Colorado Potato Beetle

 Colorado Potato Beetle Dealing: The Most Destructive Potato Pest

Growing your own potatoes will usually give you a plentiful harvest. However, there is one small thing that can hinder your harvest plans - the Colorado potato beetle.

Many home growers and commercial potato growers are exposed to this pest. The Colorado potato beetle is a very destructive and well-known potato beetle. They are famous for their ability to resist pesticides, making them difficult to control and destroy.

But fear not - there are many natural ways to control these pests and get rid of them if you find them in your potatoes.

What is the Colorado Potato Beetle?

Identification

These beetles are very easy to spot because of the large and bright color of your potatoes. You may also find it attacking other members of the Solanaceae family, including peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes.

Adults are oval in shape, rusty or yellow-orange on the back of the head. Their wings are yellow or white with many black stripes. They grow up to about 5 inches.

You can find Colorado potato beetle eggs and larvae at the base of the leaves of the potato plant.

These oval eggs have the same hues as adult beetles and are generally easier to detect. Fresh chicks are deep rusty red, with black spots and numerous black spots on their small body.

As they grow older, they turn pink. The larval stage of the organism is very destructive because they eat the leaves of the plant. Detecting and removing eggs from your potato plant can save your potatoes before any real problems take root.

The main problem of Colorado potato beetles is the high wintering. The beetles are buried deep in the soil during the winter, emerge in early spring and are out of sight. Once the females mate, they begin to lay eggs. One plant can lay hundreds of eggs and hatch in a week if the temperature allows. The larvae grow rapidly in hot climates, often within 10 days.

Damage

If you do not recognize the beetle, you will soon notice the damage it causes. The larvae like to feed on fresh leaves and flowers. You will quickly find holes of different sizes in the leaves, which indicates a potential beetle problem.

The larvae start at the outer edges of the leaves and go inwards, quickly swallowing the whole. If left untreated, they can quickly shed the entire crop.

For those who grow potatoes on a large scale or in-home gardens, this pest will pluck the potato fields as their foliage. Larvae are usually responsible for most of the damage, but adults will happily eat the foliage.

Colorado potato beetle infestations seem scary - and they can be if they run rampant in your garden. Don’t worry too much though - potatoes are usually tough and can happily lose 30% of their foliage without affecting yields. It will take you a while to get under control, but the sooner the better.

6 Organic Ways to Deal with Colorado Potato Beetles

1. Neem oil

Neem oil is a staple in many garden sheds. This oil acts as a natural pesticide, aiding in many insect attacks. Neem oil does not damage your plants, but it can prevent beneficial insects, so it is important to spray carefully only on the affected plant.

When sprayed on your plants, it forms a coating on the leaves and foliage, making the Colorado potato beetle and its larvae much less hungry. Spraying directly on the eggs can prevent them from hatching completely.

Mix two cups of water and one tablespoon of neem oil in a water spray bottle to make your own neem oil spray. Carefully care for the base of the leaves and spray as often as necessary throughout the plant.

2. Handpicking

As with other pest controls such as aphids or caterpillars, you can always select beetles, their larvae, and eggs from your plant. Once pulled, dip them in a bucket of water with a little dish soap. You can see it hanging at the base of the leaves or at the base of the plant.

Adult Colorado potato beetles will bite if they feel threatened, so be careful. They are not poisonous, but their bites are very painful. Have your reliable gardening hand when removing them from your potatoes Wear pants. Wash and clean your plants before moving on.

3. Mulch

Mulching around the base of plants is another method used to prevent and control many pests and diseases. Also, mulch can be very effective for Colorado potato beetle control.

Mulch will prevent this superfluous beetle from leaving the soil. A straw mulch acts as a barrier, slowing down these organisms so you can easily pick them up before they reach your plant. Mulch with straw will protect your potato tubers from sunlight and retain soil moisture - to ensure healthy plants and higher yields.

4. Introduce beneficial insects and ancillary plants

There are many good pests that control the Colorado potato beetles by feeding or laying eggs.

Ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and organic nematodes are excellent examples of some of these bugs. Beneficial insects feed on eggs and larvae in your leaves. Organic nematodes that are added to the soil will attack more winter beetles and prevent them from always catching on.

As for the plants closest to your potatoes, supplementary planting is something all home gardeners should consider, especially when dealing with Colorado potato beetle infections. These plants attract beneficial insects or repel beetles completely.

Marigolds and other bright flowers will attract good bugs to your garden. Sage, on the other hand, is an excellent insect repellent. Sage is easy to grow and spread, so keep it in place to prevent pests from invading your entire garden.

5. Row covers

Row covers are best for pest control. They protect all your plants - not just the potatoes - from pests and diseases, including the potato beetle. They also protect your plants from extreme heat and frost.

You can buy line cards or make your own using shade fabric and PVC tubing. The amount of material needed depends on how tall the plant you are protecting grows. Potato plants can grow up to 40 inches in height, so keep this in mind when creating your row cards.

6. Crop rotation

Crop rotation is the most commonly recommended preventive measure for all pest control. Emerges from agricultural pest-control practices, which improve the structure of your soil and prevent the accumulation of pests in an area.

Each season, move your vegetables to a different place in the garden or transplant crops to different places.

It is only effective when moving plants of different families that are not affected by the same pests. If planting in raised beds, you can change the soil, but this can be an expensive exercise.

However, it should be noted that crop rotation is not possible in small home gardens. In this case, other control methods are your best protection line.

The Colorado potato beetle can be a very destructive potato pest - resistant to many pesticides and ready to bite in a moment - but fortunately, they can be easily tackled using natural, organic approaches. Barriers, crop rotation, picking, and even natural sprays will get rid of this nasty bug in your potatoes.