black beetle things

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lscudder Claremore, OK(Zone 6b) Jul 31, 2003

ewwww what are they and how do I get rid of them? Black, beetle-y things that eat leaves and seem to poop a lot. Dont want em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Carolyn Salem, NY(Zone 4b) Aug 01, 2003

Just so we have an ID here are you describing a beetle that is orange and black striped? If so it's a Colorado Potato Beetle.

And if so the adult beetle is the least of your worries. What really eats the foliage big time are the larvae.

Here's how it goes. Beetles mate and orange eggs are laid on the undersides of leaves. You have to look for them and crush those egg clusters.

if you don't the small brown larvae hatch out and eat their way into oblivion, meaning your tomato plants.

So crush and destroy all egg clusters.

Buy a product called BT San Diego which is an organic product that kills the larvae, it won't kill the adults.

Adults can be killed with 5% Rotenone, also organic. Note I said 5% since most Rotenone sold is 2%.

If you have just a few plants there's no need to buy anthing. Just destroy the egg clusters, squish and kill any and all larvae and stomp to death the adult beetles after you take them off the plants.

With your ewwwwww comment above I get the sense that it might be a good idea for you to do this with garden gloves on. LOL But really, gardening = all sorts of ewwwwww situations. LOL

If you keep crushing the eggs and larvae and picking off and killing the adults it should go well. Folks with lots of plants usually have to resort to BT and Rotenone.

And if your black beetle really isn't black and orange striped and then isn't a Colorado Potato Beetle, then I apologize for discussing it here. But there are darn few actual beetles that eat tomato foliage, and as I said it's the larvae that do the major damage.

Carolyn

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lscudder Claremore, OK(Zone 6b) Aug 01, 2003

Thanks!! These guys didn't have stripes -- finally found a pix of them -- they are blister bugs/blister beetles. I didn't know they ate tomato plants, but they do! Fortunately, I hadn't touched one.... got some spray yesterday evening and it seems to have gotten them. I hadn't seen them since I was a kid...strange year I guess. Thank you anyway!

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