Colorado beetle

Abstract

The Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)) is a serious pest of potato. It was first recorded in 1824 in the western USA feeding on a wild plant. However, when potato was introduced by the early settlers in 1855 the beetle attacked this new food voraciously and spread across the USA and into Canada. It was first reported in Europe — in Germany — in 1877. In the same year one was found at Liverpool docks on a ship carrying Texan wheat and this prompted Britain to introduce its first plant health legislation: The Destructive Insects Act 1877. Britain’s first outbreak of Colorado beetle occurred in 1901, and between 1941 and 1952 137 breeding colonies were detected. By using drastic measures all these colonies were exterminated, so that the pest has been prevented from establishing itself in the British Isles. Single breeding colonies were found and eradicated in 1976 and in 1977.