Large Ladybird Beetle on Tropical Milkweed

[sewcrazy64]

This year what appeared to be very large ladybugs began appearing on my tropical milkweed, which was infested with aphids. At first I thought this was a good thing since ladybugs eat aphids. However, the larvae of these "ladybugs" began stripping the leaves of the milkweeds, at which point I began pulling them off. I have since identified these as "Large Ladybird Beetle Labidomera clivicolis". Has anyone had experience with these beetles? Do they eat aphids, and if so, does that benefit outweigh the damage their larvae does to the foliage?

[sbannister]

I don't know if the larva eat the plants or the aphids, but you might find out on bugguide.net.

[Mona Miller]

I don't know if the larva eat the plants or the aphids, but you might find out on bugguide.net.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2970
Pictures

They don't eat aphids, they eat milkweed especially in this stage.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/66459

They hide out on the underside of the plants. Yucky!

[Fleur]

These are quite common around here, I can find some quite often on milkweed. They are a nuisance, but they never caused any serious damage, since they are in small numbers.

[Mona Miller]

If you didn't look at the pictures I posted, you need to. The picture of the bugs that I posted do do a load of damage. Regular ladybugs do not eat milkweed. These do eat the milkweed in the adult and larvae stage. They are not ladybugs. They are Labidomera clivicollis - Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2970
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle

Food
Foliage, flowers, of milkweed, esp. Swamp Milkeed, Asclepias incarnata, but also found on Common Milkeed, Asclepias syriaca. Also on Cynanchum and Sarcostemma.