, the caterpillar is often infected with a crippling or fatal disease.
One step to preventing many infections is simple. Disinfect the leaves before you feed them to your caterpillars.