These iridescent little beetles are yet another biological control species introduced to combat noxious weeds in MT. This time, the host plant is St. Johnswort. Females will lay up to 2,000 eggs in the fall. The larvae will hatch in the spring with pupation occurring by late spring. Adults emerge in June, and will take a little “dirt siesta”, entering the soil and spending most of the summer underground. They will emerge again in the fall, resume feeding, and lay eggs . Both eggs and adults overwinter.
Size: 5-7 mm
Photo by: Glenn Marangelo on 7/10/22 near Moiese, MT