Tortoise Beetle LARVE - Yeeech!

nancysil · July 10, 2006

I thought I'd share a picture of what I just found on my tomato plant. It is a well camoflaged little critter. The beetles were a problem earlier in the season, but they eventually went away. Now the larve are out and they are easy to miss. They carry a mound of "poop" on their back to ward off their enemies and they look like bird droppings at a glance.

Larve:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...eetlelarva.jpg

Beetle:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ugontomato.jpg

kimpossible · July 10, 2006

Thx for the pics. I saw something similar today & thought the same thing - bird poop! - but I'll look more closely tomorrow!

MsCowpea · July 10, 2006

Insects are so fascinating. Thanks for posting larvae picture--who would of thought that glob would become the very beautiful tortoise beetle. But such a transformation is so common in insect world.

**coronabarb** · July 10, 2006

Thanks for posting that pic! What a strange but ingenious way to camo oneself. (okay, after posting that I am imagining quips from k)

July 10, 2006	#1
nancysil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New England Posts: 13	Tortoise Beetle LARVE - Yeeech! I thought I'd share a picture of what I just found on my tomato plant. It is a well camoflaged little critter. The beetles were a problem earlier in the season, but they eventually went away. Now the larve are out and they are easy to miss. They carry a mound of "poop" on their back to ward off their enemies and they look like bird droppings at a glance. Larve: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...eetlelarva.jpg Beetle: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ugontomato.jpg

July 10, 2006	#2
kimpossible Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Z5b SW Ont Canada Posts: 767	Thx for the pics. I saw something similar today & thought the same thing - bird poop! - but I'll look more closely tomorrow! __________________ *So Many Tomatoes ... So Little Time*

July 10, 2006	#3
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	Insects are so fascinating. Thanks for posting larvae picture--who would of thought that glob would become the very beautiful tortoise beetle. But such a transformation is so common in insect world. __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker

July 10, 2006	#4
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	Thanks for posting that pic! What a strange but ingenious way to camo oneself. (okay, after posting that I am imagining quips from k) __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal