Color Preference in the Oviposition of Bean Beetles, Callosobruchus
maculatus
Abstract
There is a history of research into the
role of color preference in oviposition
of Callosobruchus maculatus. Baidoo
et al., for example, found that these
beetles preferred white beans over
brown ones (Baidoo, 2015). We suspect
that there may be an evolutionary
advantage to seeing shorter
wavelengths, and therefore predict that
bean beetles will lay their eggs on
surfaces presenting a shorter-
wavelength color; in this case, green
over red preference. The three
treatments are clear plates with either
mung (green) beans or adzuki (red)
beans, mung beans and red plastic
pellets, or adzuki beans and green
pellets. In line with our hypothesis, we
found that there was significant
selection for bean coat color
amongst female bean beetles. Contrary
to our prediction however, we found
this selection was for the darker, red
beans over the lighter, green beans.
Hypothesis
Ha: Seed color influences
oviposition in C. Maculatus  colors that do appear in their visible range might not
P: Bean colors will oviposit on
green surfaces at a higher rate than
red surfaces because green has a
shorter wavelength that is more
commonly visible to insects.
Methods
1. Collected six plates and
calculated the weight of beans
needed to fill each plate with an
equal mass of two bean species.
2. Placed ten male bugs and ten
female bugs in each plate.
3. Let rest for one week.
4. Counted eggs (per type per disk).
5. Recorded data and performed a
chi-square test.
6. Compared counts in a stacked bar
graph.
M. Barker, S. Peterson, T. Romney E. Valesky
James Madison University
Results
Table 1. Raw data of egg counts collected from beans and pellets with 2
replicates of each bean combination.
p = <0.001
p = <0.001
p = <0.001
Figure 1. A bar graph demonstrating the counts of eggs found on the beans
and pellets. The bar graphs compare the counts between the different
replicates. Between the bean combinations, they all had a p-value of <.001.
Discussion
The results of our experiment support our alternative
hypothesis, that there is a significant and active selection
for bean oviposition sites based on bean color.
When given the choice between two otherwise equally
viable beans, C. maculatus selected red beans over green
beans approximately 68% of the time (Table 1). All
treatments displayed p values less than 0.001, indicating
that selection differences were significant in
each treatment. In the two treatments with pellets, the
bean beetles consistently chose the actual bean in the
plate more often than the pellet, suggesting that color is
not the only identifier that bean beetles have for an
appropriate oviposition site.  The selection of green
mung beans in Comparison 3 further supports the notion
of red preference by illustrating that green beans were
still sufficient for oviposition and were simply selected
less when red beans were equally available (Figure 1).
Our prediction for the selection of green beans over red
beans was not supported by our findings. To attribute
this to beetle interpretations of wavelengths, multiple
studies tell us that insects are generally not able to
observe red light (Shimoda et al., 2016; Lord, 2020).
Since the red coloration on beans exist outside the
visible color spectrum for the beetles, perhaps the
beetles can associate this with a sense of safety other
convey. Evolutionarily, beetles may have learned to
associate greens with some unknown external pressure
that would disillusion them from selecting green beans
for oviposition. This plausible development could also
explain why C. maculatus still preferred the lighter
color, white, in Baidoo's experiment (Baidoo et al.,
2015). Regardless, all assumptions in this paragraph
are speculation and further testing with bean beetles and
color recognition would be required to verify them with
any real authority.
References
Baidoo, P. et. al, (2015) The Role of Seed Coat and Its Pigmentation on the Acceptance of Bambara
Groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc.) Cultivars by the Cowpea Beetle, Callosobruchus
maculatus (F.). Advances in Entomology, 3, 125-131. doi: 10.4236/ae.2015.34015. 
Shimoda, Masami & Honda, Ken-ichiro. (2013). Insect reactions to light and its applications to pest
management. Applied Entomology and Zoology. 48. 10.1007/s13355-013-0219-x. 
Lord, Nathan P. “Color of Jewels: Studies of Beetle Coloration Shed Light on Insect Sight and
Communication.” LSU AgCenter, 16 June 2020,
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/profiles/lbenedict/articles/page1590086881287.