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Colorado Potato Beetles Eat More Than Potatoes, Dastardly Little Buggers

Potatoes taste good. They are good baked, broiled, grilled, hashed, home fried, deep fried, french friend, and stuffed. I really like some potato. They taste even better when you grow them yourself…organically, in your backyard or on your farm. Unfortunately, humans are not the only ones who love potatoes. There is a pestilence lurking out there that will decimate your potato crop and harsh on your garden.

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is native to North America. Despite it name, the beetle will also eat your eggplants and tomatoes. You know you have them when you see them. They are yellow convex beetles about a half an inch long and are covered with black stripes and an orange head. Their eggs are bright yellow and are laid on the underside of the leaves. The grubs (grubs look nasty) are plump and red with black spots and a black head. The grown ups and the larvae chew foliages leaving your plants looking like skeletons of plants. The defoliation and skeleton-like appearance of your plants is the other way to know you have been attacked by the little buggers.

There are many methods for controlling the potato beetles. Hand pick the early spring arrivals and squash them like the bugs they are (putting them in a pail of soapy water, while less visceral, is equally effective) and put down a thick layer of organic mulch. The beetles can’t climb out through the thick stuff.

Planting an early crop of black nightshade ten to fifteen feet away from your vegetable crop, will give you early warning of the coming infestation. If the beetles come, wait for your trap crop to become heavily infested and then pull and destroy the crop along with the beetles. If the beetles get by your defenses, first manually pluck as many as you can so they can’t lay anymore eggs. You are trying to interrupt the generations. Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) are bacteria that come in powder form and kills leaf eating caterpillars; however there is a new form that does a fine job controlling the potato beetle in its larval stage.

If you sprinkle your plants with bran or cornmeal, the beetles will eat it, the meal will expand in the beetle, and the beetle will explode. Who wouldn’t want to see that? Mechanical and nontoxic control of beetles is cool.

Neem is effective at controlling the beetles. Mix your neem product according to the directions and apply it to the affected plants at weekly intervals until the beetles are under control. Pyrethrum is also effective at controlling the potato beetles. In general two applications, three days apart will get the little guys under control.

If you want to get out in front of the potato beetles and try to prevent them in the first place, you have a couple of options that I will discuss here. You can get resistant potato varieties. The Sequoia and Katahdin are resistant to potato beetles. You can coat your plants with Diatomaceous Earth. Dust your entire plant with the Diatomaceous Earth paying particular attention to the undersides of the leaves. The best time to apply the Diatomaceous Earth is in the evening when the beneficial bugs are less prevalent. Nylon netting or agricultural fleece may be used to completely cover the plants and prevent infestation.

The foregoing is a general discussion of how to control the Colorado Potato Beetle. Remember, don’t be afraid of the pests. You can control them without petroleum products and without compromising your health. Grow your own organic vegetables and save money!

Raspberries…Yummy!

Who doesn’t love raspberries? Rubus idaeus (red raspberries) and R. occidentalis taste good! Your best bet for growing raspberries is to transplant them. They should be planted in early winter or spring when the suckers are dormant. If you live in zone six or higher (read further south) you can plant in the fall. They should be planted two to three feet apart in rows that are four feet apart. If you use deep beds, you may plant three feet apart. The plant should be mulched about six inches deep to keep the roots warm in winter and cool in the summer.

Raspberries may be propagated by taking cuttings. Make sure to take your cutting from a cane (branch or stem) that did not produce fruit. The fruit producing stems die back after fruiting and cannot be used for propagation. If your cutting doesn’t root, it is most likely due to exhaustion from fruiting earlier in the season. Don’t use tired canes!

Raspberries like on inch of rain per week prior to fruiting and one and a half inches of water while fruiting. The water can be from rain or your watering system. Feed them with slow acting fertilizer early in the season and spray with the liquid seaweed extract three times during the growing season for the happiest berries. Happy berries taste better!

There are numerous pests that may afflict your berries. If your foliage curls, puckers, and turns yellow, and then is also stunted, you may have aphids. If there are ants on your bushes, they are attracted by the honeydew from the aphids. There will be clusters of aphids under the leaves. Dang pestilence. Be gone! They are the about the size of a pinhead and may be green, brown, or pink. They will be destroyed by insecticidal soap sprayed on them every two to three days until they are gone. The big concern from the aphids lies in the virus carrying properties. They bring the mosaic that can kill your plants.

If a cane borer comes a calling you can expect to see sudden tip wilting. Closer examination of your plant will reveal two rows of punctures about one inch apart at the tip of your cane. The adult beetle has deposited eggs in your cane and is killing your berry. You just have to cut off the wilted tips below the low row of punctures and burn up the beetle larvae. Nothing to it as long as you pay attention to your plants.

Japanese beetles will make your leaves look like skeletons of leave. The shiny green beetle is about a half an inch long and has copper colored wings. If you put up pheromone beetle traps at least fifty feet from your crops to lure the beetles away. If the traps can’t handle the infestation, the infestation won’t be able to handle pyrethrum. The pyrethrum will get rid of the infestation. Leave traps up id beetle infestation is regular in your garden spot

The raspberry root borer in an insidious foe. Your plant will break off easily at the base and show general lethargy and lack of vigor. You may often find the half inch grubs eating your plant in the crown of roots. Sometimes you and off the buggers by stabbing them with a wire; however the only surefire way to rid yourself of the pestilence is to cut the affect canes below the soil line and destroy them. Dang those bugs.

Whiteflies are another common garden pest that may affect your berries. The whiteflies honey dew encourages fungus growth on your leaves and weakens the plants. You can tell you have them if, when the plant is disturbed, it looks like dandruff is flying around your plant. Insecticidal soap applied daily for a few days will control the outbreak and send the whiteflies to an appropriate end.

Pay attention to your raspberries and take good care of them. Plant them where they are happy and protect them from evil. You will be rewarded with big, fat, juicy fruits! Raspberries are fun to grow, fun to pick, and even more fun to eat in jams, tarts, salads, cakes, breads, and even right off the plant. Plant some today!