Banded Cucumber Beetle in Soybean
Crop Damage: The banded cucumber beetle (Diabrotica balteata) is found primarily in the southern tier states of the U.S. Larvae feed on soybean roots, while adults feed on cotyledons after emergence, as well as on stems, leaves, flowers, and pods.
Adult banded cucumber beetle feeding on leaf.
Clemson USDA, Bugwood.org
Adult banded cucumber beetle. The orange arrows indicate the different colors of leg segments.
Royal Tyler, Bugwood.org
Pest Description: Fully grown larvae are about 1/3 inch long, with a cream-colored body, black head, and black plate at the end of the abdomen. Adult beetles are approximately 1/4 inch long, light green, and marked with four yellow bands across the back. Their legs are light green near the body and dark brown to black on the outer leg segments. The head and antennae are dark reddish-brown.
Scouting and Management: No established sampling and management protocols have been established for this pest. Soybean varieties with sparse or short leaf pubescence are most susceptible to feeding damage. Also, plants under moisture stress appear to be more vulnerable to damage. Applying a soil insecticides at planting may help protect roots from larval feeding early in the growing season. For foliar feeding, apply the standard soybean defoliation thresholds – 30% during vegetative stages and 20% during reproductive stages.
Developed and reviewed by Carol Pilcher, Iowa State University and Robert Wright, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with support from the United Soybean Board.
Adult banded cucumber beetle on a white background. The orange arrows indicate the different colors of leg segments, the first of which is lighter in color than the subsequent sections. Image by Royal Tyler, Bugwood.org.
An adult banded cucumber beetle feeding on green leaf. Image by Clemson USDA, Bugwood.org.
Gallery images courtesy Clemson USDA, Bugwood.org and Royal Tyler, Bugwood.org.
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