Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Pests

Silver Beetle on Sweet Potato Vine: Likely Flea Beetle

Mercury-colored beetle on sweet potato vine = likely metallic flea beetle (Chrysomelidae). Damaging—returning plant was wise.

Ant Control Bonus

Kitchen ants resisted Terro. Borate baits work if ants feed. Add drop of vegetable oil to bait if they stop. Baits > sprays for colonies. Guide: Ant Control.

Identify beetle with photo if curious.

Pests: White Specks on Sweet Potato Vine: Salt Buildup, Not Pests; Identifying Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine Varieties: 'Blackie', 'Chartreuse', and Propagation; Overwintering Sweet Potato Vine Indoors: Easy in Sunny Spot; Air Potato Vine (Dioscorea bulbifera): Source and Caution; Sweet Potato Vine: Pruning for Bushiness & Propagating New Plants; Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas): Colorful, Fast-Growing Annual Foliage; Sweet Potato Vine 'Margarita' (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita'): Chartreuse Ground Cover; Ornamental Sweet Potato 'Blackie' (Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie'): Deep Purple Foliage Vine; Sweet Potato Vine 'Margarita': Vibrant Chartreuse Foliage for Containers and Groundcover; Tiny Holes in Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine Leaves

Garden Articles

Reviving Stagnant Potato Vine (Solanum jasminoides) in Texas

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Potato Vine (Solanum laxum): Jasmine Nightshade for Trellises

Growing Sweet Potatoes: Tropical Roots for Northern Gardens Too

Variegated Potato Vine: Evergreen Twiner with White-Blue Flowers

Colorado Potato Beetle on Tomatoes: Identification and Control

Trimming Potato Vine: No Harm, Newer Varieties Less Aggressive

Plants

Vine Ants and Pomegranate Rot: Bait Ants, Spray Copper Fungicide

Planting Sweet Potato Slips: Cover the Tuber Completely

Ornamental Sweet Potato Tubers: Edible But Tasteless

Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas) Crystal Deposits: Exudate, Not Disease

Growing Sweet Potato Slips: A Complete Guide for Home Gardeners

Creeping Fig: A Tidy Vine for Walls and Steps

Sweet Potato Scurf: Cosmetic Only, No Chemical Cure