The Colorado potato beetle is a major pest of what crop?

The Colorado potato beetle is a major pest of potato crops. Its scientific name is Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and both adults and larvae feed on the foliage of potato plants, sometimes stripping plants nearly bare.

The beetle is native to the Rocky Mountain region and was formally described by the entomologist Thomas Say in 1824. It expanded its host range to cultivated potato in the 19th century, and by about 1859 it was causing severe crop damage near Omaha, Nebraska. It then spread rapidly across North America and later into Europe.

Potatoes are its signature crop, but the insect can also damage tomatoes and aubergines. The species is especially difficult to control because populations can evolve resistance to insecticides. It is often confused with the false potato beetle, Leptinotarsa juncta, which has similar markings but is generally not a comparable agricultural pest.