milkweed dying at the roots

[farkel4]

My milkweed plant that has been there for years starting wilting. There was something that looked like bird seed all around the bottom and I could easily pull the plant out. The roots are all rotting. Does anyone know what this is?

[Mona Miller]

http://www.texasento.net/tetrophthalmus.htm
It may be a milkweed beetle, Red Milkweed Beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus . In the larvae stage, they bore into milkweed stems and roots causing damage.