I've seen those before, but not usually this early in the season. I think they are some sort of milkweed beetle, and they especially love to eat the seeds in the pods. You are doing exactly what I would try. Hopefully, these bugs have some enemy that will move in to the neighborhood.

Martha

They are milkweed beetles. They do NOT harm the plant. They eat the seeds of the plant and stop it from spreading. Do not use any insecticide on the plants as that will kill the butterflies.

What the website that I posted doesn't mention is that the small milkweed bug eats Monarch caterpillars. Since I grew up on a farm, I have no problem squishing them. An easier to use dip is to take a gallon milk jug, cut a hole on the opposite side that the handle is located (leave the handle on), make the hole about 4 inches from the bottom. Make it large enough so that you can add soapy water (water with a little dish detergent) and then be able to hold this under the plant so that you can knock the little suckers into the soapy water. This jug works great for Japanese beetles, which also eat the milkweed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on Small and Large Milkweed Bugs

This post was edited by runmede on Fri, Jun 20, 14 at 8:42

The small milkweed bug eats monarch caterpillars. It is a scavenger.

"Food
Adults suck nectar from flowers of various herbaceous plants, and also feed on milkweed seeds(?). Also reported to be scavengers and predators, especially in spring when milkweed seeds are scarce. They have been reported feeding on honey bees, monarch caterpillars and pupae, and dogbane beetles, among others. The Life of a Californian Population of the Facultative Milkweed Bug Lygaeus kalmii
"Adults mainly feed on milkweed seeds, but they often consume nectar from various flowers." Harvard Entomology"

Here is a link that might be useful: Small Milkweed Bug Info

I have the actual milkweed beetle everywhere now. I counted 3 mating pairs on one plant! I'm holding off on squishing them because they're native, and they aren't causing that much leaf damage yet. Do they eat cats as well?
No milkweed bugs to date. They do reduce seed viability greatly and should be controlled if you want to reseed your milkweed. (A. curassavica can also be propagated by cuttings.)

The milkweed beetle eats the milkweed, lays in the stem, eats the pith and rhizomes. Other than a small caterpillar or egg getting in the path of their chewing, I don't know if they eat Monarch caterpillars and eggs.

Very easy to look it up on the Bug Guide. Know the good guys and the bad guys. They may be native, but they can be pretty aggressive when they multiply.

Here is a link that might be useful: Species Tetraopes tetrophthalmus - Red Milkweed Beetle

Thanks for all the great info. I suspect they are either eating the eggs or small catts. My plants are so infested, I need to use a bucket to collect them. Its disgusting!

I have a few milkweed in the back yard and they only have a few (beetles, all mating) but manageable. The front beds are infested. I see maturing Monarchs on the plants in the backyard and nothing in the front. I know they must be eating the eggs.

My gardens are full of butterflies. Monarchs and Swallowtails yet I can't find any Monarch catts. I see them laying eggs all day. I see the eggs, but they are gone the next morning.

I continue to pick the beetles but it is difficult. They drop to the ground or run. Very discouraging. I do get hundreds each time, but the next day it doesn't look like there is any dent in the numbers.

Sorry for the rant, between the horrible heat and these beetles, I'm ready to give up :(

Jane

Sorry about those beetles--things seem to happen in waves. Next year you might not have anything affecting them. Have faith in a couple of things--hopefully there is some critter out there who will find and feast on your beetles and the plants are creating their own defense.

The plant itself is manufacturing its own defense chemicals and sending out volatile compounds which will attract predators (hopefully).

I know they can be very fast and move quickly when they see us approach.

Have you tried laying a white sheet around the affected plant and then shaking the plant over it and quickly gathering the bugs? Not sure how effective that would be, if they would just run off the sheet though.

They need to develop some kind of moat that you can place around plant on the ground to capture things like japanese beetles and these guys.

It sounds like if you are getting hundreds, you are doing a good job of knocking back their numbers.

As another strategy, if you haven't already, maybe think about dispersing the milkweeds around your garden for next year? By that I mean plant some other kinds of plants (hopefully native ones) in between your milkweeds, almost like companion planting. :)

The eggs could be getting eaten by ants and other creatures.

Would you be able to raise some Monarchs by hand in your house? That way you would know for sure that some are definitely reaching adulthood.

I know it is hard work, but for me it is a labor of love.

I go a further step and collect the eggs to protect them. They are easy to hatch. I am posting a method below that a person in MI taught me.

Click on the photos in the album to enlarge them and for a description of the steps.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Hatch Eggs -- Click Here

This post was edited by runmede on Sun, Jun 22, 14 at 9:08

Thanks again. Runmede, thanks for the link. That is the beetle. I've been going out each morning with my bottle of alcohol. They seem to be smart...they start jumping and running as I get near the plant.

My milkweed is spread throughout a large bed, probably 50ft long. I have many flowering plants, mostly native. Milkweed has reseeded throughout and the beetles are on all including the small seedlings.

I do feel my efforts are paying off. It appears there are fewer beetles, although it fills the baby-food jar each morning.

What bothers me is I see no caterpillars. I have lots of Monarchs flying around my beds, I even see them mating. I see them lay eggs on the milkweed. Yet I find no caterpillars. Its either wasps or the beetles that are doing them in. Very disturbing.

The bed in my backyard only has two Milkweed and I've counted 6 caterpillars. No beetles in back, but wasps.

I have raised Swallowtails inside. I don't have the time to attend to them. I have a pussy-cat who views them as fish in a fishbowl. Don't ask what havoc he's done.

I am trying to do the best outside to give them a chance. I drove a long distance today to a native, organic nursery. Bought a bunch of plants and will put them in tomorrow.

I so appreciate all the help I have received here...thank you,

Jane

You may have to dedicate a room for raising caterpillars. My poor daughter has trouble raising any houseplants because the cats tear them up.

You don't have to use alcohol, just some water with dish detergent. The detergent will kill them and is easier to dispose of. I usually buy large boxes of plastic gloves from Costco. Easier than grabbing those nasty creatures. I have assassin bugs galore in my garden this year. They all come to eat. These are wheelbugs and they get huge and hugely. Also many Chinese preying mantis, even though, I threw away so many of their egg cases. Not native. Very aggressive. My Pipevine is so pristine. I released a lot of Pipevine swallowtails, it makes me want to cry that I am not seeing any eggs. I released a bunch of Monarchs, I collected very few eggs in my yard. Luckily, I put a female that was laying into a net cylinder and collected about 50 eggs. They are all gone. Did the birds eat them or were they eaten by other predators.

I thought it was going to be a good year, but now I am starting to wonder.

I raise some Monarch caterpillars in an enclosure I bought. Currently at 14 Monarch Chrysalises and 1 new butterfly. WE increase their chances 100 times over!

If you can't take care of them all the way through adulthood--you could probably really up their chances by raising them through at least the first few instars, until they get about a good inch and getting fat in containers. It's easy to keep track of the hatchlings, and plant material then too. The cats wouldn't be able to get into it, and the container would disguise any interesting activity from them.

Just a thought--when you see the female lay eggs, clip the leaves and place them in your prepared container.

I usually have a clean, well-rinsed and dried container (have both plastic and glass), place a small piece of paper towel about the size of my thumb nail, dampened at the bottom of the container. Then I place a paper towel or two over it, and place the leaves with the caterpillars on it.

I often will put the leaf top down on the towel, and then place a second leaf top up (so the bottom side is facing the egg or caterpillar); they prefer to be on the underside of the leaf.

I check on them several times per day, which allows air exchange and check on the status of the leaves. If they are wilting, I put in fresh leaves, or if they have been in there for more than a day.

I clean out the frass too and change the towels at least once a day and refresh the damp bit of towel.

This has worked out well--learned it from people on the forum here.

The humidity of the closed container is good for the caterpillar and for the leaf. As long as the leaf stays fresh looking for at least a day, I know the humidity is right--that can take a little fiddling with and using your best judgment.

Too much or too little of humidity can be bad, but there is some leeway too.

Worth giving a try.

Take care.

I have ten cats so far, well seven are now in chrysalis.

I've been using a topless box on it's side with a netting cover over the opening - rubberbanded around the box. I use plastic cups with saran across the top held in place with rubber bands. Poke a hole in the saran and stick the milkweed stems into the water. The milkweed might wilt at first, but it will perk up. Just make sure the stem fits snug in the hole, don't want a cat to fall in and drown. I too use paper towels on the bottom and remove every couple of days. The cats had no problem climing the sides of this box. I've been keeping the box in the garage, lots of rain here lately.

Today, I found a little cat out there, cut the milkweed and put it in a saran-covered cup. I noticed it has something stuck to it's hind end. At first I thought it was poop, now I'm not so sure. It's been picking at it, trying to get rid of it with no luck so far. It hasn't begun eating yet either. I don't want to put it in with the rest, in case this thing is some sort of fungus or pest on the cat. Anyone ever see something like this?

There are plenty of milkweed bugs out there too, not those round beetles, but like in the pic above, only these are dark red and black, not orange and black. And they are eating the new leaves and buds, and probably some cats.

I use moistened wet block to keep my host plants alive. The trick is to change it often to prevent disease, withe every defrassing. This prevents drowning totally. Placing this on a clay saucer draws away excess water and provides air exchange. A bell jar or overturned broad vase comprises your enclosure. I defrass once to twice daily, depending upon size, age and number of caterpillars. At this point, I provide fresh food, remove old food, transferring any stalks containing cats into the new wet block along with the new food. I also wipe off any condensation, providing there are no moulting cats on the sides or top of the glass. I wash and dry the clay saucer and replace. I then put the cats, wet block onto the saucer and place the glass on top. As the cats moult and crawl onto the fresh food, I remove any old food. This works well for me. I raise my cats to their mid 5th instar and then I release them. This really gives them a leg up.

John

Thanks, I'm still using my alcohol and dumping them in. I think its made a dent. My concern is I'm not finding eggs, yet my garden is full of Monarchs. I've never seen as many as this year. I do have a lot of milkweed and other nectar foods but I'm now suspecting ants as being the culprit.

I do see wasps flying around the garden. Wasps go after the caterpillars not the eggs, correct? I have also found many assassin bugs, but do they eat the eggs?? The eggs are not surviving. I see the Monarchs laying eggs and do see eggs but the next day they are gone.

I'm raising some Swallowtails inside my porch and released one this morning. I am not able to raise anymore. Too many family complications and time issues. My neighbor is raising many indoors and he would take the eggs if we could get them fast enough. Any thoughts about the egg robbers would be appreciated.

Jane

The only thing to do with the egg robbers is to collect the leaves or the stem the eggs are laid on and raise inside.

I once watched with delight as a monarch was laying eggs on my 6 ft tall milkweed. Then watched in horror as a hummingbird followed right behind her and ate every egg.

I thought very hard about not planting anything for the hummers after that. But I still do. Only no where near the milkweed.

Thanks for all the great info and tips, everyone. I think I will try those blocks instead of cups. Can you reuse them several times, or more?

I now have seven monarch chrysalis and seven cats. I collect them from the swamp milkweed in the yard and feed them the orange butterfly milkweed. Boy, they LOVE the flower buds.

Lost count on the BSTs. Still have five BST cats, and eclosings every day.

For BSTs, I grow parsley in large rectangle and small square pots. (started from seed very early, like wintersowing) Using some slats from old mini blinds I make sort of hoop houses over the pots and cover them with tulle from the fabric store. A rubberband secures the netting around the lip of the pots. Some pots get some sun but most are in shade. They do fine with about 5 hours of sun. I collect the eggs from the dill in the yard and rear them on the parsley.

If your zone 9-10 is SoCal, you might want to check out bagrada bugs. We had them really bad a couple of years ago.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bagrada

I'm thinking of buying one of those little bug vacuums to suck them up. Some reviews are good, some are bad about the vac. Anyone try them out?

At least I think I can tell the difference if a cat has been munching, or one of these beetles. The beetles tend to eat the tips off the leaves. Cats eat along the edges or just start anywhere.

We seem to have a good number of milkweed BEETLES in our common milkweed. Since we have a lot of common milkweed I've always let them stay. However, they are on the verge of getting knocked into a bucket of soapy water.

I think how to handle a potential pest should be decided on your particular situation. how much milkweed do you have? does the pest have a history destroying milkweed/monarchs in your garden? etc...

Milkweed is full of hungry bugs and harmful predators. It's a lot easier to save a few monarchs by raising them indoors than battling mother nature's army of pests, Tony

I'm killing beetles on sight this year because their larvae wiped out at least 30% of my Swamp Milkweed. They get in the stems and the whole thing wilts. Plus the Japanese Beetles are out >8-(>
I haven't seen a Milkweed bug yet or an Aphid on my Milkweeds...
Go figure.

John