Colorado Potato Beetle

The Colorado potato beetle is a beetle known for being a major pest of potato crops. It is about 10 mm long, with a bright yellow/orange body and five bold brown stripes along the length of each of its wings. Native to the Rocky Mountains, it spread rapidly in potato crops across the United States and then Europe from 1859 onwards. Scientific Name: Leptinotarsa decemlineata Range: North America (originally Rocky Mountain region); spread worldwide Size: 10 mm Status: Pest ID Notes: Yellow-orange elytra with 10 thin black stripes. Pinkish thorax with black spots. Larvae bright pink-red with black spots. Behavior / Notes: First major insect pest to develop widespread DDT resistance. Adapted from native buffalo bur weed to potato in the 1850s.