Count down to Expo!

       The Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a very common pest found in the gardens of many farmers and regular gardeners. This beetle can be identified as: (adults) yellowish and about 3/8-inch-long with orange heads with 10 black stripes on their backs from head to tail, and (larvae) as about 1/2-inch-long which appear like a red slug. There are black spots going in two rows on each side of their bodies. To determine if crops are being infested by the Colorado Potato Beetle, look for large holes in potato leaves, or if the veins of the leaves are being exposed in potato leaves. For the eggs of this pest, lift leaves to look underneath them to identify, the eggs will be orange-yellow in color and appear in clusters on the underneath of the leaves. Adult females deposit over 300 eggs during a period of four to five weeks. Eggs hatch in four to 10 days depending in part on temperature and humidity. Both larvae and adults feed on the foliage of potatoes and, if left untreated, can completely defoliate plants. In addition to potato, they may also feed on eggplant, tomato, pepper, and other plants in the nightshade family. The life cycle of the Colorado potato beetle starts with the adult as the overwintering stage and can be as short as 30 days. Adults dig into the soil to a depth of several inches and emerge in the spring. They feed on newly sprouted host plants where they mate. Females deposit eggs on the surface of the host plant's leaves, usually on the undersurface protected from direct sunlight. Overwintering adults usually feed for five to 10 days before mating and producing eggs. Eggs hatch in four to ten days depending in part on temperature and humidity. Stink bugs and lady beetles will prey upon Colorado potato beetle eggs, and  the fungus Beauveria bassiana will kill both larvae and adults.