Description
- also called the spotted cucumber beetle
- adult is about 1/4 inch long, greenish yellow with 12 black spots on its back
- adults have a black head and relatively long dark antennae
- larvae are long and slender and are about 1/2 inch long when full grown
- white to yellowish, with a distinct brown head
- brown patch on top of the last abdominal segment
Damage
- known to feed on more than 200 different plant species including many crops
- adults are general foliage feeders
- often occur in large numbers
- damage appears as irregular holes in leaves, and damaged growing tips
- may cause considerable leaf damage
- occasionally seedlings are girdled at or near ground level
- larvae feed on plant roots and bore into germinating seed
- may infest large roots and underground stems
- larval damage wilts and stunts plants or stand loss