My monarch stopped eating and hasn’t moved in a few hours. Is it dead?

Larvae stop moving and eating for 7-24 hours prior to molting (dependent on humidity, temperature). If it is warmer and more humid, they will molt faster than when it is dry and cool. They may leave the milkweed plant to molt on the lid or side of your container. Do not move it, as it is fragile during this stage. It will continue eating when it is ready. Read more about the molting process here.

If it doesn’t resume normal activity after about a day and has not molted, there may be another underlying issue, like disease.