I know this is not a very clear picture - but a bunch of little bugs are all over my milkweed - What are they? do I need to get rid of them? and if so how? Thanks
What do I have here?
Aphids! Ugh! Got Ladybugs???? If not, you soon will! They LOVE to eat aphids! lol
Added: At least it's not milkweed beetles! THOSE are HORRIBLE! My aphids are gone and I have tons of ladybugs around my yard. But those beetles seem to re-populate no matter what I do! (sigh) And the beetles will literally kill a mw plant!!!!
This message was edited Jun 8, 2007 9:34 AM
Ugh is right.....hate those aphids and mw bugs!
If you get impatient for the lady bugs ( I do), just put a glove on and squish them along the stem. You can also do a gentle spray with the hose or dunk the top in a bowl of dishsoap and water, make it sudsy, and just swish it around in it. Make sure you rinse off the soap when done.
The bucket-of-death works for the mw bugs too.
I just spray mine off with the hose. Don't worry about getting them all - they feed the baby ladybird beetles. In fact, I've seen them called milkweed aphids and I've never found them on any other plant. If you find a stray ladybug, just move it to the plant - it's amazing how many they can eat!