Zelus longipes (Milkweed Assasin Bug)? - Oncopeltus fasciatus

orange and black beetles

I am pretty certain these bugs are the boxelder bug. They would hang out in swarms around the trees that grew in the back of our yard. They would not try to fly and when I was little, we would pretend they were cattle and we would herd them around. I think they are vegetarians.

… maloneyn, 19 November, 2009 - 10:08pm

Similar shape and colors, but a different bug (not beetle)

If you grew up in the east, here's your old friend, the eastern box elder bug. (There's also a western version.)

… Ron Hemberger, 19 November, 2009 - 10:13pm

Welcome to Bug Guide from your OC neighbor.

Boris has nailed the ID for you, but since you're new here, I thought you'd appreciate a link to the Info page he mentioned: http://bugguide.net/node/view/504

I've seen a lot of these critters and found them non-aggressive and fast to flee. Also, I don't believe they have any means of attacking people or butterflies, for that matter.

FYI, the little guy on the bottom at left is an immature, aka nymph.

… Ron Hemberger, 10 August, 2007 - 11:49am

That's them! Thanks for the page.

I'm sure glad to know they are harmless to our little boy, we love to get close and watch them. But I wonder if they are interfering in the Monarchs cycle because we used to have a huge population that would eat all the Butterfly weed down to nubs(and it's all over the garden). But now we have only one once in a while. and there was a large caterpillar that I checked on and the next day it was just a dead husk on the ground. I don't know what is getting them. Do you have any idea?

… Heather Green, 10 August, 2007 - 2:49pm

Not assasin

but Oncopeltus fasciatus:

Please try to find answers to the rest of your questions on the species page / info.

… Boris Büche, 10 August, 2007 - 3:29am

Thank you so much!

Boris,
I am so glad to read that it's not an Assasin. I didn't sleep much last night worrying about them and the lack of Monarchs despite our abundance of Butterfly Weed. We used to have so many caterpillars there were no leaves on any of the Butterfly weeds all over the garden. Now we have maybe one, ocassionaly. Do you have any idea what might be the cause of our missing Monarchs?
We do have a nice population of a smaller white butterfly. We used to even get Swallowtails. I'm sad, we miss them.
The Milkweed Bugs seem to be located on just one plant but I wonder if they are in competition for food? We don't ever use poisons, but it has been very dry this year. Just yesterday I found the only healthy large Monarch caterpillar I've seen in weeks on the ground, a dry husk. That's what prompted me to look into the Milkweed bugs. Thanks for your time.
Heather

… Heather Green, 10 August, 2007 - 3:07pm