What is the OE parasite?
Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) is a debilitating protozoan parasite that infects monarchs. When dormant spores are scattered onto eggs or milkweed leaves by infected adults, monarch larvae consume the spores, and these parasites then replicate inside the larvae and pupae. Oe weakens the larva & adult, causes malformed wings, & many other problems to Monarchs.
Milkweed harbors the Oe spores, Native Milkweed dies back during Fall/Winter which kills the Oe Spores, Non-native milkweed does not die back, therefore those milkweed plants (that are infected) will continue to infect more monarchs. To help prevent the spread of Oe, it is critically important that we cut back our non-native milkweed to 6” above the ground, around Halloween Weekend at the latest. We can achieve the same effect by stripping the plant of all leaves. The new OE free leaves grow back quickly.
Project Monarch Health is a Citizen Science project in which volunteers sample monarch butterflies to help track the spread of a protozoan parasite (O.E.) across North America. This parasite can effect the development of the wings, among other things.
Their mission is to understand host-parasite interactions in monarchs and to enhance awareness of monarch biology and conservation through the coupling of citizens and scientists.
FREE Oe Sampling Kits are available throughout the year, every year.
Send an email to monarchhealth@gmail.com with your mailing address to request one.
Check their new data sheet and the instructional videos on their website to help you fill it out.
Goto: https://www.monarchparasites.org and select the Monitoring tab to view.
We encourage all of you to do this, it is VERY EASY!! And it is FREE!!