Spotted cucumber beetle

Gardens, agricultural fields, meadows, and other areas with cucurbit or flowering plants; commonly found on vegetation and nearby structures.

Adults feed on leaves, flowers, and occasionally fruit of cucurbits and many other plants. Larvae live in soil and consume roots, especially those of grasses and cucurbits.

Adults are active in warm weather, fly readily, and overwinter in sheltered vegetation or debris. Females lay eggs in soil; larvae develop underground before pupating and emerging as adults.

They can damage seedlings and transmit bacterial wilt and some plant viruses to cucurbits. They also contribute modestly to food webs as prey for birds, spiders, and predatory insects.