–by Dr. Jeff Whitworth
Adult bean leaf beetles are very active throughout north central Kansas at the present time. They typically chew round/oblong holes in leaves (note fig. 4 with bean leaf beetle at the tip of the arrow) and deposit eggs in the soil around the base of soybean plants. There are two color phases of adult bean leaf beetles (fig 5), a tan phase and a reddish phase, but both have six black spots surrounded by a black border on their backs. Both color types can be seen in fig 5.
Figure 4 Soybean leaf damage from beetles (Cody Wyckoff)
Figure 5 Bean leaf beetles (Cody Wyckoff)