CPB Larvae

AlittleSalt · July 12, 2015

Colorado Potato Beetle. I had never seen these, but somehow knew what they were before looking them up online. They seem to really like Litchi tomato plants. EVERY bug in Texas likes Litchi plants and their tomatoes.

How do you all get rid of CPB beetles and larvae?

Pictures

Starlight · July 13, 2015

Nasty..Nasty pests. They run rampant here. Biggest pest problem along with flea beetles.

They are hard to get rid off. I use a small hand held vacuum to get the bigger ones as they are too fast and hide like crazy. Running the hand held over the plant helps to get some of the ones I may have missed just by site.

Other than that I check every leaf. I could scout in the morning and find egg masses on the bottom of the leaves all over the place. I would just scrape em off and squish them. Bad thing was you could come back out a few hours later and find more egg masses again.

With all those wicked looking thorns you sure couldn't check all the leaves. I wonder if the DE would work on them? So far I haven't found anything to stop them, just hand scouting slows them down.

shelleybean · July 13, 2015

Eeeewww! Those things are ugly. That'll give me nightmares. I hope you can get rid of them but, thankfully, I've not experienced those, so I have no advice. Good luck!

ContainerTed · July 13, 2015

I have them as well. They seem to pass up a plant to eat the one right beside it. And, they only seem to eat the tender new growth. I squish any that I see and they are orange inside, just like their eggs you will find in clusters on the under sides of leaves. I saw my neighbor who is stubborn about not using any sprays at all for any reason, lose his enitre potato crop (eight rows - 75 feet long). I told him that all he really accomplished was to "serve them a feast). Out relationship has been a bit strained at times ever since.

I spray with "Garden Safe". It is an organic rated Fungicide, Insecticide, and Miticide (including red spider mites). If I run out of that or can't find it for a while, I have been know to use stronger, more traditional chemicals. I don't like to do that, but I refuse to let them win and take my hard work away from me. I try to do any and all spraying late in the day after the bees go home for the night.

They are known to over-winter in the soil. So, I try to have my plot plowed in late fall and again in early spring when freezes are common. That has slowed them down considerably.

Carriehelene · July 13, 2015

Hi Salt. Those were the beetle larvae I was talking about in my "learned something..." thread. Some people say Captain Jacks worked for them, but I've tried it last year and this spring. Didn't kill them at all. I know cuz I watched after I sprayed them. So I just keep hunting and drowning the little beasties, stomping on the adults, and squashing all eggs I can find. Not willing to test out pesticides much, we keep honey bees, and I won't jeopardize my bees. Wishing you good luck eradicating them. It's not easy.

AlittleSalt · July 13, 2015

The litchi plant is growing out in our new garden - we're growing it to see the beautiful flowers basically. I have some of the "Garden Safe" but didn't think about using it.

Yes, they love to eat new foliage. They stripped many leaves. It looks like when a hornworm strips a branch of its leaves. Right after taking the pictures yesterday evening, I sprayed the plant and larvae down with Triazicide. There is no sign of them today. I don't like using harsh sprays, but I also don't want CPB running rampant in our gardens either.

I don't know what it is about litchi tomato plants that the bugs like so much, but they do. I tried picking off the larvae yesterday, but litchi thorns sting as they go into your skin. I have nerve disease in my hands, so I'm not touching that plant.

BigVanVader · July 13, 2015

At the SPLATT gathering this weekend I learned that Rodger controls all pest with parasitic wasp. With the proper host plants they overwinter and the population continues to grow yearly. The specific one for CPB....

Eulophids - Small to medium sized wasps, usually metallic green or blue. Some are parasitic on pest beetle eggs, like Edovum puttleri against Colorado potato beetle eggs. They have been shown to kill as many eggs through host feeding as they parasitize! They like umbels and similar open flowered plants, like yarrow. Some Eulophids are hyperparasites of the parasitic wasps attacking imported cabbageworm (Tetrastichus galactopus attacking Cotesia glomerata/rubecula/orobeanae).

You can order these wasp online for cheap and unlike ladybugs they will stay put as long as you provide a decent habitat.

Carriehelene · July 13, 2015

Holy crap, I should have looked closer at the picture. Can't blame you at all for not wanting to touch them, look at the size of the thorns. I wouldn't touch them either.

July 13, 2015	#3
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Eeeewww! Those things are ugly. That'll give me nightmares. I hope you can get rid of them but, thankfully, I've not experienced those, so I have no advice. Good luck! __________________ Michele

July 13, 2015	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	I have them as well. They seem to pass up a plant to eat the one right beside it. And, they only seem to eat the tender new growth. I squish any that I see and they are orange inside, just like their eggs you will find in clusters on the under sides of leaves. I saw my neighbor who is stubborn about not using any sprays at all for any reason, lose his enitre potato crop (eight rows - 75 feet long). I told him that all he really accomplished was to "serve them a feast). Out relationship has been a bit strained at times ever since. I spray with "Garden Safe". It is an organic rated Fungicide, Insecticide, and Miticide (including red spider mites). If I run out of that or can't find it for a while, I have been know to use stronger, more traditional chemicals. I don't like to do that, but I refuse to let them win and take my hard work away from me. I try to do any and all spraying late in the day after the bees go home for the night. They are known to over-winter in the soil. So, I try to have my plot plowed in late fall and again in early spring when freezes are common. That has slowed them down considerably. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

July 13, 2015	#2
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Nasty..Nasty pests. They run rampant here. Biggest pest problem along with flea beetles. They are hard to get rid off. I use a small hand held vacuum to get the bigger ones as they are too fast and hide like crazy. Running the hand held over the plant helps to get some of the ones I may have missed just by site. Other than that I check every leaf. I could scout in the morning and find egg masses on the bottom of the leaves all over the place. I would just scrape em off and squish them. Bad thing was you could come back out a few hours later and find more egg masses again. With all those wicked looking thorns you sure couldn't check all the leaves. I wonder if the DE would work on them? So far I haven't found anything to stop them, just hand scouting slows them down.

July 13, 2015	#5
Carriehelene Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 300	Hi Salt. Those were the beetle larvae I was talking about in my "learned something..." thread. Some people say Captain Jacks worked for them, but I've tried it last year and this spring. Didn't kill them at all. I know cuz I watched after I sprayed them. So I just keep hunting and drowning the little beasties, stomping on the adults, and squashing all eggs I can find. Not willing to test out pesticides much, we keep honey bees, and I won't jeopardize my bees. Wishing you good luck eradicating them. It's not easy.

July 13, 2015	#6
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	The litchi plant is growing out in our new garden - we're growing it to see the beautiful flowers basically. I have some of the "Garden Safe" but didn't think about using it. Yes, they love to eat new foliage. They stripped many leaves. It looks like when a hornworm strips a branch of its leaves. Right after taking the pictures yesterday evening, I sprayed the plant and larvae down with Triazicide. There is no sign of them today. I don't like using harsh sprays, but I also don't want CPB running rampant in our gardens either. I don't know what it is about litchi tomato plants that the bugs like so much, but they do. I tried picking off the larvae yesterday, but litchi thorns sting as they go into your skin. I have nerve disease in my hands, so I'm not touching that plant.

July 13, 2015	#7
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	At the SPLATT gathering this weekend I learned that Rodger controls all pest with parasitic wasp. With the proper host plants they overwinter and the population continues to grow yearly. The specific one for CPB.... Eulophids - Small to medium sized wasps, usually metallic green or blue. Some are parasitic on pest beetle eggs, like Edovum puttleri against Colorado potato beetle eggs. They have been shown to kill as many eggs through host feeding as they parasitize! They like umbels and similar open flowered plants, like yarrow. Some Eulophids are hyperparasites of the parasitic wasps attacking imported cabbageworm (Tetrastichus galactopus attacking Cotesia glomerata/rubecula/orobeanae). You can order these wasp online for cheap and unlike ladybugs they will stay put as long as you provide a decent habitat.