How to feed monarch butterflies

Creating an "artificial flower"

You can't feed by providing flowers, which stop producing nectar as soon as they are cut. A 20 percent honey-in-water mixture is widely recommended for feeding adult monarchs in captivity--approximately 1 part honey mixed with 4 parts water. 

Our butterflies sip honey water from an "artificial flower," made from a plastic "scrubbie" held in a plastic dish of the same size.  Each dish is placed on a saucer with water to deter ants.  On an uneven surface, the dishes can be leveled by placing them on a small board with a small stone under the low end.

Mix the honey and water in a plastic floral tube, 3.75 in. long X .75 in. diameter.  Pour in honey to 1/5 full, then add water to just short of the top.  Heat the tube in the microwave about 6 sec., then shake and allow it to cool.  

Pour the honey water over the scrubbie in a circular pattern, using about a third of a test tube per scrubbie. The solution must be refreshed at least once a day.

Training butterflies to feed

Butterflies need to be taught to sip from the artificial flower. Most butterflies, whether newly eclosed or wild-caught, will learn to feed on the artificial flowers in just a day or two.

Place the butterflies in the breeding tent for a few hours so they can get used to it and calm down. Next, train them to feed by offering them a Q-tip with honey water, touched to the butterfly's front foot.  This causes it to extend the proboscis and begin feeding. 

For the few butterflies which don't extend their proboscis when offered honey water, use a pin to gently pull out the proboscis until it touches the Q-tip.

Once feeding for a minute, transfer the butterfly on the Q-tip to the artificial flower.  After a few feedings, the butterflies have learned to associate both the Q-Tip and the artificial flower with food. Now they extend their proboscis when the Q-Tip comes near or when you place them directly on the scrubbie.  Some may even learn to fly to the scrubbie on their own if you provide artificial flowers with fresh solution each morning and afternoon.

It's still important to continue feeding by hand unless you are certain they are routinely feeding themselves.  At least once a day, offer each butterfly a Q-tip, gently pull the butterfly away from where it's resting, and move it to the artificial flower.  Elsewhere, I've detailed the notes you should keep to make sure butterflies are healthy and getting enough food. The daily hand-feeding, observations, and notes provide the individualized TLC needed for success.

Butterflies need more than honey water

Finally, provide additional nutrients in another saucer.  Damp soil or sand in one saucer is the first choice.   Add a little water each day to keep it damp.  I recommend de-mineralized water (from your dehumidifier), otherwise minerals from hard tap water may build up. Optionally, you could add a saucer with a few pieces of fruit (it's OK if it ferments or spoils).

Honey water does contain trace minerals and nutrients beyond simple sugars, notably potassium. But these micronutrients are present in very small quantities, so honey water won’t fully replace other mineral sources butterflies seek in the wild.

Males, especially, need additional sources of minerals.  It's common to see butterflies clustered at the borders of puddles or on horse manure (photo), where they can sip minerals dissolved in water.

Some people add a pinch of sodium chloride (table salt) to replicate one of the trace minerals found in nectar.  You can also offer them fruit slices such as melon or orange, even if somewhat fermented.  A scoop of damp sand or soil in a dish substitutes for a puddle.

The importance of good nutrition

Providing sugar fuels both survival and egg production.

In experiments with an Australian butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras, a moderate sugar concentration (of ~25%) yielded the greatest lifespan extension (compared to no feeding), while egg production increased steadily with increasing sugar concentration. 

In a tropical fruit‐feeding butterfly, Bicyclus anynana, females consuming a solution with 20% sucrose (mimicking ripe fruit) laid more eggs than those on a 10% sucrose diet. Survival was further influenced by adding supplements—polyphenols and ethanol—showing that other nectar or fruit constituents improve longevity and stress tolerance. (Source: Copilot AI)

How to measure a 20% solution

Add honey to what looks like one fifth of the floral tube.  It's accurate enough to estimate by "eyeball." Then add water to just short of the top, leaving enough room to cover the top with your thumb (and still have a tiny bubble left which helps mix the solution when you shake it).

You can put a mark on the tube or make a 1/5 scale like this to help you estimate consistently.  Exclude from your scale the bottommost part of the tube plus the top where your thumb displaces water.

I mix the honey water before each feeding.  If you mix more, don't store it for more than a week, and it must be refrigerated. It's important to clean the scrubbies and dishes daily, so have a spare set.  Rinse the scrubbies, shake the water out, then sterilize by microwaving for 1 minute.  Place them where it's breezy to dry. Do not use bleach, because they are hard to dry out--any residue could harm the butterflies.

More details on feeding, go to the Producing eggs page.