Colorado potato beetle: how to spot, prevent and treat it pest
How do you spot Colorado potato beetle?
Adult beetles and reddish larvae eat the leaves until nothing is left of the plant but bare stems. Once the foliage runs out they start on the stems as well. The yellow eggs sit in tight clusters on the underside of the leaves.
On a particular plant
potato: The larvae and the beetles eat the tubers as well.
How do you prevent Colorado potato beetle?
Keep to a rotation, because the beetle overwinters in the soil exactly where the attacked crop stood. Lay a thick straw mulch, which makes its way to the plants harder and draws in predators. Look for the egg clusters early, while there are few of them.
What works against Colorado potato beetle?
Collect and destroy beetles, larvae and egg clusters, often and early in the season. Put the fleece on before the beetles come out of the soil.
On particular plants
chili pepper: The aubergine is the beetle's favourite host and can be planted as a trap crop.
eggplant: The aubergine is the beetle's favourite host.
pepper: The aubergine is the beetle's favourite host and can be planted as a trap crop.
potato: The aubergine is the beetle's favourite host and can be planted as a trap crop.
tomato: The aubergine is the beetle's favourite host and can be planted as a trap crop.
Which plants get Colorado potato beetle? 5
Vegetables 5
Sources: EPPO Global Database, University of Maryland Extension
Checked on 17 August 2026.