Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus)

I captured this picture in front of the Hotel Nipton on 07/27/2009 on a road trip to Laughlin Nevada via  Nipton California and Searchlight Nevada. These plants were climbing the posts on the

porch that surrounded the outside of the hotel. I’m not sure what the flower is, all I know is that it is not the “milkweed” plant for which this insect is named. DESCRIPTION: The milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, is a medium–sized hemipteran (true bug) of the family Lygaeidae. This insect's name includes "milkweed," the plant on which most spend all stages of their life.

Milkweed is this bug's primary food source. However, when milkweed is scarce, it can shift from being a herbivore to a scavenger and predator. This insect is classified as a "true bug," with characteristic sucking mouthparts. Like all hemiptera, it feeds through a long mouthpart known as a rostrum. The large milkweed bug adult is a 9–18 mm long insect. Mature adults are orange with black rhomboidal spots at both end of a body and a black band in the middle. Like monarchs, its bold orange and black warning colors protect it from predators. Their wingpads are visible and become more pronounced with each molt. Adult females have several black spots on rear part of their abdomen, while males have only one. Adults that survived winter mate in May-June. During mating, female and male may become connected for up to 10 hours. Eggs are laid on seed pods or under a leaf. The average female lays 30 pale orange eggs in a day, in several batches during summer. Eggs change color, becoming more intensely orange toward hatching. This insect undergoes incomplete metamorphosis. Nymphs hatch after about 1 week and molt 5 times before becoming adults. Adults and nymphs feed on milkweed plant juices, seeds and occasionally on other plant juices. When their native plant is scarce, they may become scavengers and predators. After feeding on milkweed plant or seeds, the insects accumulate toxic glycosides in their bodies. This, combined with warning orange color, protects them against predators.