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Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) Protozoan Parasite

Milkweed when planted in warm environments like southern Texas and the U.S. Gulf Coast doesn't die back in the winter like native milkweed does. When presented with a place to lay their eggs year-round, many monarchs don't bother making the trip to Mexico at all. Year-round tropical milkweed presents an even more direct threat to the butterflies. Milkweed hosts a protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE). Caterpillars ingest the parasite as they feed on milkweed. When they hatch from their chrysalises, the butterflies are covered in spores. It's a debilitating parasite. Infected monarchs are much weaker than their healthy counterparts and don't live nearly as long. In fact, if an OE-infected monarch tries to migrate, it will probably die long before it arrives in central Mexico. The migration is vital to keeping OE under control in the North American monarch population. Migrating "weeds out some of the sick monarchs every year," preventing them from passing the parasite along to their offspring. What's more, it gives the monarchs a chance to leave behind contaminated milkweed plants, which then die off during the winter. When the butterflies return in the spring "they start over fresh" with new, clean milkweed. But if the monarchs aren't migrating, and the tropical milkweed isn't dying off, OE never goes away.

There is some good news. Nearly all tropical milkweed in the southern United States is in gardens. A way to reduce the contamination: CUT THE MILKWEED DOWN TO THE GROUND IN NOVEMBER BEFORE THANKSGIVING. CLEAN YOUR TOOLS BEFORE CUTTING AND AFTER CUTTING WITH A RATIO OF 1 PART BLEACH TO NINE PARTS WATER TO DISINFECT YOUR TOOLS TO PREVENT CROSS CONTAMINATION. By cutting the milkweed down before Thanksgiving, you will prevent the contamination.