# 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! - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 8 - **Habitat:** Potato fields and gardens - **Also known as:** Potato Beetle, Potato Bug ![Colorado Potato Beetle](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426178/objects/5502.jpg) ## 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Coleoptera - **Family:** Chrysomelidae - **Genus:** Leptinotarsa ## 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 - **Toxic Defense:** Colorado Potato Beetle can produce bitter-tasting chemicals because of specialized glands that make them unappetizing to predators. - **Super Sprinter:** Colorado Potato Beetle can rapidly develop resistance to pesticides, which helps them survive control efforts. - **Flight Power:** Colorado Potato Beetle can fly between fields and gardens, helping them find new food sources and spread to new areas. - **Egg-laying Machine:** 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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/potato) (*Solanum tuberosum*) — Beetles and larvae feed on the plant's foliage. - **Eats:** [Tomato](https://www.snappit.app/explore/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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats. - [Striped](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/striped): Marked with parallel bands or lines of color. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects-and-bugs) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Do not touch or pick up. Some insects sting or bite. Ask an adult for help. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Colorado Potato Beetle? Look for hard wing covers meeting in a line down the back, then compare the antennae, body shape, legs and markings. Metallic colors shift a lot with lighting. Beetle Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### What is Colorado Potato Beetle's wingspan? 15-25 mm ### How big is Colorado Potato Beetle? 6-11 mm ### How long does Colorado Potato Beetle live? 40-50 days ### How fast can Colorado Potato Beetle fly? 15 km/h ### What does Colorado Potato Beetle eat? These striped beetles are herbivorous, munching on leaves and stems of specific plants. ### Where is Colorado Potato Beetle usually found? Potato fields and gardens ### How does Colorado Potato Beetle hunt? Foraging ## Where to spot - [Gensburg-Markham Prairie](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gensburg-markham-prairie) — Illinois, US · Nature Reserve - [Green Bay Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/green-bay-botanical-garden) — Wisconsin, US · Botanical Garden - [Humboldt (Alexander Von) Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/humboldt-alexander-von-park) — Illinois, US · Park - [The State Botanical Garden of Georgia](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/the-state-botanical-garden-of-georgia) — Georgia, US · Botanical Garden - [Duke Farms](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/duke-farms) — New Jersey, US · Nature Reserve - [Fruitvale](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fruitvale) — Tennessee, US · Neighborhood [View all places to see Colorado Potato Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/colorado-potato-beetle) ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Colorado Potato Beetle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/colorado-potato-beetle)