What does the Colorado potato beetle look like and how to deal with it?

The Colorado potato beetle is considered one of the main pests of potatoes and other nightshades. Therefore, everyone who plans to plant such plants in their area should find out in advance how to deal with this striped pest.

This insect was first discovered in North America. It got its name after it managed to destroy the potato crop in the entire state of Colorado. It got to Europe at the end of the 19th century. On the territory of Russia, the beetle appeared only in the second half of the last century. Initially, no one understood where he came from and how to deal with him. Now gardeners have already learned how to destroy these pests. But this is still very difficult to do.

Grown-up individuals are large. They eat greens in the garden even more actively. In adult beetles, a denser shell appears. Its color can be black and red or black and yellow. The paws of such a beetle are very tenacious. Therefore, he moves without any problems on any surfaces. If necessary, beetles fly from place to place.

Such beetles hibernate underground. They are resistant to all weather conditions. Therefore, pests feel good even in the northern regions of the country. After the end of winter, Colorado beetles come to the surface. They also begin to actively eat young greens. Beetles reproduce quickly. Females lay eggs on the inside of the sheets. It is from these red-orange eggs that new larvae are taken.

The Colorado potato beetle lives no more than a year. But even during this time, he manages to very much harm the plants. These pests are extremely gluttonous. They destroy the beds with potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes. The beetles completely eat the green foliage, leaving behind only the stems.

This is very bad for the condition of the beds. In this case, there is definitely no need to wait for a good harvest. Fighting Colorado beetles is difficult. They multiply quickly and easily get used to the effects of various insecticides.

One of the easiest methods of killing Colorado beetles is manual collection. This should be done at the beginning of the season, when there are not very many pests on the site. No special devices are used for this. It is enough to pick up an empty jar in which the caught insects will be placed.

It is recommended to collect beetles early in the morning.... To prevent them from crawling out of the jar, it is worth pouring a strong saline solution or water and soap into it. It is not recommended to crush the beetles during the collection process.

If the site is small, the process of finding and eliminating pests will not take much time. Larger gardeners are better off using other insect control methods.

Most often, gardeners use chemical or biological drugs. It is very convenient to poison the Colorado potato beetles with such means.The poison quickly destroys pests.

There are two types of Colorado beetle control chemicals. The former are used for spraying grown potatoes and other plants. The second insecticides are used to treat tubers before planting. They make potatoes resistant to these pests.

The following products receive good reviews from gardeners.

• Aktara. This preparation is perfect for treating garden beds. This solution is resistant to heat. However, it is not combined with various insecticides, as well as growth stimulants.

• "Commander"... This insecticide is also considered to be very effective. It is sold in small ampoules. The product is diluted in warm water before use. The finished product is poured into a sprayer. You can use the device with a solution in any weather.

• "Prestige"... This product is good in that it helps to protect the site not only from Colorado potato beetles, but also from fungal diseases. The substance is used to treat the tubers before planting. Before use, the product must be diluted and only then used for spraying potatoes.

• "Regent"... This poison is sold in packs of 500 grams. It is excellent for the fight against Colorado potato beetles. The product is used for spraying green spaces. As a rule, 1-2 treatments are carried out per season.

In the process of processing a site with chemicals, it is worth adhering to the following rules.

1. Always check the expiration date before using chemicals. There is no point in using expired products.
2. Treat the site early in the morning or late in the evening. It is not recommended to use chemicals in hot weather. Their vapors can be very harmful to humans.
3. You need to prepare products for spraying the beds, following the instructions on the package. It is not recommended to break the proportions.
4. Before treating the site, be sure to wear a protective suit, rubber gloves and goggles.
5. After the end of the procedure, it is advisable to take a shower and wash your clothes.

Biological products are quite popular among gardeners. They are less toxic than chemicals. After processing the bushes, the fruits can be harvested from them in 7-9 days. They will not pose any danger to people.

It is recommended to treat the area with biological preparations 2-3 times during the whole season. The fact is that they destroy only adult pests and larvae. The eggs remain intact.

To get rid of the Colorado potato beetles, potatoes can be sprayed with preparations such as Fitoverm, Apache or Koragen... They are highly effective and protect plants well.

It is worth remembering that all biological products have their own characteristics of use. Therefore, before use, it is very important to carefully read the instructions that are in the packages.

Some gardeners prefer to use folk remedies for pest control. Summer residents should pay attention to the following products.

1. Wood ash. Dry wood ash is often used for pest control. For work, you need to use clean ash without admixtures of burnt debris. You can treat the site from pests with both dry ash and a solution prepared on its basis. To prepare such a product, 2 kg of ash must be diluted in 10 liters of clean water. The product must be further diluted before use. A liter of such a product is diluted in 8-10 liters of pure water.
2. Mustard... Treating the beds with a mustard powder solution is also good for pest control. 100 grams of the product is diluted in 5-6 liters of water. Add 50 ml of vinegar there.This tool can be used to treat bushes even during flowering.
3. Onion... Onion skins will also help to destroy pests. It needs to be placed in a three-liter jar. The container should be one third full of husk. Next, you need to add warm water to the jar. After that, the container with the husk must be sent to a warm place for two days. Before use, the product is diluted with warm water in a ratio of one to two. After that, a little soap solution or liquid soap is added to the container. You can sprinkle the beds with the resulting product immediately.
4. Bitter pepper. Another soap-based product is a hot pepper solution. To prepare it, 10 liters of water must be brought to a boil. You need to pour 100 grams of dried material into the container. The mixture must be boiled for two hours. When it cools down, add a small amount of soap shavings to the pan. Mix everything well and use for spraying green bushes.
5. Walnuts. You can get rid of beetles without the use of chemicals with the help of the fruits and leaves of walnuts. They must be placed in a deep container and filled with boiling water. The product is infused for 7-10 days, and then filtered. The resulting preparation can be sprayed on the area.
6. Birch tar... You can also kill pests with preparations based on birch tar. For its preparation, 100 grams of the product is diluted in 10 liters of water. Spraying the area with such a tool is carried out in the evening.
7. Ammonia. A solution based on this product is prepared according to the same principle as a product with tar. In 10 liters of water, 500 ml of the substance is diluted. Before spraying, you can add a small amount of laundry soap to a container of water. The finished product is thoroughly mixed, and then used to process the beds.

Homemade traps can also be used to control pests. Such devices are very simple to make. The gardener needs to take a few plastic bottles. Their number depends on the size of the garden.

The edge of each bottle must be carefully cut off. Inside you need to place diced potatoes. The container should be carefully immersed in the soil. Over time, the trap will fill up with pests. After that, you need to get it, and kill the bugs. You can use this trap several times in a row.

Colorado beetles have many enemies in nature. A large number of birds feed on these insects. Attracting them to your site is quite simple. To do this, hang several feeders in the garden.

Poultry can also be taught to eat bugs. Geese, chickens, and also guinea fowls do an excellent job with this task. It is worth teaching poultry to eat Colorado beetles from childhood. Chickens should be allowed into the garden with great care and not for long. Otherwise, they can also peck at young foliage and harm the crop.

Colorado beetles find nightshade beds by smell. Therefore, it makes sense to plant herbs and flowers next to them that have a strong aroma. This will make it harder for Colorado beetles to find food.

For this purpose, you can use dill, coriander, basil and calendula. Onions and garlic can also be planted near the plot. It is useful to place legumes along the beds.

Since the pests quickly adapt to new conditions and get used to various insecticides, it has not yet been possible to breed completely resistant to Colorado potato beetles. But there are plants that do not seem so attractive to pests.

It is worth paying attention to the following varieties of potatoes.

• "Luck"... This is an unpretentious variety. Plants do not need to be sprayed regularly. Potatoes also yield good yields. The only drawback of this variety is that the culture is often affected by a nematode.

• "Kamensky"... These plants are distinguished by good resistance to the effects of beetles. Potatoes are characterized by increased productivity. The fruits ripen early, which is also considered a big plus.

• "Lasunok". This type of potato is ideal for planting in central Russia. Potatoes are resistant to pests and have a very pleasant taste.

Help in the fight against beetles and preventive measures.

1. Hilling and weeding... The site must be regularly cleared of weeds. Particular attention should be paid to weeding the beds during the flowering of potatoes. The bushes need to be spud several times during the season.
2. Correct autumn care. After harvesting, it is important to clear the area of ​​dry shoots and weeds. All plant material must be heaped and burned or taken out of the site. It is also important to remove all tubers from the site.
3. Spring processing of the site... Before planting plants, the territory should be well dug up. This will eliminate the beetles that hibernate in the soil.

It is worth remembering that it is impossible to get rid of the Colorado beetles once and for all, therefore it is necessary to fight them annually.