🍆 Eggplant How hard it is to control: ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Colorado potato beetle on eggplant

The Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) attacks eggplant just as readily as potatoes, if not more so. Larvae and adults eat the leaves and can strip a plant bare in a few days.

Symptom photos

Colorado potato beetle — Colorado beetle on an aubergine leaf with a chewed leaf edge — Colorado beetle on an aubergine leaf with a chewed leaf edge Photo: Schlaghecken Josef, licence CC BY 4.0

Colorado potato beetle — Group of red larvae and holes eaten in the leaf — Group of red larvae and holes eaten in the leaf Photo: Dwight Sipler, licence CC BY 2.0

Symptoms

Orange-red larvae with black dots along their sides
Beetles with the characteristic 10 black stripes on the wing cases
Leaves eaten away and blades skeletonised
Yellow-orange egg clusters on the underside of leaves
Black droppings on what is left of the leaves

What it does to the crop

Plants stripped of leaves completely
Growth checked and a drastic loss of yield
Young plants dying
Two generations a season and a fast-rebuilding population

What encourages it

Warm weather from May, above 20°C
A potato field nearby
Nightshades grown in the same spot repeatedly
Leaf undersides not checked during egg-laying

Prevention

Inspect plants every few days and wipe off egg clusters
Pick beetles and larvae off by hand
Cover young plants with fleece
Keep distance from potato crops
Rotate crops and cultivate deeply in autumn

⚠️ Before you reach for a spray

This atlas is informational and still growing — different diseases can look almost identical. Confirm the diagnosis and read the product label before applying any plant protection product. If you are unsure, ask your local extension or advisory service.

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📅 When to Sow Eggplant? →