Texas Ranch Produces Monarch Butterflies

Texas Ranch Produces Monarch Butterflies SPECIALTY/SERVICES Native Texans Barbara Dorf and her husband Tracy Villareal own a 24-acre tract near Corpus Christi It’s one of the few operations in the country that produces Monarch butterflies commercially It’s a sideline business because Dorf and Villareal are oceanographers by day     Says Dorf “We specialize in producing the biggest best and healthiest Texas-sized Monarch butterflies you’ll see anywhere ” The colorful insects are released at weddings funerals parties and other special occasions They also provide butterflies for research education and exhibits      Dorf started experimenting with host plants and did an internship in 2011 “There’s a steep learning curve with a lot of potential pitfalls along the way ” she says     Villareal says some producers will harvest wild milkweed to feed their caterpillars while others might raise milkweed and complete the whole cycle in a giant greenhouse Problems such as disease climate moisture and other insects are just a few of the curves that producers face Dorf and Villareal even learned that salt spray from ocean mist can create problems     Big Tree Butterflies is a seasonal operation that begins production in the early spring when the Monarch migration moves from Mexico into South Texas Dorf and Villareal capture male and female Monarchs test them to make sure they’re disease free then put them in a building to mate and lay eggs Dorf and Villareal raise their own milkweed caterpillar food in a shade house using 72 cell flats for seedlings After eggs are produced they put eggs and caterpillars on the seedlings     Using adult plants for food didn’t work as well and using high nitrate fertilizer grew the plants too fast Aphids as well as thrips also posed a problem Says Dorf “the learning curve is steep and ugly with a lot of challenges ”     Their plant production house is 28 by 48 ft with a 15-ft peak It’s covered with shade cloth or plastic and has fans for air circulation Plants are raised on metal benches If the plants or Monarchs were raised on dirt ants would pose problems     Monarch eggs go through their life cycle in a 12 by 20-ft metal building with day length humidity and temperature control They have 2 by 2 by 4-ft mesh cubes with plants and caterpillars that produce mature Monarchs in about 4 weeks Butterflies are produced from March through October In the past year Big Tree was able to raise about 1 500 of the gorgeous Monarchs     “Raising Monarchs in higher concentration than in nature requires careful management ” says Villareal “We have to check them each day clean and sanitize the facilities and keep parasites and bacteria away Still it’s a labor of love that we really enjoy ”     After young butterflies emerge from the chrysalis it takes about 24 hrs for their wings to harden Then they’re ready to ship to customers They’re fed then carefully packaged and shipped priority overnight in insulated boxes Big Tree has sold Monarchs into 27 states besides Texas and has permits to ship to all states east of the Continental Divide     Dorf says there are about 80 active breeders in the U S and about 10 of those are large producers The Big Tree operation broke even after 3 years

    In addition to adult Monarchs Big Tree also supplies caterpillars eggs and chrysalises for scientific research Villareal says on-going research is essential to help reverse the decline in North American Monarch populations Mature Monarch butterflies sell for $8 each with discounts for teachers and larger quanties Call for pricing     The U S Department of Agriculture limits interstate shipment for individual releases to 250 Monarchs Permits are required to ship Monarchs at any stage across state lines Monarchs can’t be transported across the Continental Divide because research has suggested there are differences in disease susceptibility between eastern and western populations     “We’ve found this to be a wonderful business because Monarchs provide so much joy to people of all ages ” says Dorf “It’s a wonderful experience to see Monarchs develop and know that the people who buy them are so thrilled by the experience of releasing them ”     Butterflies sell for $8 each or $7 apiece if you buy 2 dozen     Big Tree Butterflies is a proud member of the Association of Butterflies and the International Butterfly Breeders Association organizations that promote high ethical standards competence and professionalism through research education habitat conservation and restoration     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Big Tree Butterflies 332 North Palmetto Street Rockport Texas 78382 ph 361 779-3145; www bigtreebutterflies com

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