UF/IFAS Vegetable Arthropod Pest Photographs CD-ROM I

Banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata
(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The banded cucumber beetle is found throughout the southern United States from North Carolina to California. Its inability to tolerate freezing temperature probably limits its northward distribution. The banded cucumber beetle does not enter diapause and remains active as long as the weather remains favorable. The eggs are yellow and are deposited in cracks in the soil. The color of the larvae is somewhat variable but is initially white and may turn pale yellow, depending on the food source that is available. Pupation occurs in the soil and requires four to six weeks. Adults are greenish-yellow with a red head and a black thorax. There are usually three bands across the back that are green and may have a bluish tint. A thin green band is also present that runs down the center of the back. The banding pattern is variable and sometimes almost absent.

Adults feed on a wide variety of plants and attack vegetable crops including cucumber, squash, beet, bean, pea, sweet potato, okra, corn, lettuce, onion, and cabbage. The banded cucumber beetle attacks all parts of the plant. The most frequent forms of serious injury are defoliation by adults and root feeding by larvae. Natural enemies of the banded cucumber beetle are relatively unknown and poorly studied. Granular insecticides are commonly used to prevent damage to roots by larvae and foliar insecticides are applied to prevent damage by adults. However, adults are rarely abundant enough to require management practices.

Images

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Banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata, adult.
(Photographer: J. Castner, University of Florida)
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Banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata, adult.
(Photographer: L. Buss, University of Florida) Click to access Display and Print quality images.

Banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata, larva.
(Photographer: L. Buss, University of Florida) Click to access Display and Print quality images.

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