Bean Leafroller – Urbanus proteus

Bean Leafroller   Scientific Name:  Urbanus proteus Common Name:  Bean leafroller, Long-tailed skipper Appearance:  Bean leafroller is a hybrid of butterflies and moths. The adult insect is quite large, with a 50 mm wingspan and elongated hind wings. It has light brown wings with some markings on its dorsal surface and a scaly body. The larva is thick and yellow in colour with a large black head. Host Plants or Food: Bean leafrollers feed on members of the legume family, especially soybean, lima bean, and cowpea. The larva feeds on the foliage while the adult feeds on the nectar. Territory: Throughout North America, Southern USA Mode of Damage:  The larva is exclusively a leaf miner and leaf chewer since it rolls the leaves and uses them as a shelter while feeding on them. It is usually identified by the presence of ragged, rolled leaves. Habits and Life History: Bean leafroller is usually found among legumes such as soybean, as well as weedy legumes. Female bean leafrollers lay eggs in clusters of five or six on the underside of the leaves, where they hatch in about 3 to 4 days. The larva constructs a shelter from the leaf and pupates in there until it transforms into an adult. It completes one whole lifecycle in approximately 30 days, with the larva hatching from the eggs, turning into a pupa and finally an adult. Since it cannot tolerate cold temperatures, the adult bean leafroller overwinters in South Florida during the winter season.