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Striped Cucumber Beetle (Acalymma vittatum)


Detailing the physical features, habits, territorial reach and other identifying qualities of the Striped Cucumber Beetle


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The small, bright Striped Cucumber Beetle is a common garden insect that feeds on the leaves of many cucurbits.



Updated: 02/16/2022; Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.InsectIdentification.org
A member of the Leaf Beetle family, Striped Cucumber Beetles feed on the soft leafy foliage of garden plants. The head is black, the pronotum is orange-yellow, and the wing coverings have black and yellow stripes on them. Despite their name, they do not restrict feeding just to cucumber plants. Zucchini and squash varieties, melons, and gourds are equally tasty. A few beetles are not harmful to vegetable production. Backyard gardens can still obtain good harvests despite a small presence. The likelihood of the population growing rapidly is great, however, and large numbers of the Striped Cucumber Beetle can damage both foliage and fruit of food plants. They may also transmit the vector that causes bacterial wilt, a disease that decimates cucumber plants and their relatives.

Strategies for dealing with a Striped Cucumber Beetle problem are numerous. Pesticides application can protect the plant and prevent future outbreaks. Organic pest control options include delayed planting, covering plants with row covers that allow light and rain, use of sticky kaolin clay, planting of trap or decoy crops, and manual removal. Yellow sticky traps, like those used to catch house flies, are also available at garden supply stores. Removing plants infected with bacterial wilt down to the roots will help control the spread of that disease to other healthy plants.

Adults overwinter in sheltered areas like buildings or wood piles. Once weather begins to warm again in the spring, they are quick to locate food sources. Females lay fertilized eggs at the base of the plant at the soil line. Eggs hatch and the larvae eat the roots of the plant, pupate underground, and emerge as adults in late summer/early autumn.©InsectIdentification.org


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General Characteristics


Capability, Shape, Texture/Pattern, Benefits, Dangers
Flying insect icon
Garden pest insect icon
Pest insect icon
Striped or banded insect icon


Taxonomic Hierarchy


Species Breakdown
Kingdom: Animalia
  Phylum: Arthropoda
    Class: Insecta
      Order: Coleoptera
        Family: Chrysomelidae
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          Genus: Acalymma
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            Species: vittatum

Identifying Information


Size, Colors, Features
Scientific Name: Acalymma vittatum
Category: Beetle
Size (Adult; Length): 5mm to 8mm (0.19" to 0.31")
Colorwheel Graphic Colors: yellow; black; orange
Descriptors: lines; zucchini; squash; flying; chewing; garden pest


Relative Size Comparison


Typical Size Between 5mm (0.2in) and 8mm (0.3in)
Lo: 5mm
Md: 6.5mm
Hi: 8mm

Territorial Map*


U.S., Canada, and Mexico
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Alaska  
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Prince Edward Is.  
* MAP NOTES: The territorial heat map above showcases (in red) the states and territories of North America where the Striped Cucumber Beetle may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data is useful when attempting to see concentrations of particular species across the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some insects are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America. States/Territories shown above are a general indicator of areas inhabited by the Striped Cucumber Beetle. Insects generally go where they please, typically driven by diet, environmental changes, and / or mating habits.
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