If you are squeamish, don't read this post. I have had this post in the draft section since last summer. I know eggplant is not generally in the garden in April, but these bugs have their start in a cool season crop that may be in your garden right now-so you want to be on the lookout for these awful insects.
What type of insects eat eggplant leaves? These little guys were smooth and shiny and about the size of ladybugs. They were very prolific, but only on the eggplant. I've never seen them before in any of my gardening endeavors so I am curious as to whether anyone has experience with these pests. Do you recognize it? I believe it is the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle. This University of Kentucky website has a pretty good picture of some of the larvae; which are pinkish/red in the picture. The ones in the picture above are more of a cream color, however they still have the same spots down the sides of the insect. I think these may be very immature larvae that haven't developed the pink color yet? Not sure, any help would be appreciated. The same website says Colorado potato beetles are very familiar to home gardeners and are a serious pest. But, this serious pest has developed a resistance to insecticides. Good thing they are easy to squish then; which is the route I took. Has anyone ever seen these before? They are quite different from the usual hornworms and squash vine borers and I hope they don't visit my garden again this year. Be on the lookout for them on either your potatoes (especially if you live in potato country) or eggplant later in the season. You will want to take action to dispose of them right away as they cause a lot of damage....
in the garden....
