Large Milkweed Bugs

bugman

August 9th, 2007 at 12:00 am

Categories

True Bugs

Zelus longipes
Hi There WTB,
You guys are awesome. Thanks for being there. I found the bug I’ve been wondering about on your site. It turns out that the Milkweed Assasin bug(photo attached) has probably been what’s almost completely zeroed out the Monarch population in our garden. They are covering one particular Butterfly Weed bush in the hundreds. Knowing they bite now, I am concerned to leave them there. We have a 16 month old curious little boy and no more Monarchs. What can I do…relocate them? And will you answer me back to my e-mail address or should I keep checking your site for an answer? Thank you so much,
Heather Green – Los Angeles, CA

Hi Heather,
You are mistaken. Your bugs are Large Milkweed Bugs. They are in the same order as Assassin Bugs, Hemiptera, but they are non biting Seed Bugs in the family Lygaeidae. Large Milkweed Bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus, feed on the juices of seeds of Milkweed and some other plants, reducing the number of viable seeds, but otherwise not doing significant damage to the plant. We respond personally as well as posting letters to our site, but we are never able to answer all of our mail. Sadly, this enrages some people who write to us.