Bug FAQMilkweed Stem Weevil
Rhyssomatus lineaticollis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Curculionidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adult milkweed stem weevils feed on the stems of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). They also harm the rare milkweed species Asclepias meadii.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults eat the stems of common milkweed. They damage the rare milkweed Asclepias meadii.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 42 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants does the milkweed stem weevil damage?
It feeds on and harms common milkweed and the rare Asclepias meadii.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the milkweed stem weevil found?
It lives in areas where milkweed grows, feeding on those plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Curculionidae)
Green Immigrant Leaf WeevilPolydrusus formosusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black Vine WeevilOtiorhynchus sulcatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Nettle weevilPhyllobius pomaceusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Asian Oak WeevilCyrtepistomus castaneusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Strawberry Root WeevilOtiorhynchus ovatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Leaf WeevilPhyllobius pyriDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyssomatus_lineaticollis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.