CLOSED: Aphid ID and is ladybug wing deformation related?

I've noticed some aphids on a few of my Hoyas lately. They are bright yellow with black legs. I looked in the BugFiles and found the milkweed aphid, which seems to be what I have, but I'd like confirmation on that.

In the comments it states that ladybugs can suffer wing damage from eating these particular aphids. On another Hoya, which interestingly does not have any aphids on it, but is next to one that does, I found a ladybug with deformed wings. Are the aphids the cause of this?

Here are the aphids. What is the dark gooey thing? It seems to be on the ones that are infested. An eggsac, perhaps?

More aphids, different Hoya.

A continuation of the line of aphids from the second post.

The ladybug with deformed wings. Anyone know the specific ID for this ladybug? The Spotless Ladybug? But she does have one spot...

Another photo of the same ladybug.

Thanks everyone!

The aphids do indeed appear to be milkweed/oleander aphids, Aphis nerii. The lady beetle appears to be a somewhat unusual color morph of the Asian multi-colored lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis - see http://www.discoverlife.org/IM/I_JP/0159/320/Harmonia_axyridis,I_JP15992_1.jpg
I have no idea as to the cause of the malformed wings, but I have never heard of this being caused by feeding on certain aphids. Can you provide a reference (other than the comments byMagpye at http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/261/)? According to a fact sheet on milkweed aphids at http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/orn/shrubs/oleander_aphid.htm, “...cardiac glycosides appear not to harm the parasitoids and generalist insect predators associated with oleander aphid.”
The ‘gooey thing’ is a larva of a hover/flower fly (family Syrphidae) that is feeding on the aphids.

Thank you, suunto!

No, I cannot provide another reference for the aphid/ladybug wing malformation connection. I was only going by what Magpye said on the PF.

The gooey thing is good, then!

Thanks again!

I looked up the hoverfly and that means the "hornets" we have aren't hornets! Good news! Glad I didn't kill the one that was pestering me yesterday!

This appears to be where magpye got the info:

http://www.killerplants.com/renfields-garden/20050413.asp

There are references after the article:

(Compiled from: http://www.arches.uga.edu/~mdhunter/publications/Ecol_Ent_04_Helms.pdf"Effects of variation among plant species on the interaction between a herbivore and its parasitoid", S.E. Helms, S.J. Connelly, and M.D. Hunter, Ecological Entomology, Vol 29, Royal Entomological Society, 2004; "Oleander Aphid", Drees and Jackman, Field Guide to Texas Insects, 1999, published on the internet by Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University; and "Aphids", Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2002.)

Thanks. The article by Helms, et. al. referenced a 1978 article by J.M. Pasteels: “Apterous and brachypterous coccinellids at the end of the food chain, Coinura erecta (Asclepiadaceae) – Aphis nerii” in Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 24, 379–384. Helms et. al. itself made no mention of any deformities in predators eating these aphids. It only stated that predation and parasitism rates appeared lower on plants with higher cardenolide content.

THANKS for posting the picture - I didn't have a camera to post my own for ID.

And what does one do to get rid of these guys? I saw some last year on a friend's Asclepias and if they reappear this year I'd like to eradicate them - in an environmentally safe way, of course.

The plants are in a 100 foot long by 10 feet wide full sun flowerbed in a lawn near a wooded area. Importing ladybugs just seems like releasing them to fly away.

Advise?

I just ignore them, at least on Asclepias. See what comes along to eat them, it might be interesting!

That's what I did last year....
I don't think they killed the plant or anything.
But I don't know what they might spread to and harm.
And I don't know where they CAME from! My friend got those plants from ME and they were clean when I gave them to her - no yellow aphids on mine at home.... The 3 asclepias were the only plants in her garden that I saw pests on. Since she got them from me, I feel kind of responsible to take care of it if I can.