WTH!!!???

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:39 pm

I don't usually plant potatoes in my garden, but this year MJ asked me to plant then seeing as i doubled the size of the garden...and i put in four different varieties as well as a row of spuds from the grocery that we'd forgotten about in the pantry and the darn things grew sprouts all over ...anyway, everything grew well..been hilling the rows and this week, wouldn't you know the potato beetles found me..how in the world with nary a tater within five miles...anyway, today, i spent a half hour and picked ever beetle i could find..quite a few..and offered them to the chickens...lots of interest..lots of noise and fluttering activity..then turned their beaks up and wandered off...useless birds...lol...is this common or do I have a spoiled lot of princesses here?

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:36 pm

I suspect they don't taste very good seeing their diet is potato foliage ?
But beetles in general aren't on top of the menu for chickens, at least not around here, probably too tough to get at the tender bits

redninja · Post by **redninja** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:42 pm

Birds won't touch them. They supposedly put out bitter taste. You might luck out and get a predatory wasp. We have them. They are black with a blue sheen. They love the potato beetles.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:37 am

My guys won't touch any beetle bug. Good to know why :)

Post by **WLLady** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:49 am

They are bitter....just drop the fat red grubs in water they cant swim...and squish the beetles. They only have 1 or 2 generations a summer...quite easy to control hand picking

Post by **Killerbunny** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:56 am

My turkeys would pick a few of these off, had very few this year but perhaps the rain will bring them out, hope not. We have got cucumber beetle now. Be interesting to see if the heritage squash suffers like the courgettes.

Doug The Chickenman · Post by **Doug The Chickenman** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 9:21 am

The guinea fowl eat all sorts of bugs, Just never seen a potato beetle (or any other) in our garden yet

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:41 am

Oddly enough, now you got me thinking, I haven't seen a potato beetle in years, not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing?
One possibility, the deer eat the foliage before the potato beetles get a chance to settle in?