Common asparagus beetle of the leaf beetles family occurs in North America and Europe. As its name suggests, it mostly damages the asparagus plant, causing significant damage to them.
Size: 6 – 9.5 mm (0.23 – 0.37 inches)
Color: It has a bluish-green metallic body. Its elytra is yellow with a red border and cream or yellow spots all over.
Other Characteristic Features: One of their identifying physical features is their elongated body.
The larva is dark gray or olive green with a black head and legs. Their primary food comprises the young asparagus plants that they cling to using their anal prolegs and tubercles. In fact, the larval stage spans up to four instars taking about 5 or 8 days to develop. In the last instar, they bury themselves in the soil, creating a cell to begin the pupal phase.
The pupation takes place within the small chambers in the soil that the larva creates. The entire stage goes on for 5 – 8 days.
The conically shaped, elongated eggs appear grey or brown. The females mostly lay them on the stems of the asparagus plant’s flowers.
| Adult lifespan | Not recorded |
| Duration of larval stage | 5 – 8 days |
| Distribution | Europe and North America |
| Habitat | On the flower buds, spears, and ferns of the asparagus plants |
| Common Predators | Wasp species (like the koinobiont wasp), lacewings, and ladybugs |
| Seasons active from | May – October or November |
| Host Plants | Asparagus |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Berries and ferns of the asparagus Adults: Asparagus ferns, shoots, and leaves |
The asparagus spears bend attaining a hook-like shape, also turning brown when eaten by the adults. Feeding on the ferns by the adults and larvae also lessens the chances of forming a strong crop for the next season. They even weaken the leaves, making them susceptible to fungal disease. The presence of the eggs on asparagus spears makes the crop unappealing and unfit for marketing.
Image Source: ag.umass.edu, s3.amazonaws.com, extension.umn.edu, asknature.org, garden.eco
Common asparagus beetle of the leaf beetles family occurs in North America and Europe. As its name suggests, it mostly damages the asparagus plant, causing significant damage to them.
Size: 6 – 9.5 mm (0.23 – 0.37 inches)
Color: It has a bluish-green metallic body. Its elytra is yellow with a red border and cream or yellow spots all over.
Other Characteristic Features: One of their identifying physical features is their elongated body.
The larva is dark gray or olive green with a black head and legs. Their primary food comprises the young asparagus plants that they cling to using their anal prolegs and tubercles. In fact, the larval stage spans up to four instars taking about 5 or 8 days to develop. In the last instar, they bury themselves in the soil, creating a cell to begin the pupal phase.
The pupation takes place within the small chambers in the soil that the larva creates. The entire stage goes on for 5 – 8 days.
The conically shaped, elongated eggs appear grey or brown. The females mostly lay them on the stems of the asparagus plant’s flowers.
| Adult lifespan | Not recorded |
| Duration of larval stage | 5 – 8 days |
| Distribution | Europe and North America |
| Habitat | On the flower buds, spears, and ferns of the asparagus plants |
| Common Predators | Wasp species (like the koinobiont wasp), lacewings, and ladybugs |
| Seasons active from | May – October or November |
| Host Plants | Asparagus |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Berries and ferns of the asparagus Adults: Asparagus ferns, shoots, and leaves |
The asparagus spears bend attaining a hook-like shape, also turning brown when eaten by the adults. Feeding on the ferns by the adults and larvae also lessens the chances of forming a strong crop for the next season. They even weaken the leaves, making them susceptible to fungal disease. The presence of the eggs on asparagus spears makes the crop unappealing and unfit for marketing.
Image Source: ag.umass.edu, s3.amazonaws.com, extension.umn.edu, asknature.org, garden.eco
