What's up with Potato beetles?

[macmex]

When we first started gardening in our present location I remember being plagued by Colorado Potato Beetles. For the first several years that we planted potatoes, we experienced hoards of potato beetles. Being pretty much of the organic mindset, I refused to spray, knowing that in killing the potato beetles, I would also kill whatever predators which might be present, attempting to control them. So, I hand picked them, dropping them into a can of water with vegetable oil on it. After a few weeks of regular hand picking, the plague subsided. 

Each year I did the same but along the way I noticed a wheel bug eating potato beetles and their larval. Then I saw more wheel bugs and... fewer potato beetles.


Wheel bug

Eventually, the potato bug numbers decreased to the point that I no longer bothered to hand pick. Though I spotted the wheel bugs later than the potato beetles, they always showed in time to avert much damage.

One year I ran across a patch of potato beetles and started to hand pick. After all, there was a good concentration one or two plants. I stopped, though, because I thought, "What are my wheel bugs going to eat if I kill them?"

In recent years I've seen much fewer wheel bugs but then, neither have I seen potato beetles. It's got me wondering, what's in the garden that holds them back? I see an occasional wheel bug but very few.

Yesterday I ran across a lone potato beetle. ...

I left it. Whatever predators I have need something to eat!

I'm wondering if ladybugs eat potato beetle eggs? We have an incredible number of them in the garden these days. Maybe that's it. Any thoughts?

[macmex]

I found this link which confirms my thought. Harvest to Table on Ladybugs  Ladybugs prey on potato beetle larva. Bet they also eat their eggs.

[rdback]

My ladybugs don't seem to eat Mexican Bean Beetles, unfortunately.

[macmex]

I have only once seen a bean beetle here. We have something in our habitat that must eat them too. When I was a kid in NJ we battled bean beetles incessantly!

[FrostyTurnip]

Macmex, this has been my experience.  They come in, the kids and I hand pick until I yell, “Stop! There are lady bug larvae! They need to eat.”  We have tons of wheel bugs, too.  I watched and waited and the lady bug larvae did a very good job in spite of them having a diverse array of other buffets. 

Last year the damage was pretty bad in late summer, but not enough to worry.  Maybe 1/2 of one row of the plants were wiped out as I didn’t keep up, but the potatoes came out fine.  This year, there are so many wheelbugs I’m finding their nymphs IN the house this year.  

[amyinowasso]

It seems to be a banner year for wheel bugs, there have been a lot of posts on Facebook about them already. Maybe they eat baby grasshoppers?

[macmex]

Wheel bugs eat anything they can catch! I have had them station themselves in front of a bustling bee hive and snack on honeybees. I bet they love baby grasshoppers.
I haven't seen a wheel bug, in my garden, yet, this year. Guess they're out hunting somewhere else. Still, we've had a record low number of pests, so far.