Potato beetles

Charlie M

Well-known Member
Guy on another forum was asking about controlling potato beetles. Reminded me of one time a friend of mine was working a spot where he had had potatoes the year before and he had tried spraying the beetles all season with Sevin. It was a nice day and he was dragging the area he had already plowed. The adult beetles were so thick they were crawling over my shoes while standing there. He planted several dozen tomatoes and the next day there wasn't a sign of them - beetles had eaten them down to the ground. Potato beetles are tough little critters.
 
(quoted from post at 12:06:47 04/21/17) Guy on another forum was asking about controlling potato beetles. Reminded me of one time a friend of mine was working a spot where he had had potatoes the year before and he had tried spraying the beetles all season with Sevin. It was a nice day and he was dragging the area he had already plowed. The adult beetles were so thick they were crawling over my shoes while standing there. He planted several dozen tomatoes and the next day there wasn't a sign of them - beetles had eaten them down to the ground. Potato beetles are tough little critters.

Yeah I don't think Sevin is what it used to be. My dad always gave us a vegetable can with about an inch of gas in it, and a stick. Knock the bugs into the can with the stick, line up cans when we were done, light a match and watch them roast.
 
I use a product called Nuprid 25C. It is mixed with water and sprayed in the row before the potatoes are planted. I used to have a major problem with the beetles but when I started using it I haven't seen but maybe 3 or 4 a year on my potatoes. You can use it on several different things too. It costs about 15 dollars for a little bottle but a little of it goes a long way, believe me it's worth every penny. I buy it at my local feed store Southern States. Just my thoughts, Keith
 
Most of the old reliable insecticides are pretty useless anymore. Think "survival of the fittest." What populations we have left are pretty immune to all but the most exotic of the new pesticides. Here in potato country the farmers have pounded on them with almost anything they can get their hands on, and the suvivor potato beetles are a big enemy to handle. Go to the big box stores, and some highschool kid clerk will consult the chart book, and come up with Sevin, or something equally useless, I tell them that my bugs eat that for desert. Probably nothing you can buy without a license is going to be very effective. Last couple seasons, I have used Admire 2 as a pre-treating on seed potatoes. Then pinching off every bug I can find by hand, - daily inspections, and Malathion, or a cocktail of whatever old insecticides I have on the shelf, when things get outta hand. Probably can't find Admire on the open market, don't ask how I got a gallon of it, but I'm told it's in the $50 a gallon class..
 
An organic pesticide that has worked great for me on potato beetles is Spinosad. It is sold at Southern states as "Colorado Potato Beater" and also it is sold as "captain jacks dead bug brew". It has taken anywhere from 1-3 sprayings per crop to keep them controlled.
 
(quoted from post at 15:06:50 04/21/17) An organic pesticide that has worked great for me on potato beetles is Spinosad. It is sold at Southern states as "Colorado Potato Beater" and also it is sold as "captain jacks dead bug brew". It has taken anywhere from 1-3 sprayings per crop to keep them controlled.

We have used Azatrol in the past which is organic approved. They recommend rotating years with spinosad....both are pricey and you have to spray often.
 
I spray mine with liquid 8. Rotating is the key to keep them at bay. Guineas will eat the bugs off the plants also.
 
(quoted from post at 12:23:45 04/21/17)
(quoted from post at 12:06:47 04/21/17) Guy on another forum was asking about controlling potato beetles. Reminded me of one time a friend of mine was working a spot where he had had potatoes the year before and he had tried spraying the beetles all season with Sevin. It was a nice day and he was dragging the area he had already plowed. The adult beetles were so thick they were crawling over my shoes while standing there. He planted several dozen tomatoes and the next day there wasn't a sign of them - beetles had eaten them down to the ground. Potato beetles are tough little critters.

Yeah I don't think Sevin is what it used to be. My dad always gave us a vegetable can with about an inch of gas in it, and a stick. Knock the bugs into the can with the stick, line up cans when we were done, light a match and watch them roast.

When I was a kid we had the economy version of that method: no stick, fingers only.
 
Yeah I don't think Sevin is what it used to be. My dad always gave us a vegetable can with about an inc
h of gas in it, and a stick. Knock the bugs into the can with the stick, line up cans when we were done, light a match and watch them roast.[/quote]
[color=darkblue:7f7aaf92d2]
My Dad had my brother and I do the same.... only we used kerosene.
Funny how you can plant potatoes where they have never been planted before and when the plant gets a little size, in come them da-med potato bugs![/color:7f7aaf92d2]
 
I usually can keep up knocking them into a bucket but occasionally spray. We get leafhoppers on the potatoes too. Must spray for those
 

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