Today while examining our potato crop we noticed a Colorado Potato Beetle. Time to spring into action!
We started by adding a little dish detergent to a bucket, then added some water.
These Beetles spend winter in the soil and emerge in May & June. They'll mate, then lay their yellowish eggs on the underside of the potato plant leaves making it difficult to detect without careful observation. The eggs will hatch within a few weeks and you will begin to see larvae eating the your plants.
There are a number of methods to deal with the potato bug.
First, it is important to always rotate your crops. This makes it more difficult for pests from the previous year that over-winter in your soil to find the plants they feed on.
You can lay down a layer of mulch such a seaweed or straw which may make it difficult for the beetles to find your plants thereby reducing their impact on your crop.
You can spread Diatomaceous earth over and around your plants which can help, or even use a bacterial insecticide such as BT which is harmless to the beneficial insects and humans alike.
We just pick them off and throw them into soapy water which seems to work well. The best option is probably some combination of all these options.
Have you found another method for controlling the Colorado Potato Beetle? If so, let us know in the comments.
