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Gross Bugs On My Potatoes?

Colorado Potato Beetle..... AKA potato bugs. The pinkish beetle looking creature is the potato bug in its adolescence stage of life. The yellow area located on the underside of the leaf is the potato bug’s eggs.



A little about this potatoes pest, and how to get rid of them!

The Colorado Potato Beetle (Potato Bug)

  • The most common pests that attack potatoes

  • Adults are active in the spring

  • They are hard-shelled and round in shape

  • They are yellow/reddish with black stripes and spots

  • Potato beetle eggs are bright yellow and oval-shaped and are laid on the underside of leaves, usually in clusters of 30 or so

  • The larvae are reddish/pinkish/orangish in colour with blackheads and legs. They have two rows of black spots along each side of their bodies

  • Adults as well as larvae feed on foliage and are capable of defoliating entire plants

  • How to get rid of them

  • The beetle is resistant to many pesticides

  • Hand-picking

  • Neem oil

  • Diatomaceous earth

  • The colorado potato beetle will overwinter in the soil so crop rotation is important

  • These pests can also feed on eggplant, tomato and pepper plants

  • Same nightshade family as potatoes