Small Milkweed Bug

Lygaeus kalmii

The Small Milkweed Bug feeds on the juices of ripening milkweed seeds. Predators that are poisoned by toxins in milkweed do well to avoid eating this bug, whose body itself is poisonous to them.

Look For : A black, oval-shaped body with a red X on the fore wings and a red band across the front of the thorax. Unlike similar insects in other families, this bug has both single eyes and compound eyes.

Length : 3/8-1/2"

Habitat : Meadows and fields with milkweed.

Range : Widespread.