Knowledgebase

gray bug eating potato plants #878116

Asked July 21, 2024, 1:14 PM EDT

I have a gray but eating my potato plants.. they are not colorado potatoe bettle and google wants to make them a squash vine bettle but they dont look like them either.

Pipestone County Minnesota

Expert Response

Thank you for your question and picture.

This is a Margined Blister Beetle (Epicauta funebris). It is still somewhat immature. Mature adults are darker in color and possess a white streak down the center of their dorsal sides.  This white streak is just barely visible in your picture.  Its typical diet consists of leaves from alfalfa, potato, beet, eggplant, and tomato. See:

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Margined-Blister-Beetle

https://bugguide.net/node/view/320608

https://www.beetleidentification.org/information.php?primary_name=margined-blister-beetle

https://bugguide.net/node/view/2173409/bgimage

There really is no need to do anything about it. Its eating habits will not affect your plants. Just knock them off with a hose spray. Be somewhat cautious, however. As befitting their name, they produce a caustic chemical called cantharidin. When crushed, the beetle can literally bleed the chemical from its joints, and skin contact with it can result in blisters.

Enjoy. Thanks for consulting us.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 22, 2024, 2:53 PM EDT

Loading ...