Colorado Potato Beetles
Description of Colorado Potato beetle:
Adult 3/8" long, 1/4" wide. Ten black and yellow lengthwise stripes. Larvae:
1/2" when grown with reddish color, and 2 rows of black spots, sort of humpbacked and
soft. Eggs are masses of yellow.
There are several ways to combat Colorado Potato Beetles. I will give you organic methods
only.
Over wintering adults can be collected and should be dumped into soapy water.
Native predators and parasites of Colorado Potato beetles can be attracted with pollen and
nectar flowers. Some flowers and plants to consider are small flowering plants including:
radishes or broccoli that have gone to flower, mustard, dill, parsley and fennel are
possibilities.
Bush beans and potatoes planted in alternating rows help each other. Beans protect from
Colorado potato beetles, potatoes protect from Mexican Bean Beetle.
Black Nightshade (Solanaceae) draws Colorado Potato Beetles to it, where they feed and
die. Nightshade family includes Apple of sodom, belladonna, Bittersweet, capiscum,
eggplant, jimson weed, petunia, potato,solanum snakeberry, tobacco, and tomato. (where the
blackshade grows heavily, the soil is worn out from growing root crops). Flax planted with
potatoes protects it and improves the flavor. Corn, cabbage, and horseradish is good to
plant with potatoes. Lure plants for colorado potato beetles should be planted at the
corners of the patch.
Potato variety Sequoia is resistant to Colorado Potato Beetles.
Heavily mulch potato plants with deep layer of straw.
Cover the plants with floating row covers till midseason.
Release spined soldier bugs. Two to 5 per square yard of plants is good.
Parasitic wasp called Edovum puttleri can be released in southern areas where they will
attack the second generation of potato beetles.
Beneficial nematodes can be added to soil to attack larvae when they begin pupation.
Double strenth spraying of Bacillius thuringiensis San Diego will take care of larvae.
Spraying weekly with pyrethrin, rotenone or neem will take care of adults.
A few things to think about when planting potatoes are as follows:
Do not plant with curcurbits,
tomato, raspberry and sunflowers or apple trees. They stunt the growth of potatoes by
lowering the resitance to Phytophthora infestans, a blight.
Do plant with Beans, corn, cabbage,
horseradish, marigold, eggplant, flax, Solanaceae, Dead nettle, nasturtium, esparsette.
Horseradish and flax protect against the potato bug and blister beetle. Solanaceae
(nightshade) attracts the potato bug and kills it.
Lambsquarters growing in the potato
patch indicates it should be moved to a different location.
Never store apples in the same
cellar as potatoes. Ethylene gas given off by apples gives potatoes an off flavor and
affects the keeping quality.
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