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Colorado Potato Beetles
Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Both adult Colorado potato beetles and their larvae chew the leaves of potatoes and related plants. Until the potatoes flower, they can tolerate having a third of their leaf area eaten without causing losses in yield, reports Whitney Cranshaw, Ph.D., entomology professor at Colorado State University and author of Garden Insects of North America (Princeton University Press, 2004). Plants tolerate less damage later in the season, but, Dr. Cranshaw says, "you do not need a perfect-looking potato plant to have one that yields optimally."
What to do now: Pick off adults and larvae and crush egg masses on undersides of leaves. For large areas, or where hand-picking doesn't keep damage to a reasonable level, spray BT var. tenebrionis, a.k.a. BT var. san diego or BTSD (sold as Colorado Potato Beetle Beater, Novodor, or Potato Shield), to control young larvae. Bear in mind that this BT is a different strain than the one used for caterpillars.
Next year: When they emerge in spring, the beetles walk to food plants. Reduce the number of beetles reaching plants by mulching with thick layers of straw, or trap them by surrounding the potato patch with a plastic-lined trench.
