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BeneficialColorado potato beetleNot recommended

Bt tenebrionis for Colorado potato beetle

Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis · microbial insecticide
Against colorado potato beetle

Bt tenebrionis must be eaten, and it works on first and second instar larvae, which stop feeding within hours and die in two to five days. Its labels do not cover adults. In USDA field plots, two weekly Novodor applications gave 50–85% larval control. But no home-sized product is currently sold — Novodor is a farm product and UMass reported Trident off the market in 2022 — so for a garden, hand-picking beetles and crushing the orange egg clusters is the answer.

RateLabel rate — Novodor FC 1–3 qt per acre on early-instar larvae (2–3 qt heavy infestations; 3–4 qt with older larvae mixed in); farm product, no home pack currently sold
TimingFrom first egg hatch while larvae are under ¼ inch; scout and reapply as new larvae hatch
macro · bt (tenebrionis) on colorado potato beetle
The pestColorado potato beetleLeptinotarsa decemlineataDefoliated tops, orange egg clustersFull pest profile →

Before you order

The beetle strain of Bt, sprayed on potato, tomato and eggplant leaves. Young Colorado potato beetle larvae that eat it stop feeding within hours and die in two to five days. Its labels cover the larvae only, not the adults, and it does not control caterpillars. One product, Novodor FC, is registered and on its maker's list, but it is a farm product dosed in quarts per acre. We found no home-garden pack on sale. How it works, how to tell it has established and the supplier list are on the full Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis profile.

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