Subject: Unfamiliar True Bug
Location: Chula Vista, California
May 24, 2016 6:02 pm
Hello! First I would like to say I do love this website very much and I frequently visit it for some fun! Now on to my question; in my area there are hundreds upon hundreds of Red Shouldered Bugs running around. But just today (5/24/16), I have noticed a strange dead bug that was obviously a true bug but was not one of those very common Red Shouldered Bugs while I was walking my dog. I didn’t think about it much until I got back home and then I saw a living one in my backyard. It was about 1/2 and inch longer than an adult Red Shouldered Bug with a different pattern. I think it’s some kind of parasitic bug but what I’m hoping is that it is an assassin bug (I want to catch one so I can feed it a bunch of spiders in my house). Please identify this bug.
Signature: Stugy
Dear Stugy,
The Large Milkweed Bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, is generally found in association with Milkweed, a plant that supports a diverse insect ecosystem. Large Milkweed Bugs have been reported to our site in association with Oleander, a common landscape and freeway plant with toxic tendencies. See BugGuide for species verification.