how do I get rid of colorado beetle ?

Jun 29, 2005 6 Replies

how do I get rid of colorado beetle ?



How many plants are you tending? Hand-picking the beetles and squashing the orange egg clusters are effective and safe ways to control them.

The only totally reliable method I've found is hand picking adults and/or larvae, along with squishing the egg clusters. Or, you can get your 5 YO grandson to do it for you. Right Sam?

Ross. Southern Ontario, Canada. New AgCanada Zone 5b

43º17'15" North 80º13'32" West To email, remove the obvious from my address.

Colorado potato beetles? Hand picking, as others have suggested, or BT San Diego.

thanks for the replies, hand picking will take too long, what is BT ?

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote in news:1120328666.984395.262410 @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

BT stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria that produces crystalline protiens that, when the larva ingest the bacteria, cause them to stop feeding and eventually die. You need to get the right strain of bacteria for the beetle (var. san diego, sold as M-One, and var. tenebrionis, sold as Trident) and it is only effective on young larva, older larva are tougher and don't succumb as easy. My information may be a little out of date, am going off of an extension factsheet.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required