Orange Milkweed

Question: what are these Orange colored bugs? they are small and orange with like tiny white spots. they have long black legs they lay their eggs in clusters in the bottom of leafs they are a little more than 1/2 inch (about 1 1/2 cm) the newly hatched babies are like 1/16 of an inch (about 2mm) sry i don't have any pics i have seem them on persimmon trees, milkweed, and lemon trees Zurie if u read the question or new grammer you would see i said WITH like tiny white spots well FYI i'm good at science not spelling, but im the best in my school at every thing else so *PPPPPPPPBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT*

Answer: They just liked tiny white spots? BS...

Question: What kind of caterpillar is this? IT is a dark brown thin caterpillar with no hsir and little white dots, it was on milkweed when I found it but it is not a monarch. It was in a web but it was it's home not a spiders it was just like a little dome of web, also it had kind of a orange nose... Please I want to know what it is, and I want to know if it turns into like a beetle because I would let it go if it was!!!

Answer: i believe what you have described is called a cutworm it is in fact not a Caterpillar but a type of magget and they turn into moths.

Question: What is eating my Monarch caterpillars? I live in the Southeastern United States (Central NC to be more specific) and I just discovered I had young Monarch caterpillars on my milkweed plants. As I was counting them, I noticed an orange beetle with small dark spots eating one of my caterpillars! It was a little bigger than a ladybug with a straw like mouth from what I could tell, and it was sucking the caterpillar from the inside out it seemed, leaving only the skin. I noticed two others that seemed to have met a similar fate. Could someone tell me what kind of beetle this is? Thanks so much!

Answer: Sounds like a member of the Assassin bug{Reduviidae family} or a Predatory Stinkbug{Pentatomidae family}. Given you say it looks like a beetle it might be a predatory stinkbug. Both stick a straw like structure, called a rostrum into the bug of choice and excrete a saliva juice into it so as to dissolve it's insides, so they can drink it like a bug milkshake. There are many species including some orange ones. They are common predators of the insect world one of the most common is the wheelbug a big critter with a gear shaped object on its back. They play a vital role in insect population control. The other suspect is a predatory stinkbug. Florida Predatory Stink Bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus) http://bugguide.net/node/view/227428 +ID http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_bug +ID http://bugguide.net/node/view/45014 here is an orange one +ID Word of caution: Don't handle either of them as they can give a painful bite. They won't go out of their way to bite you, but its best not to touch them.

Question: Help, I need an entomologist!? I have some little pests living amongst my peaceful milkweed residents, my Monarch colony. I need to identify them to know what steps to take because these two critters have look-alike cousins that are murderous, they kill the Monarch caterpillars. I have an idea what they are, but I cannot make a "definite" identification. The long orange one is a juvenile, but a juvenile what? And the shield bug I have compared with all I can find, and have found none with a green underside! Arrrgghh, please help, I don't want to kill innocent insects, but I won't allow any to kill my caterpillars! Here are the links to the pics, thanks in advance for any help given! http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/eagleray7/BUGSBEST.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/eagleray7/BUGS1.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/eagleray7/BUGS3.jpg

Answer: I'm no expert, but that thin one looks a little like an assassin bug. They shouldn't be the ones harming your caterpillars, because they're literally "bugs," by which I mean they slurp up plant juices for lunch. I have a few pictures here. The first picture looks almost exactly like the orange insect in your picture, only yours seems to have very shrunken wings. As for the shield bug, here's a picture. I'm sorry I couldn't find a picture of the belly, but see the little ridges on either side of its head? Those "horns" look about the same as the one in your picture, and I didn't find any other shield bug with the "horns" as prominent as that one. It's a brown shield, or "stink" bug. I used to have those all over my back yard, including a green underside as bright as that one! Anyway, I hope this helps, but I'm not an etymologist, so don't take me to be 100% ccorrect.

Question: What is up with these bugs? Ok, there are these little beetle-like bugs all over one side of the building where I work. They are small and matte black, with orange markings/wings. I tried to look up what they were, and the one I can find that is most similar is Lygaeus kalmii, or a "small milkweed bug". All the descriptions say that they are found on or around milkweed plants, but I have just found them on the side of the building. Does anyone know if it could be the same bug and if they are harmful? They all congregate around one of the doors of the building. Thanks in advance!!

Answer: These bugs could be "box elder bugs", from the way you describe them. Here's a photo : http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/Questions/Box%20Elder_small.jpg They congregate outside of buildings/homes once it starts to get cooler because they survive in the heat, and they stay warm by sticking themselves against the outside of the buildings. They don't bite (humans, at least. i don't know about anything else), and they don't cause harm to buildings like termites would. The only "danger" of them is that if the door to the building is left open, they will come inside for the heat. They aren't harmful, just pests. Hope this helps :]

Question: Butterfly Identification - Black with white spots? I just saw the same butterfly that the person wrote in about 2 weeks ago. It was on my milkweed - a small black butterfly with white spots scattered over the wings - straight unfeathered antennae and orange pollen sacs on legs. I have been studying and raising butterflies for 15 years - I have never seen one like this - live or in any book. I live in southern Ontario - did anyone respond to the original question? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080606185025AAw4Zi1

Answer: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/butterfly/msg0609032414939.html

Question: Will someone care to read and comment on my poem? "The Metamorphosis of the Monarch Butterfly" By: Nenita Wells Enchanting butterfly with its tantalizing colors Human being blushed envious of its beauty. Transforming itself from a lowly minute egg, Nicknamed as the "King" of the butterflies. Its life cycle so fascinating Migrating southward searching for a warm abode Sanctuary found aided by an inner compass Pointing, flying, escaping the wintry chills. Living in the poisonous milkweed leaves Protected from being consumed Its complex life cycle commence A homely caterpillar is ready to be transformed. A silk-like pad is its link to a branch In a shape of a "J" it hangs upside down for a day Five times the caterpillar sheds its skin In seconds a green casing is revealed. The soft chrysalis becomes a hardened shell Masquerading the dramatic changes within As wings and proboscis lithely form Limbs and body parts are now evidently moving. The hardened shell chrysalis is now transparent Orange and black wings apparently showing, Transformation has now beautifully completed. It majestically earned its monarch name. Can our lives mimic the life cycle of a monarch? We are often confronted by impassable challenges. Overcoming, surviving and ingeniously adapting life's changes. Yes, we are beautiful like the magnificent monarch! 10/17/2009 My other poems are at www.searchwarp.com

Answer: What a magnificent poem. I love the way you meld the correct name to parts of its transformation. "The soft chrysalis becomes a hardened shell" Don't change a thing, it's perfect.