Bean leaf beetle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bean leaf beetle |
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Cerotoma
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C. trifurcata
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| Cerotoma trifurcata (Forster, 1771)
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The bean leaf beetle (scientific name: Cerotoma trifurcata) is a small insect. It is a type of beetle that belongs to the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae). You can find this beetle in the United States, especially in the eastern and western parts. These beetles are known for feeding on certain plants, especially legumes like soybeans.
Contents
What They Look Like
Adult bean leaf beetles are quite small. They are usually about 3.5 to 5.5 millimeters long. That's roughly the size of a grain of rice!
Their bodies have a special hard cover called an elytron (plural: elytra) on their back. This cover protects their wings. Some bean leaf beetles have red or yellow elytra with four black spots. Others might not have any spots at all. No matter the color or spots, their head is always black.
Where They Live and What They Eat
Bean leaf beetles mostly eat young plants. They especially like vegetables that are just starting to grow, like cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash. They are also a common pest for legumes, such as soybeans and green beans.
In early spring, adult beetles come out of their hiding spots. They start by feeding on plants like alfalfa. This happens before crops like soybeans are ready to eat.
Life Cycle
The number of new generations of bean leaf beetles each year depends on how long the warm growing season lasts. In colder places, like Ontario, Canada, there might be only one generation per year. In the central United States, there can be one or two generations. Warmer areas in the southeastern U.S. can see three generations in a single year.
Most bean leaf beetles spend the winter hidden in leaf litter in wooded areas. They can also hide in crop fields under old plant parts from soybeans. Very cold temperatures, below about -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), can cause many beetles to die during winter.
How They Feed and What Happens
Bean leaf beetles feed in different ways depending on their age.
- Larvae (young beetles) live in the soil. They eat the roots of plants.
- Adults eat the leaves and other green parts of host plants.
These beetles can also spread a plant disease called the bean pod mottle virus to beans when they feed. If there are many beetles in a field, their feeding can sometimes cause a lot of damage. This can lead to less crop being harvested.
Farmers use different methods to manage bean leaf beetle populations. Sometimes they use special sprays called insecticides. They might also plant their crops later in the season. However, how well these methods work can change depending on the situation. Using only insecticide treatments on seeds might not always help increase the amount of crop harvested, especially in areas where these beetles or the virus are common.
See also
In Spanish: Cerotoma trifurcata para niños
