These little, brightly colored beetles feed mainly on plants in the potato family (Solanaceae). In the 1800s this species spread from the Rockies to the Alantic coast in approximately 20 years, mainly thought to be hitch hikers on potatoes. Since that time it has also spread to Europe. Though it is a beautiful beetle, it has a rather bad reputation for destroying large amounts of potato crops.

This beetle, its larva, and eggs are preyed upon by a variety of insects, including ground beetles, shield bugs, lacewings, damsel bugs, and a genus of wasps. Other related invertebrate predators include a species of daddy longleg, three families of spiders, and one mite.

References:

Crowson, R.A. 1980. The Biology of the Coleoptera. London: Academic. 802 pp.

Evans, A.V. 2014. Beetles of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford. (Kindle version available) p442.