CLOSED: yellow aphids and caterpillars on my asclepias

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audreymarmot Annapolis, United States(Zone 7a) Jun 27, 2010

hi everyone, i sprayed these yellow aphids off once already, should i do it again? how worried should i be?

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audreymarmot Annapolis, United States(Zone 7a) Jun 27, 2010

and these caterpillars beneath the pods? friend or foe? thanks everyone.

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Jun 27, 2010

Aphid control often requires successive applications of an insecticidal soap or the like, as there is no residual effect. The caterpillars are larvae of the milkweed tiger moth (Euchaetes egle; Lepidoptera: Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae) - see http://tinyurl.com/ndr4tr and http://tinyurl.com/lb82ap for images and detailed information.

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audreymarmot Annapolis, United States(Zone 7a) Jun 27, 2010

thanks suunto. do the aphids harm the plants, or not really? i hate to make work for myself unless it is really necessary. i do like to collect seeds from my asclepias to share with friends, so i hope the aphids don't deter the plant from making viable seeds. thanks for all your assistance.

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Jun 27, 2010

"do the aphids harm the plants, or not really?" It depends on the density of the aphid population and/or whether they vector any plant disease(s). About all I can suggest is that you monitor your plants, and apply control if it appears that the plants are doing poorly. These likely are oleander aphids (Aphis nerii - see http://tinyurl.com/2adrzgm), and heavy infestations of these can cause milkweed to grow in an abnormal manner.

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