Colorado Potato Beetle and Other Potato Pests

The Colorado potato beetle is the most notorious potato pest: yellow-and-black striped adults and soft, red larvae can strip plants of leaves within days. Other common pests include wireworms, aphids, flea beetles and slugs.

Colorado Potato Beetle

• Look for: clusters of orange eggs under leaves, humpbacked red larvae, striped adults.
• Control: handpick adults and larvae into soapy water, crush egg clusters, use row covers early, rotate crops; organic sprays such as spinosad or Bt (tenebrionis strain) target young larvae.

Other Pests

• Wireworms: narrow holes in tubers, worst after grass; avoid planting right after lawn or pasture.
• Aphids: spread viruses; encourage ladybirds.
• Flea beetles: tiny holes in leaves; usually minor.
• Slugs: holes in tubers in wet soils; harvest promptly.
• Potato cyst nematodes: stunted plants; long rotations and resistant varieties.

More Potato Guides

• How to Grow Potatoes: The Complete Guide
• When to plant potatoes by zone
• Seed potatoes and chitting
• Planting and hilling potatoes

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get rid of potato beetles naturally?

Handpick, use row covers, rotate crops and spray spinosad or Bt on young larvae.

What makes holes in potatoes?

Usually wireworms or slugs.