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Spotted Cucumber Beetle

The spotted cucumber beetle does not limit its diet to cucumber plants, but can also damage crops like beans, melons, and cotton. Eggs are laid in the soil at the base of the host plant. The beige wormlike larvae hatch and feed on the plant roots and the stems. The larval stage of the spotted cucumber beetle is sometimes referred to as southern corn rootworm. Larva pupate under the soil surface and adults emerge the following summer. Greenish yellow adults have 12 black spots. They measure about a quarter of an inch long. Insects have a bacteria in their guts that is spread when they feed on their host. This bacteria causes bacterial wilt and can be detrimental to plants. In most cases, the bacterial wilt is more devastating than the actual feeding damage done by either larvae or adults.