What are these bugs on my milkweed plant?
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Walter Reeves on Aug 19, 2012They're (DRUM ROLL) milkweed bugs! These insects form clusters on milkweed plants, where they eat the seeds. Milkweed bugs have few predators because they concentrate in their bodies bad tasting compounds found in the sap of milkweed plants. Entomologists like to study and work with milkweed bugs because they are easy to raise in a lab, where they can be fed pumpkin seeds. In general, the insects are harmless unless you are trying to raise milkweed. They never eat 100% of the seeds so some milkweed plants always manage to survive, germinate and continue their existence.Helpful Reply
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Melissa G on Aug 19, 2012Thank you, Walter!Helpful Reply
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Sherrie S on Aug 21, 2012Walter, I plant milkweed because the Monarch butterfly cannot reproduce without it. Then those ugly bugs eat the milkweed that the monarch needs for reproduction. The milkweed is pretty nice looking until those nasty milkweed bugs take over but the plant always survives here.Helpful Reply
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Sue brigle on Aug 21, 2012I don't plant milkweed exactly, but I let a lot of it grow up on its own for the butterflies. I'm not much of a weeder anyway so the monarchs give me a reason to leave the milkweeds.Helpful Reply
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Dora Traynor on Nov 27, 2012They're freaking me out!!!Helpful Reply
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Elle on Dec 29, 2012I don't know about milkweed bugs, but most bugs (as much as 95%) are either beneficial or benign. The Golden Rule is: never kill a bug unless you know what it is AND it is causing serious damage. Everybody's got to eat something, so pick your battles wisely.Helpful Reply
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Camilla on Feb 03, 2013I too have a problem with these eating holes from the undersides of the leaves of my butterfly bush. Is there anything I can do to keep them away this spring?Helpful Reply
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Jamie Wade-Matlock on Feb 03, 2013These are a type of assassin bug that eat aphids that get on milkweed, I believe. They are good bugs.Helpful Reply
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Renee Norman on Feb 05, 2013I had these on tomato plants last summer. They didn't seem to do any damage to the plant or the tomatos.Helpful Reply
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Charmaine W on Feb 10, 2013They look like a Box Elder Bug. I have an infestation of them in the summer. I have a Box Elder Elm in my front yard. Seemingly, they don't eat a lot of the plants, they don't bother anything. They don't bite. They're not like having cockroaches. My cat loves them when they come in the house.Helpful Reply
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Sonya Combs on Feb 12, 2013Those ARE assassin bugs and they're beneficial if you have aphids and other bugs that they eat.... here is a link to a page with a picture of them and a list of what it eats and what attracts it. When I still had milkweed (aka butterfly weed) they're would be masses of these on it thankfully they do good and look good!! :) http://tgcgarden.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/iding-garden-pests-in-ontario/ don't let the ontario location mess with you I live in Kentucky and have the same ones!!Helpful Reply
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Beth on May 30, 2014The aphids are the ones to get rid of, and fast! HD has a great spray for them. Follow instructions wisely! There is a special way to spray the plant, easy, and boy does it work!Helpful Reply
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Sherrie S on Jun 07, 2014I don't spray the milkweed because I'm afraid it might kill the butterflies. I have many butterfly plants but the milkweed is the ONLY choice for Monarch Butterfly propogation.Helpful Reply
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Rhonda Clements on Jun 12, 2014Milkweed bugs and monarch caterpillars eat different parts of the plant so they don't usually interfere with each other. Milkweed bugs have piercing mouthparts and suck juices from the plant. Caterpillars eat plant tissue. Anything you do to control milkweed bugs also kills the Monarch butterfly caterpillars feeding alongside them. Try picking the bugs off by hand or spraying them with neem oil when the caterpillars aren't around. Neem oil doesn't leave a toxic residue, so caterpillars that return later on won't be affected by it.Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_8538468_milkweed-bug-killing-plants.htmlHelpful Reply
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MARY ANN on Jun 29, 2014I had planned on posting pictures of these same bugs but never did. Thanks for posting. Now I know!Helpful Reply
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