Collecting Monarch larvae near to molting

[Sheri Moreau]

Harlen, 

I pick up larvae that are near to molting all the time, almost every day,
in fact. If you are gentle and VERY careful, it appears to have no adverse
impact on them whatsoever (despite all the warnings I've read)...I have
beautiful chrysalides right now! I prefer not to pick up ones whose head
cases have fallen forward, but if it's necessary, I will do it.  I DON'T
pick them up after they've molted until after they've eaten their discarded
skin and their tentacles are back in the normal position. The other option
is to cut out a segment of leaf around the larvae, and transfer the whole
thing to a safe container.

Better to be gently moved at a non-ideal time, then eaten by a
mockingbird!! (Well, the mockingbirds would disagree with me, but throw
them some peanuts, and you'll have a friend for life! I know a professor at
the Naval Postgraduate School who used peanuts to train a Stellar's Jay to
fly in his office window, sit on top of the computer monitor, and take
peanuts from his fingers. The bird's been coming back for 5 years, often
with his offspring in tow!)

Sheri