Bug FAQViburnum Leaf Beetle
Pyrrhalta viburni · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Also called: Guelder-rose Leaf Beetle, Vibernum Leaf Beetle
Source: Wikipedia
Adult beetles are 4.5-6.5 mm long and have a brown body covered with dense golden-grey hair on the back. One generation is produced each year; eggs are laid in summer, hatch in May, larvae feed in spring, pupate in soil, and adults emerge in late June or early July (-). Both larvae and adults eat Viburnum leaves, and heavy feeding can strip a plant of foliage, sometimes killing it.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle has a brown head, thorax and wing covers, with a dense covering of golden-grey hairs on its back.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 4.5 to 6.5 mm, while mature larvae are roughly 10 to 11 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
In New York parks the beetle has heavily damaged native arrowwood Viburnum, sometimes stripping plants completely and causing death.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
The spined soldier bug (Podisus maculiventris) has been developed as a biological control agent against this beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The species produces one new generation each year. Eggs overwinter in protected cavities to avoid drying out and predators.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on Viburnum leaves in spring, and adults feed on the same leaves in summer.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Eggs hatch by mid-May; adults appear in late June or early July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to Europe and Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify a viburnum leaf beetle?
Look for a small (4.5-6.5 mm) brown beetle with dense golden-grey hairs on its back.
Source: Wikipedia
What damage do viburnum leaf beetles cause?
Their feeding can completely defoliate Viburnum plants, sometimes killing them.
Source: Wikipedia
When are the beetles active?
Adults emerge in late June or early July, while larvae feed in spring after hatching in mid-May.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I control viburnum leaf beetles?
The spined soldier bug has been used as a biological control agent against them.
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/Viburnum_leaf_beetle
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.