The Red Milkweed Beetle is a stunning longhorn beetle with vivid red elytra and a black-spotted thorax, living its entire life cycle on milkweed. It sequesters cardiac glycosides from milkweed, making it toxic to predators, and advertises this with its bold red-and-black coloration. Adults communicate with squeaking sounds produced by rubbing thorax against abdomen.
Best time to see a Red Milkweed Beetle
The best time to see a Red Milkweed Beetle is June–July, when about 91% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 39,430 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Red Milkweed Beetle? What bug is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
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