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• Potato bugs Patch#

The most common problem encountered when growing potatoes, Colorado potato beetle adults and larvae feed on the leaves and blossoms of potatoes, and may also be seen on eggplant, tomatoes or peppers. Colorado Potato Beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata) This article is part of our Organic Pest Control Series, which includes articles on attracting beneficial insects, controlling specific garden pests, and using organic pesticides. They will bloom at just the right time to attract predatory wasps, flies and other beneficial insects.

Potato bugs Patch#

Consult your provincial agricultural representative for current information on dealing with such populations.To prevent Colorado potato beetle damage, find space in your potato patch to interplant a few buckwheat plants. Insecticide resistant populations have been identified on the Prairies. Time the first treatment when 15-30% of the first egg masses have begun to hatch. Potatoes can tolerate up to 20-25% defoliation before yields will be affected.Ĭonsult the provincial Guide to Crop Protection for detailed information on economic thresholds. Treatment is usually necessary in commercial potato fields when about 10% defoliation is found. If you inspect more than one set of 10 samples, determine the average number of infested plants per 30 m (100 ft.). Total the number of infested plants for each set of 10 samples. Do not count larval numbers, just the plants with larvae. Record the number of plants in each section that have at least one larval colony. Inspect each 3 m (10 ft.) row section for larvae. Spread your sample sites across the entire field. One way to sample randomly is to walk a zig- zag path across the field without looking at plants for injury, then stop and make your inspection. Do not deliberately choose a particular section of row. Never inspect fewer than 10 sites, regardless of field size. Do this by visually inspecting 3 m (10 ft.) of row at 10 different, random sites. Inspect 30 linear metres (100 ft.) of row for every 30-40 acres of field size. Larvae and adults are easily seen feeding on the leaves. Monitoring should begin when plants begin to sprout early in the season. Pupation continues, some adults emerge and mateĪdults continue to mate and begin to overwinter Larval feeding continues, pupation begins There is usually one brood of larvae per year.

The new adults feed on leaves, then mate and lay eggs. The new adults emerge 2-3 weeks later, depending on temperature, and dig their way to the surface. Larvae then moult once to become yellow-coloured pupae. There are reports that it may burrow down 1 m (40 in.) in light sandy soil. Mature larvae drop to the ground, burrow 7.5-15 cm (3-6 in.) deep and form a pupal "chamber" by beating against the soil around them until it is hard and compact. After 2-4 weeks of feeding, the larvae are fully-grown. The larvae begin to feed on leaves during June, often in exposed locations on the upper part of the plant. Small, dark grubs, about 2.5 mm (1/8 in.) long, emerge from the eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae in 4-15 days, depending on temperature. They begin to emerge from their overwintering sites in late May to search for suitable host plants where the females feed and lay eggs on leaves. The fat, soft-bodied larva has a smooth-skinned, creamy- reddish-tan, humped-back body with 2 rows of black spots along each side.Īdult beetles overwinter in the soil or under litter in fields, gardens, or fence rows. The yellowish-orange eggs are found in clumps of 20-40 on the underside of leaves. The head is a tan-orange colour, with black markings. Its rounded outer wings form a hard "shell" marked with 10 alternating black and yellow stripes. The adult beetle is fairly large, about 9.5-10 mm (3/8 in.) long and 6.5 mm (1/4 in.) wide. Potatoes, tomatoes, dry beans, cabbage, pepper, pigweed, smartweed, ground- cherry, thistle, lamb's quarters, and other plants in the nightshade family. Potato beetles may be vectors of spindle tuber, bacterial wilt, and ring rot. Uncontrolled populations can completely defoliate potato plants and cause a total loss of tuber production. Leaf feeding has the greatest effect if it occurs within 2 weeks of peak flowering. Feeding on the leaves and stem tips can limit tuber development in potatoes.