Colorado Potato Beetle

Leptinotarsa decemlineata

The Colorado Potato Beetle is a little beetle that loves to eat potato plants. Farmers watch out for these hungry critters!

Habitat: Potato fields and gardens

Appearance

The Colorado Potato Beetle is an oval-shaped insect, easily recognized by its bright yellow-orange body adorned with ten prominent black stripes running down its wing covers. Its head is orange with black spots, making it stand out from green leaves.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderColeopteraFamilyChrysomelidaeGenusLeptinotarsa

Colorado Potato Beetle

Interesting facts

A single female beetle can lay over 500 tiny orange-yellow eggs in her short lifetime!

Its plump, reddish larva looks like a tiny slug with two rows of black spots down its back!

These striped beetles can overwinter by burying themselves up to 20 cm deep in the soil!

They were first described in Nebraska, not Colorado, causing a bit of a name mix-up!

Special abilities

Colorado Potato Beetle can produce bitter-tasting chemicals because of specialized glands that make them unappetizing to predators.

Colorado Potato Beetle can rapidly develop resistance to pesticides, which helps them survive control efforts.

Colorado Potato Beetle can fly between fields and gardens, helping them find new food sources and spread to new areas.

Colorado Potato Beetle has a high reproductive rate, allowing females to lay hundreds of eggs that hatch quickly.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 15-25 mm
Size: 6-11 mm
Lifespan: 40-50 days
Flight Speed: 15 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

These striped beetles are herbivorous, munching on leaves and stems of specific plants.

Primary Foods

Potato leaves
Tomato leaves
Eggplant leaves
Nightshade plants

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eats

Potato

Solanum tuberosum

Beetles and larvae feed on the plant's foliage.

eats

Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum

This beetle is also a significant pest of tomato plants.

eaten by

Two-spotted Stink Bug

Perillus bioculatus

This predatory stink bug preys on Colorado Potato Beetle larvae.

eaten by

Spotted Lady Beetle

Coleomegilla maculata

Lady beetle larvae and adults consume the beetle's eggs.

Traits

Wildlife

Step into the incredible world of wild animals and plants living freely in nature. From tiny insects to towering trees, it's all part of the wild wonders around us!

Striped

Look for animals and plants with cool lines and bands, creating eye-catching patterns!

Grassland

These wide-open spaces are covered in grasses, often home to grazing animals and incredible predators! Experience the vastness of the plains.

Herbivorous

Meet the peaceful munchers and grazers who find all their nourishment from plants, leaves, and fruits. They transform plant energy into life!

Nocturnal

Explore the secret world of animals that come alive at night! They are wide awake when it's dark, using their amazing senses to find food and play.

Pollinator

Meet the busy helpers of the plant world! These creatures carry pollen from one flower to another, helping plants make seeds and grow fruits and vegetables.