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Beautiful Golden Beetles #871110

Asked June 01, 2024, 11:37 PM EDT

This past week I caught two golden beetles. Google lens labeled it as golden tortoise beetle. I've never seen them before. Would it be a bad idea to try and attract them with sweet potato vines? Would they be destructive to anything I might be growing.

Macomb County Michigan

Expert Response

The golden tortoise beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata, previously known as Metriona bicolor), is a tiny, metallic North American insect that belongs to the leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae, which includes flea beetles, asparagus beetles and longhorn beetles. Nicknamed 'goldenbugs', golden tortoise beetles grow to around 5.0 to 7.0 mm in length and favor foods such as sweet potato, morning glory and bindweed.  Both the adults and larvae feed on the leaves.
More info in the attached links:https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/insect-and-related-pests-of-vegetables/pests-of-sweetpotato
FS292 Fact sheet - Rutgers University
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/820
https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/running-ponies/glad-you-ditched-the-anal-fork-golden-tortoise-beetle/
https://beetleidentifications.com/golden-tortoise-beetle/
https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/photos/golden-tortoise-beetle-feeding-injury-on-ipomoea - scroll down to the golden tortoise beetle info
They seem attracted to plants such as sweet potato.  They also attract predatory insects as well (possibly to keep their population in check).  You will need to be tolerant of plants that show leaf damage from insect feeding if you do try to attract them.  One article above mentions they feed on hardwoods (leaves) but there would need to be many many of them to damage trees.
Dick M. Replied June 04, 2024, 10:37 PM EDT
Thank you, Dick M.  
On Tue, Jun 4, 2024 at 10:37 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied June 04, 2024, 11:29 PM EDT

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