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Potato bugs

1K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  longwinters 
#1 ·
I’ve been growing a few potatoes for probably 10 years. This is the 1st year I’m seeing potato bugs, and I live in town. How in the world did they find me? So I’m looking at how to fight them off. Any ideas?

Long
 
#2 ·
at some point you mentioned that you did NOT have potato bugs... THEY were listening....... That's how the leaf footed bugs found my tomatoes last year... fixed them I did NOT plant tomatoes this year... Hah showed them!!
 
#3 ·
I haven't had a garden in years, but I plan on one next spring.
My solution for bugs back in the day was Seven Dust held in front of a wide open leaf blower.
Do the whole garden in a few minutes.
 
#4 ·
As a kid, one of my chores was to go down the row of potatoes with a small stick and a can half full of kerosene and flick the bugs into the can.
That's probably why I have such a bad back today. :)
Our garden, per my dad, was one acre.
He had a Bradley two wheeled tractor that you walk behind, but he had it plowed by a team of mules in the spring.
 
#5 ·
What is a potato bug? I have never seen one around here! What we have is those darned Chinese beetles that look like lady bugs. They are omnivores...if a bug can be one. They eat anything and they bite you on the back of the neck if they get a chance.

Are you talking about those ugly cricket looking things with a big head?
 
#6 ·
They come and then they go, literally on the wind.
For about three years I had real problems now it is less and less every year.

Best control is to pick and squish right there, and I do mean right there.
Dust or liquid just does not work well enough and I have done both.
Poison kills good but but the Colorado Potato Beetles laugh at it.

A lot of Lady Bugs is the best mode to control or eradicate them.
I had a LOT, of LBs the year they peaked and one day I went out to squish the larvae and they were gone.
Squishing the larvae that hatch is most important if you want to stop them from coming back.

Some varieties of potatoes are immune to CP beetles , they will not eat them, but you have to look on-line for best info on that.
When I had them it was odd seeing one type of potato stripped and others untouched.

There once was a bio-fungicide that also controlled potato beetles but five or so years ago they banned it.
I do not think professional growers can get it any more either, as any info for it on-line is gone.
 
#7 ·
I used Seven and also an organic spray. I wonder what potato farmers use? I don’t see any damage on my plants so hopefully I headed them off at the pass. Of course I don’t want to use the bug killer when the plants blossom so I don’t kill bees, as we have so few in our area.
 
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