Large milkweed bugs

Large Milkweed bugs. Called milkweed bugs because they feed mainly on the grains of the milkweed. They feed through a long mouthpart known as a rostrum. The adult is about 9-18 mm long and is orange with black spots at both ends of the body and a black band in the middle. Adult females have several black spots on rear part of their abdomen, while males have only one. The milkweed bugs are considered bad bugs to some because they are seed and sap-suckers and can deform the plant and can cause difficulty in gathering seeds. They also don't have many predators because they have bad tasting compounds that are found in the sap of the milkweed plant. Milkweed bugs often gather in groups as show in this spotting.