By Bathgate
New York,
United States 
What are those? What are those yellow specs on my Common Milkweed. Looks like somebody has been really busy! I'm growing milkweed for the Monarch Butterfly and its companions. And those white specs! What are those? Why is milkweed teaming with all kinds of critters. More people should be growing it. Amazingly, the milkweed isn't phased by any of these critters. It just keeps growing strong & healthy - like a weed!
26 Jul, 2019
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Answers
I just read that they're banned here since August 2018 as an invasive species. But yes very good for bees etc
27 Jul, 2019
The white bits are the dried out discarded skins of the aphids.
27 Jul, 2019
thank you for the interesting responses.
27 Jul, 2019
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In Phoenix, we call them "oleander aphids", since that is usually what we see them on first, but they also eat plants in the Milkweed family. Usually pretty easy to get rid of with soapy water, and ladybird beetles and lacewing larvae eat them too.
27 Jul, 2019