Then the critter dug a tunnel under them, so I sprinkled cayenne powder down the hole. This mainly includes smaller insects like caterpillars, beetles, and monarch larvae. Here are 10 ideas to get rid of aphids naturally:

Stop Aphids from Taking Over your Milkweed

  • I am beginning a project to propagate the milkweed plant. Oleander aphids (Aphis nerii) are probably the grand daddy milkweed pest of them all. Persistence and patience are key to get rid of these insects from your garden completely. Oncopeltus fasciatus This big bug and the little ones are only on the seed pods. GrowGardener.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Mama monarch even stopped in & laid some eggs right after spraying some of the leaves that weren’t rinsed yet & she didn’t seem to mind or have any issues w/ the spray.
    The Mantis Plant Protection says it won’t harm other insects so it shouldn’t harm her or the eggs either. I never see any milkweed bugs and I have the plants surrounded with wire fencing. One more thing, if the milk weed pods are kind of brown, is that normal?

    Thanks for any help you can give me.

    Debbie

    • Hi Debbie, monarchs munching on your milkweed is always a good thing in a butterfly garden! A better way of long-term pest management is not to manage them, but to spread out milkweed patches and plant different species of mw….and, of course, bringing in a few to raise indoors. It will also steer the bugs away from catching on and residing at a specific spot. I have been taking them off and squishing them but i noticed the stem of my milkweed has like rips in it. What do I do to bring them back next spring? If you use epsom salt, keep in mind this has the same potential issue for caterpillars as spreading diatomaceous earth…when the caterpillars crawl off the milkweed, sharp crystals can cut them open and kill them. Milkweed bugs do little damage to milkweeds so control is generally not required. This happened to a bunch of our swamp milkweed last year…we cut back affected stems. I’d love to hear from other butterfly lovers about this.

      • Hi Dianne, I try not to mess with the local ecosystem unless something is taking over the garden. These are the ones that have the bugs on them ~ the ones in my garden are doing great (so far, knock on wood). To get rid off these pests, first, you have to distinguish them from the other harmful butterflies. How do I protect the plant from both the bugs listed here and the monarch so that they can be sold in good condition to customers. There are links on the allium page to buy online if you can’t find them locally. The bugs can then be carefully collected with the help of garden gloves. Well, the process might not be easy as they reproduce in large numbers and at a faster rate. But any idea what they are and how to get rid of them?

        • Hi Julie, it sounds like spider mites and there is info posted about them on this page. I want to spray the plant with some bug insect spray, but I don’t want to end up hurting the plant and/or the butterflies by spraying the spray. TIA

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