Counted among the most common garden pests, potato bugs could quite possibly be the biggest eaters. They aren’t very harmful in gardens, however. They just take in a lot of food—namely dead plants.
One way to detect a potato bug infestation is if many of your produce items are in pieces. These items could include peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, flowering tobacco, or potato plants. The bug is also called the Colorado Potato Beetle. It is about 10 millimeters long and has a yellow-and-black-striped back, covering the entire back all the way down to its tail.
If you want to eliminate potato bugs in your garden, it’s best to add the bugs’ natural enemies to the garden grounds: stink bugs, lacewings, ladybirds, etc. This technique is known as biological pest control. These bugs will prey on the potato bugs without causing any problems in your garden.
Botanicals may also be used to kill potato bugs. Rotenone is recommended as well as pyrethrum, which is a more aggressive product. The two may be combined in order to see quick results.
If botanicals don’t work, you can try biopesticides, a better option than using many different chemicals in your garden. Biopesticides can be purchased in a spray. It’s important to note that biopesticides should not be used in organic farming, as they do contain chemicals.
Once the bugs are gone, a floating row cover may be placed over potato crops to prevent a reinfestation of potato bugs in a garden.