False potato beetle of the leaf beetle family inhabits the southeastern United States and the Mid-Atlantic region. One of its primary host plants is potato, which has resulted in its name. Though it seems a close cousin of the Colorado potato beetle, it is not regarded as a harmful pest as the latter.
Size: 9 – 11 mm (0.35 – 0.43 inches)
Color: It is striped in black and white on the back, though one of the white bands is missing replaced with a brown one. It also has a brown pronotum, marked with two distinct black dashes and a few small black dots. They even have orange legs and black and orange antennae.
Other Characteristic Features: Though not much is known about their physical appearance, they have a shiny look and larger stomach.
The larva has a humped back with a pale white coloration and dark spots on both col3s arranged in a single row.
The pupa appears oval with an orangish body taking about 6 days to mature.
The eggs hatch in approximately 5 days from being laid, feeding on the host plant’s leaves. These pale pink or deep orange eggs are slightly larger than that of the Colorado potato beetle’s, mostly spotted in clusters.
| Adult lifespan | Not recorded |
| Duration of larval stage | About 21 days |
| Distribution | Eastern parts of US from north Florida up to east Texas, also covering the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maine |
| Habitat | Old fields, orchards, roadcol3s, pastures, and everywhere else where its host plants grow |
| Common Predators | Birds, toads, bugs, lady beetles, ground beetles |
| Seasons active from | March – July |
| Host Plants | Horse nettle, potatoes, husk tomato, ground cherry, bittersweet |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Mostly on the leaves of their host plants |
Like the Colorado potato beetle, the false potato beetles also cause defoliation, with the older larvae responsible for most of the feeding damage caused to the plants.
Image Source: objects.liquidweb.services, bugguide.net, lh4.ggpht.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com, growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu
False potato beetle of the leaf beetle family inhabits the southeastern United States and the Mid-Atlantic region. One of its primary host plants is potato, which has resulted in its name. Though it seems a close cousin of the Colorado potato beetle, it is not regarded as a harmful pest as the latter.
Size: 9 – 11 mm (0.35 – 0.43 inches)
Color: It is striped in black and white on the back, though one of the white bands is missing replaced with a brown one. It also has a brown pronotum, marked with two distinct black dashes and a few small black dots. They even have orange legs and black and orange antennae.
Other Characteristic Features: Though not much is known about their physical appearance, they have a shiny look and larger stomach.
The larva has a humped back with a pale white coloration and dark spots on both col3s arranged in a single row.
The pupa appears oval with an orangish body taking about 6 days to mature.
The eggs hatch in approximately 5 days from being laid, feeding on the host plant’s leaves. These pale pink or deep orange eggs are slightly larger than that of the Colorado potato beetle’s, mostly spotted in clusters.
| Adult lifespan | Not recorded |
| Duration of larval stage | About 21 days |
| Distribution | Eastern parts of US from north Florida up to east Texas, also covering the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maine |
| Habitat | Old fields, orchards, roadcol3s, pastures, and everywhere else where its host plants grow |
| Common Predators | Birds, toads, bugs, lady beetles, ground beetles |
| Seasons active from | March – July |
| Host Plants | Horse nettle, potatoes, husk tomato, ground cherry, bittersweet |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Mostly on the leaves of their host plants |
Like the Colorado potato beetle, the false potato beetles also cause defoliation, with the older larvae responsible for most of the feeding damage caused to the plants.
Image Source: objects.liquidweb.services, bugguide.net, lh4.ggpht.com, lh3.googleusercontent.com, growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu
