What's Eating My Potato Leaves?

[Harveyshot]

I have researched the problem and found some articles on it but I can't find any bugs. I even went out at night with a flashlight and couldn't find any. I've tried insecticidal soap, diatomaceous earth and other bug killers but nothing seems to help.
This is my first time growing potatoes and they are in an elevated bed (container).
Thanks for any help.

 

[Meadowlark]

I love home grown potatoes and hate to see anyone lose part of a crop to bugs. My guess is you have the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) which is a major potato pest throughout North America. Both larvae and adults feed on the plant's leaves and can completely decimate them.

Yours look to be far along, with significant damage and recovery is not likely...but you can stop the damage from getting worse.

I use an organic product by Bonnide that is very effective. There are others like it.


The "bug" looks like this and can be confused with beneficial insects.




Make sure you remove and destroy all the vines after harvest (not in compost pile) and next year do NOT plant potatoes in the same spot and watch carefully for these bugs.

Get them early and very little damage but wait and it can be fatal to the crop.

 

[Harveyshot]

I love home grown potatoes and hate to see anyone lose part of a crop to bugs. My guess is you have the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) which is a major potato pest throughout North America. Both larvae and adults feed on the plant's leaves and can completely decimate them.

Yours look to be far along, with significant damage and recovery is not likely...but you can stop the damage from getting worse.

I use an organic product by Bonnide that is very effective. There are others like it.
View attachment 104052

The "bug" looks like this and can be confused with beneficial insects.

View attachment 104053


Make sure you remove and destroy all the vines after harvest (not in compost pile) and next year do NOT plant potatoes in the same spot and watch carefully for these bugs.

Get them early and very little damage but wait and it can be fatal to the crop.

Thanks for the info and that's what I suspected but I don't see them or their eggs and I've been looking for a long time and treating the plants with various insecticides. I'll try the Bonide.

 

[Owdboggy]

We get damage like that from marauding slugs/snails.

 

[Harveyshot]

Thanks, but it’s in an elevated bed (about 4 ft off the ground) and I never see their slime trails.

 

[Owdboggy]

The most slime trails that we see are on our roof and that is a lot more than 4 feet off the ground, even if this is a bungalow. AND there are no plants up there.

 

[YumYum]

Japanese beetles eat the same type of pattern but will fly off so you might not ever see many eating your leaves. I'm sure you have those or June bugs this time of year.

 

[Harveyshot]

Japanese beetles eat the same type of pattern but will fly off so you might not ever see many eating your leaves. I'm sure you have those or June bugs this time of year.

How do you stop them.

 

[Harveyshot]

Japanese beetles eat the same type of pattern but will fly off so you might not ever see many eating your leaves. I'm sure you have those or June bugs this time of year.

So, what's the remedy?

 

[YumYum]

So, what's the remedy?

The same stuff @Meadowlark posted in #2 works on all beetles.

 

[Harveyshot]

The same stuff @Meadowlark posted in #2 works on all beetles.

I’m going to buy some but is it a contact killer or residual?

 

[YumYum]

It has residual effects according to this.

 

[Harveyshot]

Interesting, thanks.

 

[Harveyshot]

I've sprayed the plants with a couple of different insecticides over the past couple of months and there is new growth that isn't being eaten.

 

[YumYum]

1 tablespoon Dawn Ultra dish soap per gallon will take of the beetles too but it is a contact killer. If you think you can catch most of them on the plant then go for it. Japanese beetles and June bugs like to fly around alot but potato bugs and flea beetles tend to linger on the plant so soap works pretty well on those.