Both larva and adults feed on milkweeds, mostly on common milkweed. It is found in meadows and fields with milkweeds. It seems common at Fontenelle Forest and Neale woods. The larvae feed on the roots and stems, the adults on the leaves.

The scientific name Tetraopes means four eyes; if you look closely at a milkweed beetle you will see that it has one pair of eyes above the antennae and another pair below. It is thought the beetle get protection from predators by incorporating toxins from the plant into their bodies, thereby becoming distasteful, just like the Monarch butterfly does. The red and black coloring warn of the beetles distastefulness. There are many milkweed-eating species of insect that use the toxins contained in the plant as a chemical defense.