milkweed woes

[arkienurse]

finally got rid of the ants caring for the aphids.Have noticed a drastic reduction in the little yellow buggers. Now I notice this funny orange and black insect on my plants. Yup, the milkweed bugs have found us now. And there is something feeding on the leaves that looks right now like a ladybug without the colors. It is a neutral color, like a freshly hatched thing that is transparent for now but will get color later. I kinda think it might be milkweed bugs, freshly hatched, but can't find pix on the net. I had so desperately hoped it was monarch cats, but I see that they look like cats from the start.

[Pat Kiewicz]

Milkweed leaf beetle larvae:

leaf beetle info: I had so desperately hoped it was monarch cats, but I see that they look

I've only once had monarch caterpillars on my Asclepias (tuberosa and incarnata), most years I have to pick off milkweed leaf beetles, less often milkweed tiger moth caterpillars, and never either of the milkweed bugs (possibly because I pull the green pods when they are small).

I've also not had aphids, but do have infestations of spider mites on the A. incarnata during dry summers (like this one). 8^(

[arkienurse]

Yup, that is exactly what has infested my plants. Thanks for the link.

Vicky