|
|
Mexican Bean Beetle
Adults are 1/4 to 1/3 inch long, oval, and yellow to copper in color.
They have eight black spots in three rows across each wing cover.
Mexican bean beetles overwinter as adult beetles in grass and litter
in fence and tree rows. They begin feeding as soon as they emerge.
After feeding for 1 to 2 weeks, the adults lay their eggs on the underside
of bean leaves. The yellow-orange egg masses hatch into larvae that
are bright yellow and have six rows of branching spines. Larvae then
mature into adults in 25 days. Mexican bean beetles feed on all types
of beans. Both larvae and adults feed on the underside of leaves,
removing the leaf tissue but leaving the epidermis. Severely injured
leaves may have a lace-like appearance, also known as "window-paning" of the afflicted leaf . |
|
