This pretty little beetle is called a Swamp Milkweed Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis).They are found throughout the Eastern United States and into Northern Mexico. These are medium-sized beetles that can vary considerably in their appearance. Typically they will be bluish or bluish-green in color with orangish colored wings. Usually there is a large blackish colored "X" across the midline of the wings. (Pictured below). Although they can have a lot of variance in the pattern, such as the one in the first and third pictures.
(Photo By: Steve Scott)
The adults will overwinter in leaf litter at the base of milkweed plants. In late spring they become active again and begin feeding. Soon they will seek mates and the females will lay her yellowish-colored eggs in small clusters on the underside of the leaves of the milkweed plant. It is not uncommon for females to mate with several males during the breeding season. The adults will die shortly after egg laying. The eggs will hatch in about a week and the young larvae will feed on the leaves of milkweed. Once they reach full size they will drop to the ground and pupate. In the mid-summer months these adults will appear and the cycle begins again. The third generation overwinters and repeats the cycle the following spring.
It's amazing how many insects use the milkweed in some part of their life cycle. Love that X on the back. :)
ReplyDeleteResearching a post today about my favorite tree, the Southern magnolia, I learned that it evolved its huge, tough flowers before there were bees -- specifically designed to attract the only pollinators around at the time, beetles. Isn't that cool? (I didn't even realize beetles pollinated anything. This is probably not news to you, Shelly. ;)
I agree, I am constantly amazed at how many insects are attracted to milkweed. I make sure to have it in my gardens. It is always fun to see who shows up for dinner.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that beetles were once our primary pollinators, that is actually quite amazing. While I did know they did some pollination now, I just figured it had always been to a lesser degree. Truly incredible that the tree adapted itself to the only available insect at the time.
What a great site, my 1st time here and I spent quite a bit of time reviewing previous posts.As I itch a couple of bites where a spider got inside of my clothing, I now can possibly point a finger at species.I will look forward to new posts.I like to put the milkweed in flower beds. As a kid we saw it as an edible plant, rinsing the water lots, and never will try it again, a mushy yuck.
ReplyDeleteHi there Prairie, it is so nice to see new faces around here. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit and I hope you come back often. Milkweed is one of my favorite garden plants, for no other reason than the amount of insect species that are attracted to it. It is like an insect-buffet. I tried eating some milkweed myself last year and all I ended up doing was sticking my lips together....lol
ReplyDeleteI am a bug accidentally fall into your blog.
ReplyDeleteAnd say, "hello."
All bugs are welcome here, happy to have you drop in.
ReplyDeleteAny known defense against these guys? They completely devastate my Milkweed crop just before the Monarch's come looking for food and leaves to lay on.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know of any defense for the Swamp Milkweed Beetle, any chemical you may use would obviously be bad for the Monarchs as well. The only suggestion I have would be to remove the beetles and their tiny yellow eggs (found in clusters) by hand and dispose of them. Usually if the swamp milkweed beetle population isn't too large they won't cause much damage. I have common milkweed and the Monarchs share it each year with tons of Large Milkweed Bugs, and a few Red Milkweed beetles. I never have the Swamp Milkweed Beetle on my milkweed in the gardens. The only ones I've found have been at a local Conservation area. You might try planting Swamp Milkweed just for these beetles as it is their preferred species to feed on, and perhaps they will use it and leave the other milkweed plants alone. Worth a try anyway. Good Luck and let me know how things progress.
ReplyDeleteThis is a late addition to this thread, but I have Swamp Milkweed Beetles chomping my plants as we speak. I try to pick them off and squish them (I have two flat rocks to smack them with), but the little devils drop to the ground on their backs, just like lily beetles. Their undersides are black, and they disappear into the background. Now I take a beer cup out with me (another handy tool), and hold it under the bug while I knock the beetle off the leaf.
ReplyDeleteThen I dump them out, and squish.
Squish .... Ewwwwwwww
ReplyDeleteI have Swamp Milkweed Beetles on my Milkweed and I believe they are eating the Aphids. Some of the plants were covered with Aphids now I just have a very few and they do not seem to be spreading. Could they be eating the Aphids? I have also seen something has been nibbling on the Milkweed leaves.
ReplyDelete