Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) – pest management

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is a species native to North America. It was first reported in 1824. It causes great damage to potato crops and those belonging to the Solanaceae family.

Description. The adult has an oval body, dorsally gibbous and flat on the ventral side, yellow-orange, with a reddish-yellow head and pronotum. The hind wings are membranous, well developed. They have colors that range from orange to dark red and even brown. The egg is ellipsoidal, with a longitudinal diameter of 1.2-1.5 mm. Its color is orange-yellow.

Biology. Usually, the Colorado potato beetle produces 1-3 generations per year. It overwinters in the adult stage, in the ground, where it retreats from the second half of September to the end of October. It retreats to depths of 10-15 cm and even 90 cm, in the case of sandy soils. In spring, towards the end of March, when the air temperature reaches 10º C constantly (with increasing tendencies), overwintering adults appear on the soil surface.

Damage. The Colorado potato beetle mainly attacks plants in the Solanaceae family. The most important damages are registered for potato, eggplant, and tomato crops. Sometimes it also damages pepper crops. Adults chew on the leaves, producing irregular perforations on the surface of the leaf, and finally, remains only the leaf veins. The young larvae perforate the leaves, producing smaller holes. As they age, they eat fruit completely, and sometimes even the shoots.

Pest management. By performing deep plowing in autumn and hoeing when the larvae retreat into the soil, a considerable number of their population can be eliminated.
As chemical measures, when an infestation occurs, it is recommended to carry out treatments with specific insecticides.

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