Content
The most famous enemy of all nightshade crops is the Colorado potato beetle. It parasitizes fresh plant leaves and is capable of completely destroying potato or, for example, tomato plantings in a short period of time. Fighting the beetle is quite difficult, since even the destruction of adult individuals mechanically will not solve the problem: the beetle larvae will successfully eat everything that is left of their ancestors. However, even from such a difficult situation you can find a way out and get rid of the insect. Yes, different poison from the Colorado potato beetle can become an effective plant protection product. We will try to talk about how to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle using folk remedies, biological products and chemicals below in the article.
You need to know the enemy by sight
Back in 1859, colonies of little-studied striped beetles in Colorado mercilessly destroyed potato fields, leaving residents without a harvest. “In honor” of this event, the beetle, originally from Mexico, began to be called the Colorado potato beetle. The insect repeatedly tried to penetrate the European continent with merchant ships, however, a successful attempt to resettle the pest dates back to 1918.Gradually, moving from France, the pest conquered more and more space, parasitizing the fields of nightshade crops. Today the beetle can be found in almost every garden in Russia.
The Colorado potato beetle is difficult to confuse with other insects. Its shape is oval, convex, its dimensions can be quite impressive: length from 8 to 12 mm, width up to 7 mm. On the back of the insect you can see strong elytra with an original color: on each yellow-orange elytra there are 5 black stripes. The wings of this harmful insect are very well developed, which allows it to move unhindered over long distances. A photo of the Colorado potato beetle can be seen below:
Insects reproduce by mating, as a result of which the female lays larvae on the lower part of the leaf. In just one day, one individual can lay several dozen larvae. During the season this figure can reach 1000.
The life cycle of an insect consists of several periods:
- after laying, permanently attached eggs feed on leaf juices, becoming larvae;
- The larvae eat the pulp of the leaves, leaving only the coarse fibers of the veins. They can move over the entire surface of the leaf blade or move to neighboring plants;
- adult larvae, up to 15 mm long, burrow into the ground to a depth of 10-15 cm, where they pupate. After 2-3 weeks, the larva turns into an adult, which can independently lay eggs.
Colorado potato beetle larvae do not have wings. Their body is represented by soft tissue of orange or pink color. This is due to the fact that the larvae, when eating leaves, digest all microelements, except carotene, which gives a certain shade to their body.On the sides of the larva you can see 2 rows of black dots.
With the onset of autumn, adult insects burrow into the ground to a depth of 50 cm, which allows them to successfully overwinter and next year, with the arrival of spring, to intensify their harmful activities again.
Remedies for the Colorado potato beetle
Having read the description, it should be clear what the Colorado potato beetle looks like, now all that remains is to understand how to fight it. There are several methods to combat the pest: if you find a leaf beetle, you can use special chemicals, biological substances or folk remedies. Also, when faced with a problem, do not forget O preventive measures to combat the Colorado insect.
Usage insecticides
There are different types of drugs that kill Colorado potato beetle larvae and adults. Among other things being equal, the greatest effect is achieved by:
Coragen Expert Garden
The main active ingredient is chlorantraniliprole, which has increased effectiveness in combating Colorado potato beetles, their larvae and oviposition. The drug is sold in the form of a suspension concentrate, which is easily added to the spray solution. Thanks to convenient packaging and economical consumption, one ampoule can be used for several treatments in small areas.
Aktara
This drug is based on the chemical thiamethoxam. This is a relatively new development by Swiss specialists. The drug can be purchased in powder or liquid form. The substance is dissolved in water: 0.6 g (ml) per 4 liters. The chemical is used to spray plant tops.When it gets on the leaves, the drug quickly penetrates through their waxy plate and spreads along the stems. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity, as well as rain, do not affect the effectiveness of the substance once it is absorbed into the leaves of plants. The chemical is effective for 30 days.
The drug has a longer period of protection when watering plants at the roots, however, such treatment negatively affects the quality of root crops, which is important when it comes to potatoes. After treatment with Aktara, larvae and adult Colorado potato beetles die within 60 minutes.
Fas
This domestically produced drug effectively fights the Colorado potato beetle in potato fields. The chemical is presented in instant tablets (1 tablet per 5 liters of water). The active ingredient of the drug is deltamethrin.
“Fas” has an intestinal-contact effect, destroying insects immediately after eating the treated leaves. The poison is effective for 21 days. An analogue of the drug is “Decis Profi VDG”.
Inta-Vir
A well-known drug in tablet form. Its active ingredient is cypermethrin. To treat plants, 1 tablet of the substance is dissolved in 10 liters of water and used for spraying. The advantage of Inta-Vir is the duration of protection. So, after treatment, the plants will be protected for 69 days. The chemical acts when it enters the intestines of the Colorado potato beetle or its larvae.
Apache VDG
The drug has a long period of action.The chemical is based on the substance clothianidin, which remains in the soil for 120 days, protecting plants from the Colorado potato beetle.
"Apache VDG" is a highly concentrated substance. To prepare the working solution, you need to add only 0.5 g of the chemical to a bucket of water. When using poison, adult beetles, larvae and insect eggs are destroyed. Analogs of the drug are “Punisher VDG”, “Bushido VDG”.
In practice, among all available chemicals, preparations based on imidacloprid are the most effective in combating the Colorado potato beetle. These include the means “Zubr”, “Iskra Zolotaya”, “Commander”, “Kalash” and some others. These products actually destroy the Colorado potato beetle, its larvae and eggs quickly enough, providing reliable plant protection for a long period. So, having treated the plantings once, you can forget about the pest for 170-180 days. However, it is necessary to understand that such effectiveness is ensured by the high toxicity of the substance. It penetrates not only into stems and leaves, but also into the fruits of various crops. Moreover, the period of complete disintegration of the drug occurs only 700 days after its use, which means that even next year’s harvest will contain a harmful chemical.
Thus, comparing all the listed drugs for the Colorado potato beetle, it is worth recommending Aktara, since it reliably fights insects and has low toxicity, quickly disintegrating in the soil. Among the disadvantages of the substance, one should highlight the rather high cost and the need for repeated use during the season.Information about other chemical remedies for the Colorado insect can be found in the video:
Biological products
Many farmers have a negative attitude towards various chemicals and do not use them on their plots, citing the fact that the substances accumulate in fruits and negatively affect the human body. Of course, such an influence can be excluded if the drugs are used in accordance with the instructions. But how to deal with the Colorado potato beetle if you don’t want to use chemicals at all? In this case, we can recommend highly effective biological products that will protect the crops from pests and preserve the environmental friendliness of the crop.
Bitoxibacillin
Bitoxibacillin is an effective remedy for the Colorado potato beetle, which consists of a whole complex of beneficial bacteria. They have a phytotoxic effect on the pest without accumulating in fruits and soil. The effect of the biological product begins after the pest eats the bacterium. It affects the digestive system of the insect, as a result the beetles and larvae die within 3 days.
Plants can be treated with a biological product many times at any stage of the growing season, which is its main advantage. As a rule, to protect plants, four treatments are sufficient for the entire period of crop cultivation. At the same time, bacteria have a better effect on the pest at ambient temperatures above +180C. To prepare a working solution, 50-100 g of the substance is added to a bucket of water, after which the mixture is used to spray plants.
Lepidocide
This preparation also contains phytotoxic bacteria that destroy the pest but do not impair the quality of the fruit.The drug is available in the form of powder and suspension. To spray plants, the substance is dissolved in water in accordance with the instructions. It is recommended to carry out processing in warm, calm weather.
Each gardener decides on his own what to spray his plants with. However, the preferred method is using biological products. This is due to the low toxicity and harmlessness of the products. The disadvantage of using these substances is the need for repeated use.
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Folk remedies
Effective measures to combat the Colorado potato beetle can also be based on the use of folk remedies. Their advantages are accessibility, safety, and environmental friendliness.
Folk remedies for combating the Colorado potato beetle are based on the use of decoctions and infusions that repel or poison the insect. Thus, the following folk recipes show high efficiency:
- An infusion of onion peels is the most affordable remedy for pests. To prepare the infusion, 300 g of husk is placed in a bucket of boiling water and infused for 24 hours. Horsetail infusion is prepared in the same proportions and using similar technology.
- An infusion to combat Colorado insects can be prepared from walnut shells. To do this, pour 300 g of shell with a bucket of water and leave for a week. You can speed up the process of preparing the infusion by periodically heating it.
- A decoction of elecampane is prepared by adding 100 g of herb to a bucket of water. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. After preparation, water is added to the broth until a volume of 10 liters is obtained.
- An infusion of tobacco repels harmful beetles. To prepare the product, add 500 g of crushed tobacco and leave for 2 days.
- An infusion can be prepared from wood ash and liquid soap.
All folk remedies for protecting plants from the Colorado pest are harmless, but their use allows you to get rid of the scourge only for a short period of time. Thus, to effectively protect crops, treatment should be carried out once a week, which requires a lot of time and effort.
You can get acquainted with other folk remedies for protecting plants from harmful beetles in the video:
Preventive methods of plant protection
Many farmers are thinking about how to get rid of Colorado potato beetles forever. Unfortunately, this is practically impossible. However, it is still possible to protect plants from insects using preventive methods. To do this you need:
- grow nightshade crops in a new place every year;
- use joint planting of nightshade crops with coriander, mint, elecampane, horseradish, marigolds and some other fragrant plants;
- before planting plants, add a significant amount of wood ash to the soil, which will become a source of potassium and phosphorus, and will also repel the pest;
- timely hilling of potatoes is also a measure to protect plants from beetles;
- Regular inspection of plants will allow the first appearance of a beetle to destroy it without allowing it to lay eggs;
- pre-treatment of soil with chemicals. It can be carried out in early spring by watering or sprinkling the soil with chemicals, for example, Aktara. The substance will destroy beetles in the soil and quickly disintegrate without causing harm to the crop;
- installation of baits throughout the entire area of the ridges.
The method using baits must be used even before the crop germinates.Baits are small containers, for example, tin cans, inside which pieces of potatoes from the previous season are placed. Beetles will crawl into containers in search of food, which will make them easier to collect for mechanical destruction.
Conclusion
There are many different preparations and means to protect plants from harmful insects. Each farmer decides for himself how to poison the Colorado potato beetle, depending on what result he wants to get. Of course, the fastest-acting and highly effective remedy is a chemical, however, it is always worth remembering that it has a harmful effect not only on the insect, but also on humans. Biological products and folk remedies eliminate the lack of chemicals, but they can provide reliable plant protection only with regular use. Preventive means of combating the Colorado insect are also not a panacea, however, they can significantly reduce the level of harmful influence. The best effect is achieved by comprehensive plant protection with alternating use of all the proposed means.
