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One of the many pests that attack crop plants during the growing season is the potato flea beetle. For the future harvest, the adult insect, which feeds on the juice of leaves and stems, and its larva, which lives in the root area and spoils the tubers, are equally dangerous.
A small black beetle can cause a lot of damage to potatoes.
Description
Externally, the potato flea beetle looks like a small beetle, about 3 mm in length, with glossy black elytra covered with small dotted grooves. In the upper part of these grooves there are short hairs.
The body of the insect is flattened, in the anterior part of the thorax there is a marginal expansion with a noticeable ridge.
The beetle's antennae, consisting of 11 segments, are colored brown.
The pest overwinters, burrowing into the soil near the fields where its favorite crops are grown - potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers. It appears on the surface with the arrival of spring warmth and begins its summer.
The female potato flea beetle lays fertilized eggs (15-20 pieces) directly on the soil surface in the immediate vicinity of potato bushes or other representatives of the nightshade family.Over the entire period of its life, one adult flea can give birth to 90-200 individuals.
About a week after laying, thin white larvae with a brown head emerge from the eggs, which immediately burrow into the ground under potato bushes, feeding on small roots and young tubers.
After 2-4 weeks, the larva turns directly underground into a pupa, from which a young beetle then emerges.
Over the course of a season, 2-3 generations of potato flea beetle may change.
Canada is considered the beetle's homeland; it is widespread in the United States of America, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
In many European countries, the flea beetle is one of the most dangerous quarantine pests. Thanks to its good flight abilities, this beetle moves from one region to another using free migration or together with transported potatoes, in which it can remain in the adult, larval or pupa phase.
Both black and yellow flea beetles are common in the Russian Federation
Signs of defeat
The presence of the potato flea beetle is indicated by the eaten edges of the leaf blades and round holes of different sizes on their surface. The presence of larvae can be determined by the formation of longitudinal grooves and pits on the surface of the tubers.
Black and yellow flea beetles can leave only veins on the leaf
What harm does
In most cases, the flea beetle feeds on potato leaves and tubers, but does not ignore other representatives of the nightshade family - tomatoes, eggplants, peppers.
There are cases when he attacked beds with legumes, carrots, cucumbers and beets. Moreover, it devoured not only cultivated plants, but also weeds located in the garden bed.
The surface of potato flea beetle-affected tubers is covered with numerous grooves and depressions, which significantly spoils the presentation of the agricultural product and, accordingly, reduces its value.
In addition, this beetle often becomes a distributor of bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases, including incurable mosaic.
Potatoes affected by flea beetles do not look very attractive
How to deal with flea beetles on potatoes
Measures to combat the potato flea beetle should be taken at the first sign of its detection. Otherwise, you may lose part of the harvest and get spoiled tubers. Experts offer several methods for exterminating the pest.
Biological method
The main advantage of the biological method of controlling flea beetles is its safety for plants and humans.
Currently common among gardeners are such drugs as Fitoverm, Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocid.
The working solution is made in strict accordance with the attached instructions and the above-ground parts of the plant are sprayed with it. It is recommended to treat potatoes against flea beetles for the first time immediately after the appearance of the pest, which can be noticed using special traps that are installed in the beds (1 x 100 m).
The only disadvantage of using biological preparations is that to get a good result you will have to spray the potatoes every ten days.
The chemical industry offers gardeners a huge range of biological products
Agrotechnical method
This method of combating the potato beetle is a set of agrotechnical measures aimed at reducing the number of the pest and protecting plants from its activities.
The list includes:
- deep plowing of potato fields;
- compliance with the principles of crop rotation;
- thorough weed control.
Regular loosening of the soil will help destroy potato flea beetle eggs on its surface.
Chemicals
The most effective and fastest way to combat flea beetles on potatoes is to treat the bushes with chemicals.
Spraying the vegetative parts of the plant with pesticides such as Inta-Vir, Aktara, Aktellik, Calypso, Decis, Karate, etc. will help cope with this pest.
Processing of potatoes is carried out in the evening, when the activity of sunlight decreases. It is better to do this in dry, windless weather.
The entry of toxic chemicals into the human body can cause poisoning, so when working with these products you must adhere to safety rules: work in special clothing, goggles and a respirator. Hands must be protected with gloves.
The working solution against potato beetles must be used on the day of preparation, because it very quickly loses its beneficial properties. Unused product is poured down the drain.
You can spray potatoes against beetles no later than a month before harvest.
Folk remedies for potato flea flea
You can treat fleas on potato tops not only with chemical or biological preparations, but also with folk remedies.
The most common remedies against this beetle among gardeners are:
- An infusion of tobacco, ash and chamomile, for the preparation of which the raw materials are mixed in equal doses and poured with water in a ratio of 1 to 3. The mixture is left to infuse for two days, after which it is filtered and used to spray potato bushes.
- Another way to use ash is to pollinate bushes with it. In this case, you need to ensure that the product covers all above-ground parts of the plant.
- Garlic infusion - 250 g of crushed raw materials, pour 1 liter of water and infuse for a week in a dark place. After this, you need to strain the resulting infusion and spray it on the potatoes against black fleas.
- Wormwood tincture, during the preparation of which dry or fresh herbs are crushed and poured with boiling water in a ratio of 1x3. The resulting composition is infused for two days, after which it is filtered and sprayed on potato bushes.
- Black and yellow potato flea beetles do not like strong odors. To repel pests, marigolds, lavender, calendula, mustard, peppermint, and basil are planted between the rows.
In addition to the above, there is also a quarantine method of combating the beetle, which is a ban on the import of soil and tubers from countries in which this pest is widespread.
To improve the effect, add liquid soap to the working solution.
Prevention
One of the important rules of potato agricultural technology is the prevention of plant damage by pests, including black flea beetles.
To prevent this insect from appearing in the garden beds, experts recommend:
- carefully check the planting material and, if necessary, treat it against potato beetles with preparations such as Prestige or Tabu;
- treat planting holes with a solution of potassium permanganate or add ash;
- regularly disinfect garden tools before use;
- follow the rules of crop rotation - do not plant potatoes in beds where tomatoes, eggplants or peppers previously grew;
- do not grow potatoes in one place for several years in a row;
- follow the rules of agricultural technology - water, loosen the soil and hill up the bushes.
Digging the soil to the depth of a shovel in the fall will help destroy wintering beetles.
Hilling up the bushes will help protect the tubers from beetle damage
Conclusion
The potato flea beetle is a dangerous pest, ignoring its presence can cause a decrease in yield and damage to potato tubers. Timely processing of plantings will help to avoid such troubles.
