Spotted Cucumber Beetle

Subject: Beetle ID?
Location: San Jose CA
May 23, 2013 6:38 pm
Hi,
curious what this beetle is!
Photographed 5/23/13, they spend time between rose petals and inside rose blossom.
Thanks!
Signature: Frank

Spotted Cucumber Beetle

Hi Frank,
These are excellent images of a Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on roots of a wide range of plants, including many field crops” and “Considered a major pest of many field crops including cucumbers and other squashes, corn, soy. Beetles also transmit crop diseases such as bacterial wilt. Adults also reported damaging to garden plants including hibiscus, roses.”  Since you have adults in the roses, perhaps you also grow vegetables that serve as the larval food plant.

Spotted Cucumber Beetle

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Location: San Jose, California