Squash lady beetle of the ladybird beetles family is indigenous to the eastern parts of the United States. They mostly feed on squash alongcol3 other plants belonging to the same family, hence the name.
Size: 7 – 10 mm (0.27 – 0.39 inches)
Color: They have a yellow body with black spots on their wing covers and elytra.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles appear big with a dome-shaped body and spotted appearance.
They have a yellow body with black hair all over. The squash lady beetle larvae are known to feed on the undercol3s of the leaves of squash and other plants, causing significant damage to them.
The small-sized eggs appear yellow, laid in clusters on the surfaces of their host plants’ leaves.
| Adult lifespan | Approximately 2 – 6 months |
| Duration of larval stage | About ten days |
| Distribution | Eastern United States |
| Habitat | Grasslands and areas around squash and pumpkin plantations |
| Common Predators | Birds |
| Seasons active from | Not recorded |
| Host Plants | Squash, pumpkin, zucchini, gourd |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Leaves of their host plants |
The larvae and adults mostly feed on the leaves’ undercol3s, making circular holes, and skeletonizing them to a great extent, leaving behind just the thin veins. The adult beetles even eat the squash or pumpkin’s rinds, causing immense damage to the vegetable.
Clearing the egg masses from the plants, and spraying insecticides are some of the many ways in which one can get rid of the larvae and adult beetle.
Image Source: bugguide.net, objects.liquidweb.services, cdn.whatsthatbug.com, static.inaturalist.org, i.ytimg.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com,
Squash lady beetle of the ladybird beetles family is indigenous to the eastern parts of the United States. They mostly feed on squash alongcol3 other plants belonging to the same family, hence the name.
Size: 7 – 10 mm (0.27 – 0.39 inches)
Color: They have a yellow body with black spots on their wing covers and elytra.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles appear big with a dome-shaped body and spotted appearance.
They have a yellow body with black hair all over. The squash lady beetle larvae are known to feed on the undercol3s of the leaves of squash and other plants, causing significant damage to them.
The small-sized eggs appear yellow, laid in clusters on the surfaces of their host plants’ leaves.
| Adult lifespan | Approximately 2 – 6 months |
| Duration of larval stage | About ten days |
| Distribution | Eastern United States |
| Habitat | Grasslands and areas around squash and pumpkin plantations |
| Common Predators | Birds |
| Seasons active from | Not recorded |
| Host Plants | Squash, pumpkin, zucchini, gourd |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Leaves of their host plants |
The larvae and adults mostly feed on the leaves’ undercol3s, making circular holes, and skeletonizing them to a great extent, leaving behind just the thin veins. The adult beetles even eat the squash or pumpkin’s rinds, causing immense damage to the vegetable.
Clearing the egg masses from the plants, and spraying insecticides are some of the many ways in which one can get rid of the larvae and adult beetle.
Image Source: bugguide.net, objects.liquidweb.services, cdn.whatsthatbug.com, static.inaturalist.org, i.ytimg.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com,
