Knowledgebase
gray bug eating potato plants #878116
Asked July 21, 2024, 1:14 PM EDT
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.