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Domanda
Perché ci sono così tanti insetti sulla mia pianta di milkweed?
Risposte
03/03/2022
Vachil Shamshina
It's hard to see what's going on in your photos, but there appear to be flies on the plant.
If the flies are what you're asking about, I wonder if they are Tachinids (Tachinidae) that are parasitizing the monarch caterpillars. If so, your milkweed won't be a safe breeding ground for the butterflies. Any insecticide you try to use against the flies will also affect the caterpillars, pollinators, and anything else that comes around the plants. I'm not personally aware of any treatment you can use in a garden, unfortunately.
Look for white strands hanging down from dead caterpillars or chrysalis. These will be the slime trails left behind by the fly maggots when they emerge from the host and fall to the ground. Seeing this evidence will be a very good clue that the flies are parasitizing your monarchs.
Ilgiardino.wiki
It's hard to see what's going on in your photos, but there appear to be flies on the plant.
If the flies are what you're asking about, I wonder if they are Tachinids (Tachinidae) that are parasitizing the monarch caterpillars. If so, your milkweed won't be a safe breeding ground for the butterflies. Any insecticide you try to use against the flies will also affect the caterpillars, pollinators, and anything else that comes around the plants. I'm not personally aware of any treatment you can use in a garden, unfortunately.
Look for white strands hanging down from dead caterpillars or chrysalis. These will be the slime trails left behind by the fly maggots when they emerge from the host and fall to the ground. Seeing this evidence will be a very good clue that the flies are parasitizing your monarchs.