Banded Cucumber Beetle

How to identify it

• Adults are 3/16 to 1/4 inch, greenish-yellow with a red head, black thorax and usually three green bands across the wing covers.^[1]
• A thin green stripe runs down the center of the back.^[1]

Look-alikes

Where it lives

Once limited in the U.S. to southern Arizona and Texas, it has expanded its range across the South.^[1]

US map: public records from 12 states since 1990 (GBIF). View the map

Biology and life cycle

It doesn't enter diapause and stays active while weather allows, with six to seven generations a year in Louisiana and Texas.^[1]

Damage and signs

• It damages leaves, blossoms, silk, kernels, crowns and roots of cucumber, squash, bean, pea, sweet potato, okra, corn, lettuce and cabbage.^[1]
• Larvae feed only on roots.^[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UF/IFAS mentions no risk to people.^[1]

Control

Pesticides

Insecticides are sometimes used to protect roots from larvae or seedlings from heavy adult feeding.^[1]

Common questions

What are the green-banded beetles on my cucumbers?

Banded cucumber beetles, common in the South.^[1]

Do they damage roots?

Yes; the larvae feed only on roots.^[1]

Sources

1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (Featured Creatures), “Banded Cucumber Beetle, Diabrotica balteata (EENY-093).” edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN250 (accessed 2026-10-06)
2. iNaturalist, “Diabrotica balteata taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/310923 (accessed 2026-10-06)