As far as I know, milkweed bugs are strictly seed feeders. I don't get that many, so I just leave them be. If their numbers get out of hand, I just flick them into a cup of soapy water, but haven't had to do that too much. As for the aphids, I'll blast them off with the hose, just as long as there's no caterpillars on them! I haven't had any monarchs around, so right now, I'm just blasting away. Normally I don't get bad aphid infestations until the fall; this is a bad year, but, no milkweed bugs yet...

I know for a fact that the bugs on my plants do harm to them. I first noticed them a few months ago, but thought nothing of them. A few weeks later, all the leaves on my plants started to fall of, or turn brown. The bugs were still on the plants then, too.

I really appreciate the detailed reply! I'll put the directions to good use, and keep you posted.

I also have another question. Do you know of any FAQS that explain what butterflies are attracted to or breed specificly on certain plants? I can't find any good, detailed ones.

Sorry about all the questions.I forgot one, though. Right now I have my cats on a branch I trimmed off and put in a vase, inside a screened in porch. Is there anything els I should be doing for them?

Make sure the cats can't crawl down into the water. Sometimes they are so hungry, they will eat the stem down and get into the water and drown. Change the water daily and clean the frass (poop) . The cats willwander off the branch if there isn't enough food or when they are ready to pupate. You might consider putting the vase into an enclosure. Some people use aquariums with the one side covered with a screen top. Others use mesh pop up hampers. I use both. Others use bug cups. There are lots of ideas used out there.

What I do is to go out as early as I can in the morning and squish all of them I find. Lots of babies now in the new flowers. I agree that they will drain your plants of all life, so although I feel guilty squishing, it seems all I can do. I find that early in the morning they are sluggish and don't move fast like later on. I do this in the eve. also.

I do have a mesh pop up contained from when I was younger and ordered Painted Lady butterfly caterpillars. I'll go find it, and put some of the plants in a vase for them. I had three ten gallon tanks a while ago. But once I throw something out I almost always find a use for it after. I'll trim off all th eleaves from my milkweed, but how do I make them accessible to the cats? If I put them on the bottom of the enclosure, they will stray from the plant to get them. I don't think they can climb glass very well. Should I just use styrofoam cups for the vases?

Raising Monarch cats individually in a paper cup is a great idea since they tend to get a virus very easily in hot, humid weather. That way of one is sick, the others won't get it too. You can just put a few leaves in a cup per cat, change out as needed, and clean poop. Make sure leaves are dry. I've also used any small container for water, poke holes in lid, and put stems of leaves in there. Any way works fine. Use big enough cup for butterfly to spread wings when it emerges without touching sides.

I use Starbucks plastic cups since the tops have the X shape opening that you push the stems through and they close up around the stems. They are also plastic so i don't have to worry about glass being dropped. Others use plastic wrap and some use the foam that florist use and stick the stems in it. Whatever you use if fine as long as you can clean it and keep the cats safe.

Okay, the problems is there are "Milkweed bugs" and "Milkweed Beetles" - two seperate insects. The milkweed bugs eat the seeds; the milkweed beetles' larvae bore into stems and eat the those and roots, and then the beetles eat the foliage, flowers, etc.

I don't have an image of either one right now. A lot of people mistake boxelder bugs for milkweed bugs, but they're not, though they may appear similar to an untrained eye.

If the bugs are eating your plants, they are milkweed beetles, because as said earlier, the bugs ONLY eat the seeds.

Susan

Discouraging news, everyone. My mother decided to take it upon herself to move my cats back outside. The "Creepy crawlies" didn't belong in the house. When I returned to the now completely trimmed and soap-soaked remains of my milkweed plants the next morning as soon as I find out, I can only find one baby cat on the plant. Who I've decided to name Elmer. (I have an addiction for naming everything, no matter how many there are.) He's now in a medium sized Tupperware container with a few milkweed leaves at the bottom. Luckily, I saved some from when I trimmed. Will he be able to climb the smooth plastic sides? I also took a picture of the Milkweed bugs, or beetles, with my camera phone. The quality is horrid, but maybe one of you could tell.

{{gwi:510895}}

Here is a link for Milkweed bugs which eat only seed.

Photos of Milkweed beetles (or one species, which looks a bit like yours), can be found at this web addie:

http://www.wms.wantaghufsd.k12.ny.us/Forest_Lake_Elem/secondgrade/lifemilkweed.htm

Hope this helps.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Milkweed Bugs

Ah, good news, it's the bugs, not the beetles.

I was just informed by Ba Rea of Milkweed, Monarchs, and More (book) that a study was done on milkweed bugs and they will eat caterpillars sometimes. I have a photo of one eating a caterpillar that I took in my garden. I didn't see it kill the caterpillar so I didn't know if it would or not. She said that the study revealed that they will, indeed, kill young Monarch caterpillars sometimes. The book is fantastic and we highly recommend it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Edith Smith

Fast forward to 2016. This is my first year with milkweed and tall/garden phlox. Never saw a milkweed bug until this year. I think the milkweed bugs are eating the monarch eggs because where I saw what looked like eggs is now just a clean hole in the leaf (as in top photo, bottom photo is the bug)

They might but I am not sure

Looking at them again, I did find one cat. Now I'm thinking the holes are from the hatched eggs.

Milkweed bugs have sucking mouthparts, not chewing mouthparts, so they don't make holes. They suck food out of the seeds (mostly) and also stems and leaves.

I’m seriously upset because for the first time since I’ve been raising milkweed (10 years in Florida and Kansas) I have had NO EGGS OR CATS! Also, for the first time since moving to Kansas, my 3 year old milkweed is producing seed pods and attracting milkweed bugs or beetles. I never saw a Monarch until 2 weeks ago and then just 2 butterflies.

I looked at last years photos and realized that I would be weeks behind any butterfly production if eggs/cats appeared now. I’ve reconciled myself with having to tell my 7 year old grandson he’ll have no butterflies to release this year, but does anyone have any ideas on exactly what has happened and what to do to prevent a repeat next year?

Thanks