Pest profile

Bean Leafroller

Urbanus proteus · Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae[2]

Rolled bean leaves or ragged leaf edges in late summer often mean bean leafroller caterpillars.[1]

Bean leafroller adult (longtail skipper), a brown butterfly with white spots, long hind-wing tails and a blue-green iridescent body
Bean leafroller adult (longtail skipper), a brown butterfly with white spots, long hind-wing tails and a blue-green iridescent body. (c) Ricard Busquets Reverte, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Caterpillars are yellowish with tiny black spots and yellow side lines, and a large brownish-black head with orange spots near the jaws.[1]
  • Adults, called longtail skippers, have a 2-inch wingspan, long hind-wing tails and green iridescent scales.[1]

Where it lives

It's found throughout Florida and on the coast from South Carolina to eastern Texas, spreading north each year but not surviving long freezes.[1]

US map: public records from 17 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Eggs hatch in three to four days, and caterpillars take 15 to 20 days to mature.[1]

Larvae feed on cowpea, lima bean, pea, snap bean and soybean, plus wisteria and tick trefoil.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Larvae cut and fold leaf flaps into silk-lined shelters and leave them to feed.[1]

Health risk

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

Control

Prevention

Beans tolerate about 30 percent leaf loss without yield loss, so treatment is rarely needed.[1]

Biological control

A virus can kill 40 to 50 percent of larvae late in the season, and wasps and stink bugs prey on them.[1]

Pesticides

If late-season beans need it, most foliar insecticides are very effective.[1]

Common questions

What's rolling up my bean leaves?
Often bean leafroller caterpillars, which live in folded leaf shelters.[1]
Do I need to spray?
Usually not; beans tolerate about 30 percent leaf loss without losing yield.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (Featured Creatures), “Bean Leafroller, Urbanus proteus (EENY-001).” edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN127 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Urbanus proteus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/67435 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.