Carrot Beetle

Tomarus gibbosus

The ½” long brown or black beetles may be found throughout most of North America, except the Southeast. This insect is somewhat misnamed because carrots aren’t their first choice of food; the adult beetles feed on a variety of crops including beet, carrot, corn, parsnip, potato, sunflower and sweet potato, while the larvae feed on roots of grasses (including grain crops). Carrot Beetles aren’t usually a big problem, though they sometimes cause serious damage to small seedlings. There is only one generation of these beetles per year.

Control

Normally you don’t have to do anything about carrot beetles, but if you start having a problem you should keep the soil clean to remove hiding places (and encourage predators of course).

Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org