# Large milkweed bug

*Oncopeltus fasciatus*

The orange-and-black bugs that gather on ripening pods, drilling into the seed inside.

## What it does on milkweed

Large milkweed bugs pierce a pod with their stylet and feed on the developing seed, so heavy infestations reduce a seed harvest. They pass through five nymphal stages without a pupa, so a pod often carries every size at once. Northern populations migrate south in fall rather than overwintering.

## How to recognize it

About 12 to 18 mm, orange-red with a broad black band across the middle of the back and a black patch at each end. Nymphs are rounder, brighter orange, and wingless.

## Where and when

Across the United States wherever milkweed grows, most abundant in the east and south.

## Should you do anything about it?

Harmless to the plant. If you are collecting seed, bag the pods early or pick them as soon as the seam gives.

### Do milkweed bugs hurt the plant?

No. They feed on seed inside the pod, not on the leaves or stem, so the plant is unaffected. Only a seed harvest suffers.

### Should I remove milkweed bugs?

Only if you want the seed. Never spray: the same treatment kills monarch eggs and larvae.

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Source: https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/large-milkweed-bug/ — Milkweed USA, CC BY 4.0.