Trials and tribulations: history of Colorado potato beetle management on Long Island

The Colorado potato beetle has long been known for its legendary and inherent ability to develop resistance to a wide range of pesticides used for its control. In the early 1990s growers simply ran out of effective chemical controls for management of this pest until, when in 1995, neonicotinoid insecticides were introduced into the market and improved the situation for many growers. This talk will provide a history of some of the innovative and effective cultural controls developed and employed on Long Island potato farms to control Colorado potato beetle when chemicals weren’t an effective option.