Bean leaf beetle, a part of the leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) family, is majorly found in the United States’ Western and Eastern regions. Of the several plants, they are primarily a pest of soybeans, resulting in their name.
Size: 3.5 – 5.5 mm (0.14 – 0.22 inches)
Color: Most of the bean leaf beetle species has a black head, and yellowish-green body, with four big black spots sitting on their body, alongcol3 markings of the same color on their wings’ outer margins. Some morphs even have yellow or red elytra with our without spots. Right on top of their elytra, one can spot a black triangle that is one of their main characteristic features.
Other Characteristic Features: They have an oval-shaped body with a prominent head visible from the top. In this species, the elytron remains punctated at the posterior end. The male bean leaf beetle species have patches of hair on their forelegs that seems absent in the females.
The larva has a white, cylindrical-shaped segmented body and a brown head, closely resembling a corn rootworm’s larva. They grow to about 10 mm (0.4 inches) long and feed on the soybean and other plants’ roots and nodule.
The pupa looks white, too, like the larva with a length of 5 mm (0.2 inches) enclosed with the pupal cells or chamber within the soil.
The orange eggs are lemon-shaped, mostly laid in the soil near the soybean plant’s base.
| Lifespan | 1 – 2 months |
| Distribution | Eastern and western parts of the United States |
| Habitat | Fields especially where soybean, pumpkin, cucumber, green beans, and legumes grow |
| Common Predators | Birds, and tachinid flies |
| Seasons active from | Mid-May – September |
| Host Plants | Soybean, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, legumes, soybeans, green beans |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Nodules and roots of soybeans Adults: Undercol3s of the leaves of their host plants |
A heavy infestation could cause severe harm to the leaves and pods. The first and second-generation beetles mostly chew small holes in the soybean leaves, damaging it greatly. As the foliage matures, the beetles lose interest in eating them and consume the pod’s green skin, leaving nothing but a thin membranous tissue around the seeds. Constant feeding often hampers the production of cops significantly. They are even responsible for transmitting the bean pod mottle virus to the beans through feeding.
The larvae mostly thrive on the root nodules and girdle roots and are not known to cause much harm as the adults.
Image Source: bugguide.net, vegedge.umn.edu, m.farms.com, a4.pbase.com, gopetsamerica.com
Bean leaf beetle, a part of the leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) family, is majorly found in the United States’ Western and Eastern regions. Of the several plants, they are primarily a pest of soybeans, resulting in their name.
Size: 3.5 – 5.5 mm (0.14 – 0.22 inches)
Color: Most of the bean leaf beetle species has a black head, and yellowish-green body, with four big black spots sitting on their body, alongcol3 markings of the same color on their wings’ outer margins. Some morphs even have yellow or red elytra with our without spots. Right on top of their elytra, one can spot a black triangle that is one of their main characteristic features.
Other Characteristic Features: They have an oval-shaped body with a prominent head visible from the top. In this species, the elytron remains punctated at the posterior end. The male bean leaf beetle species have patches of hair on their forelegs that seems absent in the females.
The larva has a white, cylindrical-shaped segmented body and a brown head, closely resembling a corn rootworm’s larva. They grow to about 10 mm (0.4 inches) long and feed on the soybean and other plants’ roots and nodule.
The pupa looks white, too, like the larva with a length of 5 mm (0.2 inches) enclosed with the pupal cells or chamber within the soil.
The orange eggs are lemon-shaped, mostly laid in the soil near the soybean plant’s base.
| Lifespan | 1 – 2 months |
| Distribution | Eastern and western parts of the United States |
| Habitat | Fields especially where soybean, pumpkin, cucumber, green beans, and legumes grow |
| Common Predators | Birds, and tachinid flies |
| Seasons active from | Mid-May – September |
| Host Plants | Soybean, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, legumes, soybeans, green beans |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Nodules and roots of soybeans Adults: Undercol3s of the leaves of their host plants |
A heavy infestation could cause severe harm to the leaves and pods. The first and second-generation beetles mostly chew small holes in the soybean leaves, damaging it greatly. As the foliage matures, the beetles lose interest in eating them and consume the pod’s green skin, leaving nothing but a thin membranous tissue around the seeds. Constant feeding often hampers the production of cops significantly. They are even responsible for transmitting the bean pod mottle virus to the beans through feeding.
The larvae mostly thrive on the root nodules and girdle roots and are not known to cause much harm as the adults.
Image Source: bugguide.net, vegedge.umn.edu, m.farms.com, a4.pbase.com, gopetsamerica.com
