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Back to Cottonwood Leaf Beetle
Cottonwood Leaf Beetle
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Cottonwood Leaf Beetle: Life Cycle |
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 Four Life Stages of the Cottonwood Leaf Beetle |
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Overwintering adult beetles emerge from bark and leaf litter in the spring as buds on host plants begin to open. The beetles mate and lay clusters of 25 or more yellow, oval-shaped eggs on the underside of leaves. | |
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After the eggs hatch, the small black larvae begin to feed by skeletonizing the leaves. The larvae feed gregariously during the early instars. | |
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As the larvae grow, they become lighter in color. The larvae may venture away from their siblings and feed separately. Older larvae consume all leaf tissue except for the main leaf veins and secrete a pungent substance if threatened. Larval development is completed in under two weeks. | |
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Mature larvae attach themselves upside-down to leaves and bark of their host or to weeds and grass underneath their host to pupate. The insect insect at the top left of the picture is a larva about to pupate. | |
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Adults emerge five to ten days after pupating. There are two or more generations per year (more in the South). |
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| DISTRIBUTION | DESCRIPTION | HOST AND DAMAGE | LIFE CYCLE |
| MONITORING | CHEMICAL CONTROL | BIOLOGICAL CONTROL | RESOURCES |
| RELATED RESEARCH: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ENTOMOLOGY LABORATORY, |
| IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY FOREST ENTOMOLOGY LABORATORY |
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