Did I store these potatoes incorrectly (found a bug inside)?
I have a 3 pound bag of 'Idaho' brand potatoes that I bought a few weeks ago. They all looked good (firm and no sprouts) when I went to get them the other day except for one. This one had a white patch on it about 2 centimeters in diameter, and then a small red insect just crawled out of it! It was about a centimeter in length and was very dark red in color.
So my questions were:
Have I been storing these incorrectly? I have them in a kitchen cabinet since that is the darkest place I have and left them in their original bag.
Is it safe to eat the other potatoes? I threw the one in question out, but I am wondering if it's a good idea to throw the others out as well.
Best Answer
Potatoes and the plants foliage are a feast for a lot of insects, some good some not so good, but as far as I'm aware none that will do you any harm. As bmargulies said, don't worry overly about it.
If you're 'really' interested, you can take a look at this site, see if you can spot your 'badguy' :)
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What do you do with a potato bug?
Treatment. Getting rid of Potato Bugs can be tough because they are known to develop a resistance to chemical treatments. Our recommendation is a combination of collecting or manually removing any Potato Bugs, larvae and egg casings by drowning them in soapy water as well as applying Viper Insect Dust.Do potatoes attract bugs?
If potatoes are stored in a warm place, such as under the sink, they may attract bugs and rodents. They will sprout and shrivel. Throw away potatoes that are shriveled or have many sprouts.What kind of bugs get on potatoes?
Alphabetical List of BugsAntsAphidsApple MaggotLily Leaf BeetleMealwormMillipedeMosquitoesMulticolored Asian Lady BeetlePine Leaf AdelgidPlum CurculioPowderpost BeetlesRaspberry BorersRose ChaferSilverfish and FirebratsSod Webworms44 more rowsAre potato bugs harmful?
Is a potato bug bite poisonous? Although this critter has a powerful bite and can clamp onto your skin causing a painful wound, it is not toxic to humans. Its saliva is laced with a natural toxin, but this is more harmful to plants and crops than it is to you.Gumball | Darwin's Potato Diet | The Potato | Cartoon Network
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Answer 2
Potatoes are bug-food. The bug may have wandered into your storage area, or it might have hitched a ride on the spuds. Consider it a vote of confidence that the potatoes were in fact edible. I wouldn't have tossed the one with the insect; I would have 'debugged' it and cooked the rest.
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