Bug FAQBanded Cucumber Beetle
Diabrotica balteata · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Also called: Florida Rootworm Beetle, Leaf beetle
Source: Wikipedia
The banded cucumber beetle is a small beetle about 5-6 mm long with a red head, black thorax and yellow wing covers marked by greenish bands and a central line.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It has a red head, black thorax, and yellow elytra with three transverse green or blue-green bands plus a narrow green line down the middle.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 5 to 6 millimetres in length.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Insecticides are applied to target larvae in the soil, and biological agents such as the nematodes Filipjevimermis leipsandra and Steinernema carpocapsae have been studied for control.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The species occurs across the Americas, from the United States down to Colombia and Venezuela, and is also found in Cuba.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on plant roots and tubers, while adults eat many plant parts including leaves, cotyledons, fruits, flowers and corn silk.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In Tamaulipas, Mexico, the beetle is most often seen from May through July, with higher numbers after late-spring and summer rains and when winds are strong.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It likely originated in tropical parts of the Americas and has expanded into more temperate regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, California, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the beetle look like?
It has a red head, black thorax, and yellow wing covers with three greenish transverse bands and a narrow green line down the centre.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I control banded cucumber beetles?
Use insecticides aimed at the soil-dwelling larvae and consider biological control with nematodes like Filipjevimermis leipsandra or Steinernema carpocapsae.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Chrysomelidae)
Spotted Cucumber BeetleDiabrotica undecimpunctataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bean WeevilAcanthoscelides obtectusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Cowpea WeevilCallosobruchus maculatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Swamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleLabidomera clivicollisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Alder Leaf BeetleAgelastica alniDamages trees, gardens or crops
Dogbane Leaf BeetleChrysochus auratusSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabrotica_balteata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.