Mexican Bean Beetle

Epilachna varivestis Mulsant (Insecta: Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).

Unlike most Coccinellidae which feed upon aphids, scales and other small insects, this species attacks plants.

This insect is found in the U.S. and Mexico. In the east, it appears wherever beans are grown. In the west, its appearance is sporadic.

Control Strategies

1. Hand pick the adults and immature stages from plants and drop them in a pail of soapy water. Also, remove the bright yellow eggs laid in clusters on the undersides of leaves.
2. Beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and green lacewings, are all voracious predators of both the egg and young larval stage.

Images and info by permission from Bugwood.org.