It was early one day when August Sandburg asked his son Carl to shake the potato bugs from the potato plants growing in the family garden. Carl thought to himself that he would do it later in the day. So, in the morning he played two-old-cat in the nearby pasture. After lunch he played choose-up with some of his friends.

 

Papa Sandburg came home from work to see that the potato bugs were still busy chewing their way through the leaves on the potato plants. His strong right hand became the instrument of choice for punishing the boy.

 

Carl learned a lesson then and there—don't promise your father you will do something and then neglect to do it.

 

In 1859 potato bugs were first recognized as a pest in Colorado. The insects switched from eating buffalo bur when settlers began planting potatoes in their gardens and growing them commercially. By 1874 the pest had reached the East Coast. In Illlinois it is described as a prairie wild flower.

 

The insects are now the most common garden pest. They also like peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. The insects are about ten millimeters long and have yellow and black strips on the back the entire length of the body. They usually emerge in May, but that depends on temperature and moisture conditions.

 

Larvae and adults feed on the leaves of plants. They can completely defoliate a patch of potatoes. When the plants are flowering is the most critical time for managing an infestation.

 

Females live about two weeks and lay about 350 eggs in that time. The eggs are laid on the underside of leaves in yellow-orange clusters.

 

The natural enemies of potato bugs are stink bugs, lacewings and ladybugs. Some potato bugs have become resistant to manmade insecticides. The best gardeners check the leaves of the potato plants regularly for signs of potato bugs when blossoming occurs.

 

Carl Sandburg used a stick to knock the bugs off his father's potato plants. In one day, he collected two buckets full. And another bucket full a few days later. He then burned them.

 

The Sandburg family depended on their garden for vegetables like potatoes and cabbage. They could be stored for use in the winter. It was a saving on the grocery bill. August Sandburg's fear of want was a deep feeling that  insisted his son must work to save the family garden from pests. He also expected his  son to respect and act on his directions.