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Common asparagus beetle

Crioceris asparagi

Jeff Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension

Jeff Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension

Description: 1/4 inch long.
Bluish-black metallic head and red thorax (area behind the head); wing covers are bluish black, typically with six cream colored to yellowish square spots, though this can vary; each wing cover has a red margin.

Where/When: Feeds on asparagus spears and ferns. Emerges in spring with the appearance of asparagus, is active until mid-June and then from late June through August.

Significance: Small numbers are usually not injurious. Larger numbers can brown asparagus spears, distort growth, and make asparagus unpalatable due to eggs laid on spears. Serious defoliation can weaken plant for next season and also make it susceptible to invasion by Fusarium, a fungal pathogen.

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