The Colorado potato beetle is a plump yellow beetle with black stripes over its wings and black spots just behind its head. The humpbacked larva is red with a row of black spots along each side. Both feed on potatoes, eggplants, ground cherries, peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos.
A thick organic mulch makes it hard for emerging beetles to reach plants in spring. Surveillance and hand picking remain among the gardener's best defenses. Knock any beetles and larvae you find into a can of soapy water to dispose of them. Natural enemies include birds, spined soldier bugs, and parasitic nematodes. Spray Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis (also known as Bt San Diego) while larvae are small to manage major outbreaks.
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