Mexican Bean Beetle—A Specialized Pest That Focuses on Beans Custom Search
The mexican bean beetle is a species of lady beetle that prefers plants over other insects. The adults and larvae feed on the leaves, pods and stems of bean plants, leading to their death. Damaged plants take on a skeletonized look after their feeding. Adult beetles may feed on the fruits and flowers of the plant, but they prefer the leaves. Besides garden beans, you'll find these pests on cowpeas, soybeans, clover, black-eyed peas and alfalfa. Their range is the entire U.S. with the exception of California, Oregon and Washington. DescriptionThe adult beetle is 1/3 inch (8 mm) long, yellow to yellow brown in color with 8 black spots on each wing cover. The eggs are a yellow-orange color. The female lays them in groups of about 40 on the underside of a bean plant leaf. They hatch in 5-14 days and feed for 2-5 weeks. A generation last for about 30 days. The larvae are about 1/3 inch (8 mm) long. They're oval-shaped, with 6 rows of black-tipped spines on their backs. It's the larval stage that does the most damage to bean plants. The pupa is yellow-orange in color. You'll find it attached to the underside of leaves. Controlling the Mexican Bean BeetleThe spined soldier bug and the Tachnid fly help keeps these pests under control. From Mexican Bean Beetle to Organic Pest Remedies H-N |
