I have a infestation of potato bugs that have all but destroyed my eggplants and have started on my potatoes and now are attacking my tomatoes! Please help. I am a first time gardener and have a small backyard/patio container garden and it is all organic. I just have no idea how to get rid of these gross things. Up until now it has been really nice and things are growing beautifully, but now…
please help me.
Sincerely,
Virginia G. Doolittle
Oh dear, the pest that most likes to feast on potato plants and their near relatives is the Colorado potato beetle. Unfortunately, they are resistant to most insecticides. There are two steps to control:
- Remove or crush the yellowish orange eggs on the underside of leaves or remove the leaf and put in the garbage.
- Pick off and drop adults and larvae in a pail filled with soapy water
To prevent this problem next year, crop rotation will be important. Make sure that you don’t grow the target vegetables in the same spot as this year, since the beetle overwinters in the soil.