Larvae of the Colorado potato beetle
Adult Colorado potato beetle
In the garden, it helps to know your foes. Last week, we spotted some strange “bugs” on our tomato plants. Turns out that they’re larvae of the Colorado potato beetle.
Because our potato crop is nearby, we wanted to take care of the problem right away. We put on gloves and scraped the larvae into a bucket of soapy water. Problem solved.
If you’re growing potato-family crops, watch for these pests, which can be found on potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos.
Colorado potato beetle eggs on the underside of a leaf
Look for the larvae and adult beetles, but also check under the leaves for tiny yellow-orange eggs, which you can crush. If you get the eggs, there’ll be no larvae, no beetles. The adult beetles are about 1/4 inch long, with yellow-orange bodies that have black stripes on the wings and black spots just behind the head. Control them by hand-picking, tossing them into a jar of soapy water.
I’ve had them bad this year. Can’t always keep up on eliminating them by hand. Used dish soap with eucalyptus and peppermint oil as a deterrent but have to spray a lot. Any suggestions on other homemade organic sprays?
We accidentally found that catnip plants in the potato patch deters the potato bugs. Now I make sure to have them in the potato patch. The catnip reseeds here in northern Minnesota and winters over, so I transplant a few every spring and provide catnip to all friends who have cats!