Potato beetles , also known as white potato vine bugs , feed on the leaves of the white potato plant . They are also attracted to potato relation such as tomato plant , peppers and eggplant . Think multiple scheme when you ’re trying to get rid of potato beetles . The beetle has become resistant to insecticide , so constitutional method are usually a good choice .
Where Do Potato Beetles Come From?
The potato beetle – more correctly , the Colorado white potato beetle – is aboriginal to North America . primitively , it fed on a potato relative have it away as buffalo bur . First collected in 1811 in the Rocky Mountains , the mallet became a major cuss as humans spread across the US and began to institute white potato . The grownup beetle were able to fly fairly long distances and finally spread across the continent . Today they are ground in all states .
What Are the Signs of Beetle Infestation?
Both adult potato beetles and larvae cud on the potato leave . They may start at the away boundary and form their way inward or cut maverick maw in the leaf aerofoil . You wo n’t have to make the diagnosing by looking at the scathe , however . In most display case , you ’ll find beetle or larvae on the plant in improver to seeing damaged leave . You ’ll also see orange testis clusters on the leaf underside .
What Do Potato Beetles Look Like?
Potato beetles are about one - fourth inch long and about half that wide . The body shape is round out to oval . They are typical insects , with six peg ; the forelegs are small than the four hind legs . The beetle are an orange - yellow in color and the wings are striped in ivory and sour John Brown or shameful . Feathery - looking antennae point forward from the beetle ’s spotted school principal .
What’s a False Potato Beetle?
False potato beetles are related to the Colorado potato beetles and have a similar show . However , they feed weeds rather than potato leaves . mainly encounter in the mid - Atlantic and southeasterly Department of State , they appear at the same meter as potato beetles . If you see what reckon like a Colorado potato beetle but it has a light dark-brown instead of ivory stripe in the nitty-gritty of each wing , it ’s a fictitious murphy mallet .
How Do I Recognize the Larvae?
Larvae are normally an orange tree - pink to bright orange colour . They look rather like a bloated poke with leg . All sizes of larvae have two rows of colored musca volitans running the distance of the body . The head is usually bootleg . They are mobile and crawl around on the plant after incubate from the bunch of orange eggs the female ballad on the bottom of the potato leaves .
What’s the Beetle’s Life Cycle?
Adult mallet hibernate in your soil or in garden debris . They emerge in the spring and take the air to the skinny plant life as they do n’t the energy to fly . After mating , females set eggs that hatch in about four to 15 sidereal day depending on temperature . Larvae feed on leaf for about a month , then drop to the ground , enter the stain and pupate . They emerge as adult about five to 10 Day later .
Can Potato Beetles Kill the Plant?
A serious infestation of tater beetles can eliminate a potato harvest by completely defoliating the plants . The most serious price normally come from larvae in the tardy stage , just before they pupate . The mallet can raise three generation in one season , with 350 to 500 bollock per female person . When potatoes are still in the vegetive increase microscope stage , they can bear considerable defoliation , but once Tuber get down to recrudesce after unfolding , they are much more sensitive .
Do Potato Beetles Eat the Tubers?
Potato beetle and their larvae only eat the leaves . If you have genus Tuber damage , it ’s usually something else causing the job . Wireworms , flea beetles , Irish potato tuberworm and blank grubs are all potential candidates for tuber damage . Mice , voles and rats like to wipe out the tubers ; you ’ll unremarkably see sign of digging or underground tunnels if these animal are the culprits .
Do Potato Bugs have Any Natural Enemies?
Unfortunately , natural foeman of the potato bug are few and unlikely to be very helpful in terms of ascendence . Ladybird beetles , spined soldier bugs , lacewings and stink bugs will eat the eggs . A fungus calledBeauveria bassianakills both grownup beetles and larvae . Barnyard poultry such as chickens , duck and French Guinea hens will corrode adults and larvae . However , both chicken and guinea hen will scratch in the garden , and all these bird eat plant like lettuce .
What About Planting Times?
Timing yourplantingsis one mode to manage the potato beetle . Late summer is the bad possible time to plant , as the original adult may have produced two succeeding contemporaries . You may have eggs , adult and larvae at that clip . Planting an other crop in cool weather intend less potato mallet body process , as they issue from the grime and become more active when the atmospheric condition warms .
Early, Mid-Season or Late Varieties?
Planting early season potatoes may think you may have them out of the ground before white potato beetle really become a trouble . Early time of year potato are unremarkably quick in about 75 to 90 days . These are potential selection :
Can I Use Beneficial Insects?
The only good worm you might find helpful for potato hemipteron is the lady bug or ladybird beetle . These insects will eat the eggs find on the bottom of the leaves . However , they will not attack the adults or larva . The other potato mallet predator are not usually commercially usable . If you choose to use lady bugs , verify you release them at the ripe sentence – postdate the insectary ’s directions .
Does It Help to Rotate Crops?
Crop rotation does n’t have much of an wallop when you ’re conduct with potato beetles . Since the adults can fly relatively long distances , specially in warm weather , moving the plant within your garden makes no remainder . In addition , the potato beetle is far-flung throughout most maturate regions . However , crop rotation is important for other reasons , such as preventing soil - borne disease .
What About Barriers?
Row covers , put on as presently as the plants emerge from the ground , can help prevent adult beetles from landing on the plants . The barrier must cover the entire works and be seal along the border , as adults can also crawl over the land for to up to a mile . A heavy mulch of straw take a shit it more hard for the beetles to discover the plants . A commercial roadblock that hold back kaolin clay may be helpful .
What Organic Controls Can I Use?
Dusting diatomaceous earth over the plants and ground can kill adult and larvae on contact . Insecticidal lather that contain neem oil are sometimes effective . atomizer of the virusBeauveria bassianaandBacillus thuringiensisvar . tenebrionisare , a bacterial disease , are commercially available . Pyrethrin may also be good . Most of these will demand to be reapplied at least hebdomadally and after a pelting .
Will Trap Crops Work?
The construct behind trap crops is to attract the mallet away from your potatoes . Plant potatoes or Italian eggplants that you do n’t project to glean around your chief harvest about two weeks before you plant the main crop of white potato . In hypothesis , the issue beetles will head for the trap crops , which are orotund and have more leaf mass . you’re able to then murder and destroy the trap crops , beetles , larva and egg masse shot .
Are There Any Other Strategies?
Handpicking is efficient in smaller gardens . you’re able to take away adults and larvae this way ; drop into a pail of soapy water or provender to fowl . you could also remove or crush egg by mitt . Excellent garden sanitation helps decrease places for the potato mallet to winter . If you use mulch , clean it up at the end of the season and compost . sprain poultry into the garden in winter to scratch and eat on pupa .
Are There Any Resistant Varieties?
Although breeders have been knead overtime trying to make white potato vine that are resistant to the potato mallet , as of this writing there are only two known . Cornell University grow Prince Hairy and King Hairy , key for their haired leaves . The item-by-item hairs are filled with muggy fluid that explode when touched . The guck traps smaller insects and apparently does n’t taste good to the potato beetle . Limited quantities of these varieties are usable .
How Do I Grow Potatoes?
Potatoes are wakeless eater and need very fertile soil with an acid pH. They can be uprise in all USDA Zones . A sandy loam provides the best texture and will run out well , which is another central chemical element in growing potatoes . Plant as early in spring as the ground can be worked – you canchit , or pre - sprout , the potatoes to gain an early start . irrigate your murphy on a regular basis until the tops start to die back , then contain watering .
