Answer :
Final answer:
The Colorado potato beetle feeds on related plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers, with diet preferences influenced by plant chemistry. Potato slices and yellow sticky traps can be used to control larvae. A GMO potato resistant to these beetles was once considered but later withdrawn.
Explanation:
Potato bugs, specifically the Colorado potato beetle, primarily feed on a group of related plants including potato, tomato, and pepper. These insects show diet preferences that are likely tied to the secondary chemistry of the host plants. One interesting fact about these beetles is that they were not originally found in areas where potatoes and tomatoes were native but developed a taste for these plants once introduced.
To manage the beetle larvae, one can use yellow sticky traps or place potato slices into the soil; larvae will burrow into the slice. After a few days, these slices, now hosting larvae, should be discarded. Additionally, in the late 1990s, attempts were made to introduce a genetically modified potato that was resistant to the Colorado potato beetle, but it was withdrawn due to consumer opposition.