Colorado Potato Beetle – Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Colorado Potato Beetle   Scientific Name:  Leptinotarsa decemlineata Common Name:  Colorado potato beetle, colorado beetle, ten-striped spearman, ten-lined potato beetle, potato bug Appearance:  Colorado potato beetle is a yellow or orange beetle with 5 or 10 brownish-black stripes running down the dorsal side of the body. It is 11 mm long with a width of 3 mm. Its underside, as well as legs, are dark black. The plump, thick larva is red in colour with black spots on both sides of the body. Host Plants or Food: Colorado potato beetle mostly attacks potato fields, hence their name. However, other crops such as tomatoes, eggplants, ground cherry and aubergines may also be at risk. Territory: Throughout North America, Europe, Western USA, Eastern USA, Asia Mode of Damage:  They are larvae, leaf chewers, and exclusive to the Solanaceae family. However, the adults may also be root, tuber, and bulb feeders in addition to the foliage. Habits and Life History: Colorado potato beetles are fast growers since the females can lay almost 500 eggs in a short period of 4 to 5 weeks. The eggs are orange and are laid on the lower side of the leaves, where they hatch into larvae after 4 to 15 days. It produces four larval instars. After feeding actively for a few days, it drops to the ground and burrows underground, where it pupates for 5 to 10 days and finally emerges as an adult in spring. The entire lifecycle takes anywhere from 21 to 30 days to complete. There may be 1 to 4 generations per year.