Master Gardeners of Ventura County
University of California
Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Posts Tagged: Oleander aphids

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)

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

Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 4:19 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

Hey, I'm Eating as Fast as I Can!

Have you ever seen the larva of a lady beetle (aka ladybug) dining on an aphid? Lights! Camera! Action! So here is this charming little immature lady beetle chowing down on an oleander aphid that has the audacity to infest the milkweed in our...

An immature lady beetle (larvae) chowing down on an oleander aphid. This photo was taken on a milkweed plant in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An immature lady beetle (larvae) chowing down on an oleander aphid. This photo was taken on a milkweed plant in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An immature lady beetle (larvae) chowing down on an oleander aphid. This photo was taken on a milkweed plant in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A well-fed adult lady beetle (aka ladybug) ignores a fat Oleander aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A well-fed adult lady beetle (aka ladybug) ignores a fat Oleander aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A well-fed adult lady beetle (aka ladybug) ignores a fat Oleander aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 5:27 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Food, Health, Natural Resources, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

The Enemy of the Gardener

Aphids, don't you just hate them? Especially those oleander aphids that suck the very lifeblood out of our milkweed plants that we're struggling to save for monarch butterflies. Just call aphids "The Enemy of the Gardener" or "The Enemy of the...

Oleander aphids clustering on a milkweed stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Oleander aphids clustering on a milkweed stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oleander aphids clustering on a milkweed stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Aphids magnified on a Leica DVM6 microscope, operated by Lynn Epstein, UC Davis emeritus professor of plant pathology.
Aphids magnified on a Leica DVM6 microscope, operated by Lynn Epstein, UC Davis emeritus professor of plant pathology.

Aphids magnified on a Leica DVM6 microscope, operated by Lynn Epstein, UC Davis emeritus professor of plant pathology.

Posted on Friday, September 28, 2018 at 4:00 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

Wash Their Mouths Out With Soap

We're not the only ones "celebrating" the first week of spring. The oleander aphids are doing a happy dance on our milkweed plants. We think they're doing a mixture of the tango, cha-cha-cha, salsa and merengue. Every time we walk past them, we see a...

Oleander aphids absolutely love tender milkweed plants. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Oleander aphids absolutely love tender milkweed plants. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oleander aphids absolutely love tender milkweed plants. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of an army of aphids on milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of an army of aphids on milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of an army of aphids on milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, March 25, 2016 at 4:20 PM

How Small Is Small?

Sometimes in a world of towering skyscrapers, jumbo jets and warehouses big enough to hold a small planet--or at least a state the size of Rhode Island--we don't realize how “small” small is. Last weekend it was a veritable insect feast...

A lady beetle, a monarch caterpillar and an infestation of oleander aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A lady beetle, a monarch caterpillar and an infestation of oleander aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle, a monarch caterpillar and an infestation of oleander aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An oleander aphid on
An oleander aphid on "the nose" of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An oleander aphid on "the nose" of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An oleander aphid on the back of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An oleander aphid on the back of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An oleander aphid on the back of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An oleander aphid crawling on a tentacle of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An oleander aphid crawling on a tentacle of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An oleander aphid crawling on a tentacle of a monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 6:36 PM

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