Milkweed bugs and one eating gnat

[texas butterfly]

I noticed this evening that a milkweed bug had caught what appeared to be a gnat or small fly.

Didn't know that milk weed bugs ate small flies.

Any input on this?

thanks,
Texas Butterfly

[sbannister]

It was probably a Milkweed Assassin, a predator and a mimic of the herbivorous Milkweed Bugs. Unfortunatley we have them everywhere around here. They eat cats, too, and even ladybugs, and they will stick you with their probosis which hurts!

Here's a link:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/4832

[Mona Miller]

OMG, I am so glad this one hasn't found its way to my garden. I have a bad habitat of squishing things with my fingers. I don't think I want to mess with this one. I find spiny assassin bugs hiding in the flowers, they almost make me cry when I see that they have caught a honey bee. I've seen some of the other assassin bugs suck the life right out of Monarch caterpillars.

[sbannister]

Yeah, they are gross. I saw one sucking the juices out of a ladybug he caught while she was laying eggs!!! That was so sad looking! With the cats, it's even worse. But you can squish them if you catch them from the side. They bite if you don't see them and get too close.

[drexel.n@gmail]

I couldn't quite tell from these photos if I have the same bugs. Mine are black with red "x"es on their backs. Really cool looking, but are they harmful to eggs / baby cats? I saw a monarch lay a dozen or so eggs on June 13. I have 2 of the cats in the house now and cannot find any more of them. A few leaves of the swamp weed look chewed - just tiny spots - but I can't find the cats. Do I need to remove these other bugs?

Thanks!!

Nancy
Cincinnati, Ohio
WS3037

[Mona Miller]

http://bugguide.net/node/view/504
Oncopeltus fasciatus - Large Milkweed Bug
Major seed eater

http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search& ... rch=Search
I searched on "milkweed", loads of pictures of creatures found on milkweed.

There's a good little book called "Milkweed, Monarchs, and More", it is in revision. It has good pictures of the milkweed community.

http://shop.monarchwatch.org/product.aspx?p=106452(base)
Milkweeds, Monarchs, and More, order from Monarch Watch Shop and support them.

[sbannister]

Yes, it is a very complex community. I have the little book and it has a lot of good info. There is another book I have, For Love of Insects (that I can't remember the author's name but he's a great entomologist, and I will post it later) that showed about a dozen or so bugs that mimic the large and small milkweed bugs, some predatory and some not.

I have the same thing happening on my milkweed now - lots of eggs but they don't make it - there are so many predators. I think even the ants take some of the eggs at night. And then there are also a lot of little holes. I have to really search to find a cat and then put them inside a mesh container. I only have 3 right now although I have dozens of plants. It is mainly the wasps and the assassins right now. In the spring and fall I will have so many cats out there, I will have to find more milkweed. That's just the pattern I've had here and I don't like to kill anything really.

However, I do smush the aphids and the assassins sometimes...

[drexel.n@gmail]

I'm going to smush a japanese beetle or 2 this evening. As long as these milkweed bugs are only eating the milkweed, they may stay. Since my blooms are about finished, I have far fewer bees on my milkweed, too. Makes it easier for me to check for egg and cats.

Thanks for the info, Mona! I appreciate the help!

Nancy

[Mona Miller]

I make a contraption to drown them. You take a gallon jug (you can wash out a milk container). Save the handle, but cut a hole about 3 inches round. I say about 5 to 6 inches down on the jug. Make sure to save enough room on the bottom to put water and dish soap in. Into the jug I place a bit of dish soap and water. You can place the hole near the Japanese beetles, tap the plant and they drop right in.

[luv]

I wet paper towels and squeeze the aphids and Milkweed bugs. I have to do this every morning, but it has kept down the population. Last year my milk weeds were invaded by moth cats and lost some plants. Have not had any Monarch cats lately, but will continue ridding the plants of pests by wet-paper towel method. by Lu, Houston, Tx.

[Mona Miller]

I know some people don't like to kill pests, but those milkweed tussock moths will defoliate your milkweed fast. I drop them into the soap water, too.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/433
Images and info on the Tussock moth.

[texas butterfly]

After getting more educated about the bugs, I'm sure now it was really an assassin bug.

I was just looking for the orange and black backs.

I guess assassins have the longer orange head and white spots on belly.

Okay, I just got into this for the Monarch butterfly, now I'm getting sucked into learning about other bugs.... AND LOVING IT!!!! LOL

[Mona Miller]

Predators, plants, habitat, etc., etc. It is very interesting and entertaining, except when you see a predator eating a Monarch. I've been netting those dang European Paper Wasp and squishing them. My property is just 1/3 acre. I'm sure they probably have a residence next door at my neighbors house and are coming over to my house to eat. I can't go searching my neighbors property for their nests; otherwise, I'd hunt those caterpillar eaters down. OMG, they cut the caterpillars up to make food for their young. I've seen this, it isn't pretty at all.

[texas butterfly]

I don't like the predators either. I think they ate all my eggs and other cats.

I think 2 survived and went thru the cycle outside by themselves and probably 20 eggs that didn't make it.

I have 3 cats that I've brought in to protect and the one egg.

I'm not sure I'd have had enough milkweed and time to do more at this time.

Hopefully each year, I can save more & more cats as I learn more about this wonderful project.

It seemed the longer the season went that more predators showed up. That is probably why the first few made it thru safely outside.

[Mona Miller]

Of the up to 600-900 eggs that the adults can lay, only 2 will make it to adulthood outside. I think that once you build that beautiful butterfly garden, that the predators think it is some kind of restaurant.

Tropical milkweed grows very fast and does provide them with more protect. It is very toxic. Some of the birds will learn this. Many of the other insects, munch away without any problem. The toxin has no affect on them.

[texas butterfly]

Is the tropical milkweed bad for hummingbirds?

I just had one sipping nectar this evening. My first sighting of the fall migration season.

I usually will have several hundred come thru my small backyard on their migration south.

[Mona Miller]

The nectar is great for hummers and other butterflies. The hummer number is way down this year. I still haven't seen one at my house. They usually come when the jewelweed begins to bloom, but they aren't here, yet. I miss them.

[texas butterfly]

Just quickly checked and it looks like the milkweed is okay nectar plant for hummingbirds.

[texas butterfly]

There is some mention that hurricane IKE may have been very bad for hummingbirds and many may have been lost.

I had a lot around my house before and after hurricane IKE blew through.

I had my feeders back up before the wind died down, since I could see them outside looking for the feeders. I did the same thing for Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.

And after Hurricane Rita, I couldn't get the back door closed before I had 5 or 6 hummers buzzing me and feeding from the feeder. The wind was still picking up and the hummers were flying about 5 feet from the ground and the wind was just slamming them to the ground. It was so sad, but I was able to put feeder against house and out of wind and they seemed to survive and do okay.

I did not get to see this, but my next door neighbor told me that there were so many hummers during Rita and Katrina the hummers were sleeping all lined up on the wooden fence. They were probably sleeping on my fence too, but I didn't think to check. It would have been an awesome picture.

When my numbers go way up, I think the little hummers sense a storm south and slow their migration. Then they stack up and I can get hundreds. I know that I get this just due to how much sugar water I put out. I'm trying to add more nectar plants so they can feed naturally also.

Hopefully this will be another good year, but we'll have to wait and see.

[Mona Miller]

Just quickly checked and it looks like the milkweed is okay nectar plant for hummingbirds.

It is also a very attractive magnet for Monarchs. They love tropical milkweed.

[Mona Miller]

There is some mention that hurricane IKE may have been very bad for hummingbirds and many may have been lost.
Hopefully this will be another good year, but we'll have to wait and see.

I can't remember which hurricane went through here last August, but it was like a vacuum for the Monarchs. I found one with its wing torn almost completely off. Wait til you try to glue back on a wing. Otherwise, we couldn't find any Monarchs flying until September.

Thank goodness that Live Monarch made a video and put it on utube of how to repair a wing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah0SBALIc0o

[texas butterfly]

I'm sure the hurricane was a disaster for Monarchs also.

I wasn't into Monarchs last year, only the last month have I been drawn to this wonderful butterfly.

I don't recall seeing an insect or bird for a couple of weeks after hurricane IKE.

When the mosquitoes came back, it seemed that the other life came back also.

[drexel.n@gmail]

Mona - I'll tell my little hummers to head your way. I have more than I can feed right now. I think there is a nest very near by, but I haven't been able to find it. The little buggers are very vocal and I get a big kick out of the "chorus" every evening. My next door neighbor has set out a feeder for the fist time this year, so we have quite a few. Hers is attracting yellow jackets, too, so we have a project ahead of us.

So I can't complain about the hummers, but I still have only seen the one monarch. Her 2 babies are growing quite well on my dining room table. They might be 3rd instars by now. We had a wicked storm last night, so perhaps she will lay more eggs today. Will the cats eat Joe Pye Weed? They absolutely refuse the butterfly weed and are eating exclusively swamp weed.

Nancy
Cincinnati, Ohio
WS3037

[Mona Miller]

In VA, there is common milkweed everywhere because they are saving money by not mowing. Two million dollars, what a waste for them to mow in the past. Maybe this economic problem has been good for this country because we are becoming more aware of how much money has been wasted in the past and are tightening our belts.

You can collect leaves and store them in the frig. I don't put in any water, just put them in ziplock bag dry. They will last that way for up to two weeks or longer.

They only eat milkweeds. You should also have swamp milkweed in OH.

The USDA Plant identification is down or I'd look up Asclepias for you. The site has maps of all the milkweeds.