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Squash Beetle

Epilachna borealis[3]

The squash beetle is a plant-eating lady beetle that feeds on the leaves of squash, cucumber and pumpkin.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Coleoptera
Family
Coccinellidae
US records
27 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Squash beetle, an orange lady beetle with black spots, on a squash leaf
Squash beetle, an orange lady beetle with black spots, on a squash leaf. Photo: Anne P, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are dome-shaped and yellow to copper-orange with black spots, looking like the familiar beneficial lady beetles.[1][2]
  • The larvae are yellow and spiky and feed on the undersides of leaves.[1][2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Mexican bean beetleThe other vegetable-feeding lady beetle; the squash beetle is larger, with 14 spots instead of 16.[1][2]
Beneficial lady beetlesSquash beetle adults look like the familiar beneficial lady beetles; the larvae and leaf damage on squash family plants give them away.[1][2]

Where it lives

Found in eastern gardens, including Maryland and South Carolina.[1][2]

US map: public records from 27 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Adults and larvae feed on the tissue between leaf veins.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Feeding scrapes leaves into a windowpane or lace-like pattern on squash, cucumber and pumpkin.[1]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][2]

Control

Keep them out

Where it shows up every year, cover transplants or new seedlings with floating row cover and remove it when plants bloom.[1]

Pesticides

Botanical insecticides such as neem or pyrethrum can help control large populations.[1]

Common questions

Why is a ladybug eating my squash?
It is probably a squash beetle, one of two lady beetles that eat vegetable crops.[1][2]
How do I tell it from a Mexican bean beetle?
Squash beetles are larger and have 14 spots instead of 16.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Maryland Extension (Home and Garden Information Center), “Squash Beetle on Vegetables.” extension.umd.edu/resource/squash-beetle-vegetables (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center, “What Is It? Wednesday: Squash Beetles.” hgic.clemson.edu/what-is-it-wednesday-squash-beetles/ (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. iNaturalist, “Epilachna borealis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/154559 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.