Posts Tagged: milkweed bugs

Will Milkweed Bugs Eat Aphids?

Yes, they will! Milkweed bugs gained the nickname of "seed eaters" for primarily eating the seeds of milkweed. Actually, they are opportunistic and generalists, says Hugh Dingle, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California,...

Yes, milkweed bugs feed on oleander aphids. This is a large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) with an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yes, milkweed bugs feed on oleander aphids. This is a large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) with an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Red Invaders: Those Colorful Milkweed Bugs

If you've been finding more milkweed bugs than monarchs on your milkweed, join the crowd. Monarchs are scarce--at least around Solano and Yolo counties--but milkweed bugs are quite plentiful. Sometimes you see them massing on milkweed pods as if they're...

A small milkweed bug Lygaeus kalmii) stands peers over the leaf of a milkweed plant, Asclepias speciosa, in Sonoma County. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A small milkweed bug Lygaeus kalmii) stands peers over the leaf of a milkweed plant, Asclepias speciosa, in Sonoma County. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Small milkweed bugs mingling on a showy milkeed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Small milkweed bugs mingling on a showy milkeed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A mass of small milkweed bugs, red invaders! The blood red color sharply contrasts with the green milkweed pod. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A mass of small milkweed bugs, red invaders! The blood red color sharply contrasts with the green milkweed pod. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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