Potato beetle is any of a group of beetles that attack potato plants. The beetles damage potato plants by feeding on the leaves and stems, and by transmitting such diseases as spindle tuber and root rot. The best-known species (kind) is the Colorado potato beetle, which probably originated in Mexico. When potatoes were first grown in the western United States, the beetle spread from its original food plant, the buffalo bur, to the potato plant. It is now found throughout the United States and parts of Canada.
Adult Colorado potato beetles measure about 1/2 inch (13 millimeters) long. They are plump and yellow and have five black stripes on each wing cover. Adult beetles lay yellow eggs in clusters on the undersides of potato leaves. Larvae that hatch from the eggs are soft and orange-red in color. They feed on the leaves for about three weeks, then drop from the plant and burrow into the ground to become pupae (see Pupa). About 10 days later, the adults emerge. Two or three generations of beetles may be produced in one year.
The Colorado potato beetle is a difficult pest to control. A variety of insecticides have been used, but the beetles have gradually developed resistance to most of these chemicals. The Colorado potato beetle is fed upon by birds, snakes, stinkbugs, toads, and other animals.
