tortoise beetles - maybe?

So, when I went out to the garden tonight I saw a bunch of these bugs (see photos below) on my potato plant leaves - ugh! Interesting looking? Maybe. Ugly? Maybe. I am undecided about the look of these critters. However, I am decidedly unhappy about the holes in the leaves of my potato plants!

I did some Google research and have determined the bugs are probably tortoise beetles. Until tonight, I have never seen or heard of these before! I was unable to find much info about them. So, I am asking for help. Are these little buggers dangerous or just annoying? Will they harm more than the leaves of the potato plant? And how do i get rid of them??







Another issue: I have cabbage worms on my broccoli. When I was picking them off the plants tonight, I noticed some sort of tiny little spider or really small fly looking thing (I don't think they fly though) on the leaves of the broccoli and brussel sprouts. My question about these tiny little buggers - are they bad or good guys?? I know it is hard to help without a photo, but they are SO small I don't know if I can get a good shot of them. I will try to shoot one tomorrow.

Thanks for your help!

Don't know the answer. My strategy is when in doubt wipe it out because one thing for sure, there is no shortage of bugs

http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg195.html

I would wipe it out!

Man! Those are some UGLY bugs!

cheyannarach wrote:http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg195.html

I would wipe it out!

Thanks - I think I will wipe them out...

BUMP!

I just found one of these on one of my eggplants and I trapped it in a jar until I could figure out what it is. I also found three small scaly things that look like eggs under the leaves of the same plant. I picked them off.

Turns out it's a Clavate Tortoise Beetle and it likes to feed on members of the Solanaceae family. The scaly things are it's eggs.

I find her kinda cute. This is the part of gardening I hate: killing things.