These are shield bugs not Colorado beetles. If you want to control them you can plant a trap crop for them to gather on for example peas but then you will have to kill them before they move to the crop you want to protect.
Neville
Val says No Nev, they are doryphores/Colorado beetles A few years ago we grew a lot of potatoes and were inundated with doryphores and at Le Presbytere in the garden there we decided not to grow potatoes again as they return each year. They are actually quite common in this part of France and all the local agriculters know them well.
We found last time that they can be gathered with rubber gloves on and then squashed in your fingers. Not a nice job but better in my mind than using herbicides. We also know shield bugs quite well and often have them in the house , yuk!
Dear Val
Apologies but I have to disagree, it is definitely striped shield bug from the Pentatomidae family, the name denotes the five sided
shape of the pronotum (its back) which resembles a shield and has
six black stripes or five red. The Colorado beetles on the other
hand are more rounded and have ten stripes. They are both a
similar size between 10 and 12 millimeters.
Val says, googled striped shield bugs and Nev could beright. Maybe we never had colorado beetle but whateverthey were they ate all our potatoes and aubergines.
thanks for your persistance Nev
Definite answer tomorrow when we look at them closely
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