Abstract
Field studies during 1986–1988 in southwestern Michigan showed that horse-nettle, Solanum carolinense L., could be an important reservoir of Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), populations when potatoes, Solanum tuberosum L., are not planted. Early in the season, Colorado potato beetle laid most of its eggs on nonhost plants. Accumulated total larval mortality ranged between 82 and 99%. Predators with chewing mouth parts caused higher egg mortality at the beginning of the season whereas predators with piercing-sucking mouth parts preyed upon more egg masses by the middle of the season. Populations of Coleomegilla maculata De Geer were correlated with beetle 1st-instar densities and Perillus bioculatus F. was one of the most numerous predators of Colorado potato beetle. Given a choice of 7 potential host plant species, only horsenettle and potato were colonized by a Colorado potato beetle population adapted to horsenettle. Potato was a better host than horsenettle for this population, which has been isolated from potatoes for ≈40 yr.
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