Subject: bug identity
Location: Eastern Nebraska
June 10, 2014 1:33 pm
I found these beetles all over my flower garden. In all my years of gardening I have never seen them.
I live in Eastern Nebraska in a suburb next to many farms. Every year I see a new bug I’ve never seen before. He was especially interested in my milkweed which is just beginning to grow.
Signature: Gramma Sally
Milkweed Longhorn
Dear Gramma Sally,
If milkweed is new in your garden, that would explain why this Milkweed Longhorn or Red Milkweed Beetle in the genus Tetraopes is a new bug for you. According to BugGuide: “Adults feed on leaves of milkweed (Asclepias); larvae feed externally on roots of host (root feeding is unique among Lamiinae). Each species (or subspecies) is associated with one or a few species of Asclepias (an example of coevolution) (Farrell & Mitter 1998).”
Thank you for your information. I have had the milkweed for several years and have never encountered this bug. I found info on it and it indicated they were present in the eastern part of the US.
They obviously have moved a bit west!!! Sally
According to BugGuide Data, members of the genus are found from coast to coast.
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