Stats

Lifespan: A few weeks
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Warning Colors
Status: Common

About

Vivid yellow-green with twelve black polka dots, this widespread garden beetle chews through cucumber, squash, and corn while transmitting bacterial wilt — a disease that can kill entire plants even after the beetle has moved on.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Diabrotica
Species: Diabrotica undecimpunctata