The fight against the Colorado potato beetle: a simple instruction for defeating the pest
With the beginning of spring, dacha owners and residents of private houses are finally resuming work on their plots. The first rays of the sun during this period seem especially warm and give people strength and motivation, but warming also brings with it some problems. All overwintered pests are activated at this time, and one of the most annoying and dangerous among them is the Colorado potato beetle.
Content
What does the Colorado potato beetle look like?
Experienced gardeners are familiar with Colorado potato beetles. These are small insects with a rounded, convex body. Length adult beetle does not exceed 8-12 mm.
Adult beetle and its larva.
The elytra of the insect are decorated with alternating stripes of black and light yellow. The pronotum is bright orange, with a pattern of black spots of various shapes.
Larvae The Colorado potato beetle is no less dangerous and popular than the adults. Their body length can reach 15 mm. The head and legs of the juvenile are black. The color of the body changes in the process of growing up from red-brown to bright yellow or light pink. On the sides there are two rows of rounded black spots.
What is dangerous
Colorado potato beetles are able to reproduce at an incredible rate. One female per season can produce from 300 to 1000 young individuals. Voracious larvae and their "parents" eat the leaves of fodder plants, leaving behind only thick veins and stems.
Hordes of Colorado beetles in a short time are able to destroy the beds of such crops, as:
- potatoes;
- tomatoes;
- Bulgarian pepper;
- eggplant.
Methods of struggle
If Colorado beetles were seen on the site, then it is necessary to start fighting them immediately.
This dangerous pest is capable of producing several numerous offspring in one season, so more than one treatment is needed to save the crop.
Chemicals
The most effective and fastest method of getting rid of harmful beetles is to use specialized preparations. Due to the wide distribution of this pest, there is a very large selection of insecticides on the market. The most popular among them are:
- Ivanhoe;
- Fatrin;
- Qi-Alpha;
- Tsunami;
- You decide;
- Fury.
Biopreparations
Drugs against adults and larvae.
Biological preparations also show high efficiency, and at the same time do not harm the soil and the environment. Such products are made on the basis of bacteria or fungi. The most effective biological products against the Colorado potato beetle are:
- Bitoxibacillin;
- Fitoverm;
- Akarin.
Traditional recipes
Over the years of fighting the Colorado potato beetle, people have found many effective methods of expelling the pest using improvised means. But, several folk recipes have gained the greatest popularity among farmers.
The green parts of the plants are sprinkled with dry gypsum, cement or cornmeal. In the process of eating foliage, showered with one of these substances, adult insects and larvae die.
To scare off the pest, it is enough to mulch the aisles on the potato beds with fresh sawdust. Pine or birch sawdust is best suited. The pungent smell of freshly sawn wood is not at all pleasant to these beetles, and they will try to move away from it.
Spraying
A good result in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle is given processing of potato bushes using multiple means.
| Preparations | Recipe |
|---|---|
| Infusion of walnut leaves | Pour 2 kg of dry leaves with 10 liters of water and leave for 5 days. |
| Birch tar solution | For 10 liters of water, you need 10 g of birch tar and 50 g of grated laundry soap. |
| Infusion of white acacia bark | Pour 1 kg of dry bark with 10 liters of water and leave for 2-3 days. |
| Decoction of dry hot pepper | Dissolve and boil 10 grams of pepper in 100 liters of water, leave for 2 days. |
| Infusion of onion skins | The floor of a bucket of dry husk is poured with 10 liters of water. It is necessary to put a load so that the husk does not float on the surface and insist 2 days. Dilute 1:1 with clean water and spray. |
| Decoction with flowering cannabis | For 10 liters of water you need 1 kg of flowers or 2 kg of dry grass. Boil for 30 minutes and strain. |
Manual method
Collection of beetles by hand.
This method is only suitable for small areas, as it involves collection of insects by hand. It is not recommended to crush larvae and beetles directly on the garden. To collect beetles, a suitable container with a lid is prepared in advance, on the bottom of which a strong saline solution or kerosene is poured, after which each bush is carefully examined.
All found pests are placed inside the container, and it is very important to inspect the underside of the leaves, as they may contain a large number of eggs and larvae.
Natural enemies
Bringing the Colorado potato beetle's natural enemies to the site is also an effective and safe method. The following animals will help get rid of striped pests on the site:
- lace-eyes;
- ground beetles;
- phase;
- guinea fowl;
- starlings;
- predatory bugs.
What varieties of potatoes are resistant to the attack of the Colorado potato beetle
The easiest way to protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle is to plant a variety that is resistant to pest attacks. Unlike other varieties, resistant crops have a number of features that the Colorados did not like and help plants easily endure the attack of enemies:
- the surface of the leaves is rough and covered with many villi;
- the presence of a large amount of solanine in the green part of plants;
- the ability to quickly recover and increase the green mass;
- strong immunity.
The disadvantage of such varieties is their mediocre taste and yield.
Therefore, before planting the entire area with new potatoes, you should try it out by planting several bushes. The varieties that best tolerate the attack of the Colorado potato beetle are:
- Nikulinsky;
- Bryansk is reliable;
- Lasunok;
- Kamensky;
- Morning;
- Nakra.
Preventive measures
It is very difficult to fight the hordes of the Colorado potato beetle, but regular preventive measures can greatly facilitate this task. The following procedures will help to reduce the number of individuals and scare them away from the beds:
- deep digging of the soil after harvesting;
- adding a small amount of wood ash, sawdust or onion peel to the wells before planting;
- the exclusion of growing other plants from the nightshade family next to potato beds;
- regular loosening of the soil and cleaning of weeds from the beds.
Good effect also planting near the beds with potatoes of plants that are capable of scare away the pest... These include:
- calendula;
- marigold;
- night violet;
- coriander;
- cucumber grass;
- hemp.
Conclusion
For many years of its activity, the Colorado potato beetle has rightfully earned the title of the main potato pest. Due to the fact that this species of insects very quickly increases its population and endures adverse conditions, it is very difficult to deal with it. But, regular treatments with various means, prevention and proper agricultural technology will certainly bring the desired result and save the crop.
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