Bug FAQPineapple Beetle
Urophorus humeralis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Nitidulidae
Also called: Sap beetle, pineapple sap beetle, yellow shouldered souring beetle
Source: Wikipedia
The pineapple beetle (Urophorus humeralis) is also called the yellow-shouldered souring beetle. It feeds on plant sap and is especially attracted to sugarcane that is already diseased. In Hawaii it carries the sugarcane pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa, making it a pest of that crop.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Common names include pineapple beetle and yellow-shouldered souring beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The beetle feeds on plant sap. Adults are drawn to sugarcane that is diseased, and larvae grow best on the fungus Ceratocystis paradoxa.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It acts as a vector for the sugarcane pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa in Hawaii.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Indiana, Michigan.
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 crops does the pineapple beetle affect?
It spreads the sugarcane disease Ceratocystis paradoxa, so it is a pest of sugarcane.
Source: Wikipedia
Why are pineapple beetles attracted to sugarcane?
They prefer sugarcane that is already diseased over healthy plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nitidulidae)
Common Pollen BeetleBrassicogethes aeneusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Four-spotted Sap BeetleGlischrochilus quadrisignatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Picnic BeetleGlischrochilus fasciatus
Small Hive BeetleAethina tumidaCan damage your home
Dried Fruit BeetleCarpophilus hemipterus
Dusky Sap BeetleCarpophilus lugubrisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urophorus_humeralis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.