Aliases

Metrina bicolor

Physical Features

Adults:
Adult beetles of the golden tortoise variety will be the most beautiful beetles that you’ll run across in the Lake Whatcom watershed. Adults are completely circular with bright, shiny liquid gold bodies. They darken during the winter.
Larvae:
On the other hand, larvae cover themselves in what is called a ‘fecal shield’ and are nowhere near as beautiful as the adults. Look on bindweed leaves and you will see slow-moving blobs of goop feeding on the leaves.

Beneficial Features

The golden tortoise beetles are knights in shining armor for victims being strangled by bindweed and morning glories. These beetles will sabotage bindweed’s plan to squeeze the life out of innocent plants by chewing them free. In combination with June and July high temperatures and increased brigades of beetles in early spring, bindweed will lose its leaves before it sets flower.

Recruitment

Look for shot holes in bindweeds as you tool around your neighborhood. Harvest leaves that are infested with beetles and enlist them to fight against your own bindweed problems.