Golden Tortoise Beetle

Just wanted to say that I found one Golden Tortoise Beetle in my area. First one I have ever seen. It was found by my old barn, not near the garden. Don't know anything about them.

I hate them. Kill them.A farmer tried growing sweet potatoes in a field across the road and it was after that fiasco, I started noticing that beetle.Before then they were not hereand I think he might have brought in some larvae on the cuttings he used. The beetle looks like a gold sequin that maybe had fallen off somebody's clothing.It is that glitzy.It will turn a drab orange when provoked.They are now a horrid and major pest on morning glories and sweet potatoes.They devastate the leaves and ruin the plant's looks with all those hundreds of round holes they eat..Their larvae feed on the underside of the leaves too. These carry their own feces on their backs so as to make themselves unappetizing to predators.Kill them.If anyone knows of a good way to control them without the use of pe... read moresticides, please let me know.

I was rinsing off my hand with the garden hose and letting the runoff give my morning glories a little extra drink when I noticed a small dark spot on the underside of one leaf. When I turned it over I was stunned to see what looked like two small, round jewels. After some research on the internet I learned they were golden tortoise beetles. In my almost 40 years of gardening I've never seen anything quite like this before. Not only are they golden, but they have an iridescence that is really beautiful. Now I know what was making the small holes in my morning glory leaves, but these little creatures are so beautiful I think I'll have to leave them be (especially since the damage seems minimal, at least so far!)

Although I should give a negative remark on this bug, I wont. Because It caught my eye as a metallic gold bug, It turned red when I touched it and looked like a lady bug...haha nice try buddy! how did you know I liked lady bugs? If it didnt eat my morning glory I would give it a positive rating.

Last year, I found this bugs on my morning glory vines, this year I see them also eating on my Morning Glory bush. Some are gold and other metalic blue, beautiful bugs. They eat and create small holes on my vine/bush Morning Glory's leaves, but doesn't seem to cause much harm to my plants, or flowers otherwise, so I let them be.

I was doing some weeding just outside my front porch door, (N.E. Nebraska), and saw this gleaming gold thing I thought at first was someone's lost "gold post" earring, so I gently pushed the leaves aside more & it moved!!! I just had to scoop it up in my hand and take it in to show my grandchildren this glorious gleaming gold bug which was every bit as brilliant as my gold ring!

When I opened my hand in the house, it set there just long enough for them to see it and we oohed and awed a bit and then it took off flying. We tried to catch it to liberate it outside but it was lost and remains so now 24 hours later. We were all amazed. In my 74 years I've never before seen a "gold bug" ... not yellow ... gleaming pure gold.

WHAT do they EAT or metabolize to ... read moregive them the metalic look??? Anyone know???