| Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824)) |
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Scientific name: Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824) Common name: Colorado Potato Beetle Other names: Colorado Beetle, Ten-striped Spearman, Ten-lined Potato Beetle French name: Doryphore Order: Coleoptera Family: Chrysomelidae Wingspan : 10 to 12 mm. Biotope: Potato fields Geographic area: Originated from Colorado where it feeds on a wild plant (Solanum rostratum), the Colorado Potato Beetle spread to North America, temperate Europe and temperate Asia. It has adapted to feed on potato fields. Observation period : From spring to late summer. Adults spend winter buried 30 to 40 cm deep in the soil. |
The Colorado Potato Beetle is an insect with a round body. The elytra are pale yellow with 5 black stripes on each one. The head is yellow with a V-shaped fontal mark. The thorax is russet brown with black spots. Larvae are reddish brown with two rows of black spots on each side. There can be two to three broods per year. This insect is a pest to potato fields. |
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Colorado Potato Beetles are very easy to find. You just need to walk thru a potato field. |
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As the breeding cycle is very fast, you can observe adults and larvae at the same time. |
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In very small fields, people are used to manually picking the Colorado Potato Beetles to limit the proliferation. This makes a massive usage of insecticides unnecessary. |
André Bon June 2008