What is this bug?

By

McMillan968

Its a BABY POTATO BUG! No doubt!
Have fun squeezing them and then pop orange goo. LOL
No seriously get them gone before they RUIN your potato crop.
Pop em or flick em in water and soap or dust if you have to.

By Carl (Guest Post)

It looks like a potato beetle. I haven't seen one lately but my father's garden, years ago was loaded with them.

By

Natalie from Rhode Island

I think that's a Colorado Potato Beetle larvae - not a nice bug! It is pesticide resistant, so hand picking is the best way to get rid of them. Your photo is a little fuzzy, so make sure it's not a good bug before you take action. Here's some information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle
Check out the photo of the larvae to make sure.

FYI, this is a picture of a ladybug pupae, which looks a bit similar. You want to keep this one around to eat the baddies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ladybird_Pupate.jpg

By Natalie Truman (Guest Post)

Colorado potato beetle larvae? Your photo is a little fuzzy, but I think that's what it is. Here's a link for better info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle

Your best bet is to hand pick since they are resistant to pesticides. Not a nice bug!

A side note: make sure that your bug matches the ID before getting rid of them. Here's a picture of a ladybug pupa which looks a bit like your bug:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ladybird_Pupate.jpg
If it's one of those, you want to keep it to eat the bad bugs!