Crioceris asparagi
In 3 days ~10%
The common asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi) is a major 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 carbamates, pyrethroids, spinetoram, and spinosad) 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. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Asparagus Beetle sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1533rd most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Asparagus Beetle in Washington on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Asparagus Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Common Asparagus Beetle sightings, Washington ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Hamburg (Germany, about 10%), Barcelona (Spain, under 5%) and Munich (Germany, under 5%).
Same family: Chrysomelidae
The closest relatives of the Common Asparagus Beetle that you can see in Washington (family Chrysomelidae, Leaf Beetles) are Spotted Cucumber Beetle (about 10%), Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (about 10%) and Dogbane Leaf Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Asparagus Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
