Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
While feeding, these beetles can transmit bacterial wilt disease (Erwinia tracheiphila) to plants, which can wither an entire vine in days.
- Scientific name
- Diabrotica undecimpunctata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Chrysomelidae › Diabrotica
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Agricultural fields, home gardens, meadows, and weedy roadsides.
- Diet
- Folivore, feeding heavily on cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, melons), corn, beans, and flowering weeds.
- Range
- North America, Central America
- Size
- 5 to 6 mm in length.
- Lifespan
- Approximately 1 year, with adults living for several months.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Widespread chemical pesticide application and predatory insects such as assassin bugs, ground beetles, and parasitic wasps.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. They do not bite, sting, or secrete toxic allergens, making them safe to handle. However, they are notorious agricultural and garden pests. If encountered on your backyard crops, they can be hand-picked off or managed with organic neem oil.
The spotted cucumber beetle ( Diabrotica undecimpunctata ) is a beetle native to North America. The beetle is also a major agricultural pest insect of North America (see also cucumber beetle).
Photo: Katja Schulz, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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