The common asparagus beetle (''Crioceris asparagi'') is an important pest of
asparagus crops both in Europe and in North America. Asparagus is its only food plant. The beetle is 6.0 mm to 9.5 mm long and slightly elongated. It is metallic blue-black in color with cream or yellow spots on its red-bordered
elytra. The larvae are fat gray grubs with dark heads.
The adult beetles and the larvae strip the needle-like leaves off the asparagus fronds, depriving the plants of the ability to
photosynthesize and store energy for future years. Additionally, they chew the spears and lay a lot of eggs on them, rendering the crop unusable. The larvae feed on the plants for a few weeks, then drop to the ground to
pupate. One year may see two or three generations of the beetle. The adults overwinter in a dormant state underground or in nearby
leaf litter.
The parasitic wasp, ''
Tetrastichus coeruleus'', occurring mainly in the United States and Europe, can cause up to 71% mortality in the field and has been successfully used for
biological control.
Various
insecticides (such as
carbamate
In organic chemistry, a carbamate is a category of organic compounds with the general formula and structure , which are formally derived from carbamic acid (). The term includes organic compounds (e.g., the ester ethyl carbamate), formally o ...
s,
pyrethroids
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (''Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium'' and '' C. coccineum''). Pyrethroids are used as commercial and household insecticides.
In ...
,
spinetoram
Spinetoram (marketed as Cheristin in its topical veterinary dosage-form) is an insecticidal mixture of two active neurotoxic constituents of ''Saccharopolyspora spinosa''. It is used to control pest insects in stored grain and on domestic cats.
...
, and
spinosad
Spinosad is an insecticide based on chemical compounds found in the bacterial species ''Saccharopolyspora spinosa''. The genus ''Saccharopolyspora'' was discovered in 1985 in isolates from crushed sugarcane. The bacteria produce yellowish-pink ae ...
) can be considered for pest control.
The similar
spotted asparagus beetle (''Crioceris duodecimpunctata'') is also a pest as an adult, feeding on tender shoots and leaves, but since the larvae feed only on the asparagus berries it is not considered to be as important.
File:Crioceris asparagi 4 beentree.jpg, Eggs of the asparagus beetle, laid on the stem of a flower of an asparagus plant
File: Chrysomelidae - Crioceris asparagi (larva).JPG, Larva of ''Crioceris asparagi''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1187084
Criocerinae
Beetles described in 1758
Beetles of Europe
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus