Japanese beetles cause a distinctive "skeletonization" damage to leaves. It can vary a bit with the plant but the lacy effect is usually easy to see. Each beetle eats only a small amount but large numbers of them can do a lot of damage. They will be active and feeding in July and August so time of year is a clue.
Adults and larvae of the Mexican bean beetle skeletonize leaves but it is different. We don't have to know that anyway - it's just free information. This insect feeds only on beans - a pest of green beans in the garden. There was a strain that fed on soybeans but it seems to have disappeared. Fields along the Ohio River had some damage in the early 1980's.
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