How to permanently get rid of the Colorado potato beetle and how to poison it

Many insect pests attack the garden every season. But some of them are so clearly parasitic on the beds that they cannot be overlooked. These pests include Colorado beetles. Each summer resident of the Colorado potato beetle and the struggle with it are associated with certain difficulties. The main reason for the hatred of the gardeners to this small bug is its voracity and quantity. The distribution of the species occurs quickly, and it is very difficult to prevent its spread over all plants that it prefers. This evil can be removed from the garden only by using effective agents at the early stage of infection.

Brief Description of the View

The pest owes its name to the US state of Colorado, where its large-scale invasion of potato fields was recorded. The insect itself belongs to the family of leaf beetles and was first discovered in Mexico. There, it specialized in the destruction of tobacco leaves and nightshade. Later, the leaf beetle spread to the north of the mainland, where it adapted to eat potato tops.

The Colorado potato beetle is very noticeable on plants due to its bright colors - yellow and black stripes. He is the most famous pest of potato tops. The size of the leaf beetle usually does not exceed 1 cm in length. But in width it is almost the same.

Photos of the Colorado potato beetle demonstrate its conspicuity against a background of dark green leaves. The rounded body covers the chitinous layer, under which the wings hide. The beetle flies perfectly, so its invasion of the gardens can catch by surprise any owner of potato plantings.

On a note!

Damage by bugs to about 80% of green potato seedlings results in the loss of at least half of the crop.

Leaf beetles have enviable fertility. One female is able to lay about 500 eggs at a time. Clutch can be found on the back of potato leaves. Small red eggs impress with their numbers. The larvae hatching from them are bright red insects with a black head and limbs. They are very similar to the formed beetles, but do not have a protective shell of chitin.

Red beetles have no less appetite than adults. Feeding on the soft parts of the leaves, they leave behind only the middle veins. After 2-3 weeks, the larvae descend into the ground for pupation. After another 2 weeks, an adult is formed from the pupa, which can remain in the ground until next spring or crawl out and continue wrecking.

Striped insects, in addition to potatoes, would like to enjoy the leaves of other garden crops:

• eggplant;
• a tomato;
• bell pepper;
• pumpkin;
• zucchini;
• watermelon and others.

In order to save potatoes or other garden crops from a ruthless and gluttonous pest, it is necessary to apply effective methods to combat the Colorado potato beetle in time.The extermination of the beetle consists in the destruction of all insects at different stages of development: eggs, larvae and adults.

Fighting the Colorado potato beetle

Before you get rid of the Colorado potato beetle in the garden, you need to analyze the current situation. If insects appeared on plants in the initial period of vegetation or flowering, this threatens with the loss of most of the crop, since inflorescences can be damaged. Weak flowering will attract few pollinating insects, and the plant may remain a hollow.

In such risky cases, control measures must be quickly taken and brought into action. Any hitch will cause the death of most of the crop. In another situation, when beetles were found on potatoes in the final period of root crop formation, they do not pose a great danger to the crop. For different cases, it is advisable to use the appropriate methods of combating the Colorado potato beetle.

Among the wide variety of pest control agents, several treatment options are distinguished:

• the use of biological preparations that do not adversely affect the fruits of the plant (Bitoxibacillin, Colorado, Boverin, FitovermAgravertin);
• the use of potent chemicals which are used in accordance with the instructions and in compliance with safety measures ( Aktara , Sonnet, Corado , Regent, Confidor);
• folk methodsbased on the accumulated experience of people and using safe tools at hand.

Each summer resident chooses the best method for processing the garden from the Colorado potato beetle.

On a note!

Before you fight the Colorado potato beetle, you should warn about the processing of neighbors in the site. If striped guests also host their beds, it is recommended to carry out all the procedures for getting rid of pests at the same time. Then the insects will not have a chance to hide in the nearby garden.

Bioactive agents

A safe option to etch leaf beetles from potato plantations is to use preparations containing special bacteria. Such methods of combating the Colorado potato beetle do not affect the condition of the soil and vegetables, as well as the health of the person himself.

The effectiveness of this effect on leaf beetles consists in uniformly spraying the entire plant. The solution with bacteria enters the body of the insect, thereby destroying it from the inside. A few days later the beetle dies. It is impossible to poison the eggs in this way, so the procedure must be repeated after 2 weeks, when the larvae appear.

Colorado

The biological product is made on the basis of biological ingredients that stimulate the growth and development of plants, but adversely affect insects. The dry contents of the package are dissolved in water in a ratio of 150 grams per 10 liters. The resulting solution is sprayed with each potato bush. The procedure is recommended in dry weather.

On a note!

After a week, you need to repeat the treatment to destroy the newly hatched larvae from the eggs. If necessary, spraying can be repeated if leaf beetles appear from the ground or from neighboring areas.

Bitoxibacillin

Brown powder is a reliable protector of vegetable crops from pests. Besides Colorado potato beetle a biological product will help to exterminate other insects:

• aphids;
• spider mite;
• caterpillars;
• cabbage moth;
• meadow moth and others.

The action of the drug is based on organic toxins that enter the body of the insect along with foliage and create an unfavorable environment. The death of pests occurs 4-5 days after spraying the plants.

The solution is obtained by mixing 100 grams of the product with 10 liters of water. Spraying is performed 2-3 times with an interval of 7-8 days. During the season, you can repeat the processing again.The effectiveness of the action of the biological agent depends on what time of the day the treatment was carried out and in what weather.

On a note!

According to the instructions for the drug, the greatest likelihood of poisoning the leaf beetles exists when the treatment is carried out in the morning in sunny and calm weather. The air temperature should be 18-25 ° C.

Fitoverm

The biological product is made from the metaplasma of fungi that live in the soil. Getting into the digestive system of an insect, the active substance paralyzes the internal organs. As a result, potato beetles die in 3 days.

Important!

During the use of the drug, a person should use personal protective equipment: gloves, a respirator, tight clothing.

To achieve the best result, spraying plants should be carried out in the morning or in the evening in the absence of dew on the leaves. The air temperature should be above 18 ° C. The solution is prepared at the rate of 2 ml of emulsion per 1 liter of water. On sale there are ampoules of small volumes, as well as containers with an already prepared composition of 5 liters.

Feedback

Every year I process potato beds with bitoxibacillin. Reliable and inexpensive remedy for beetles. The main thing in this process is to understand in time when to poison the Colorado potato beetle. As soon as I see red larvae on the leaves, I immediately spray it with a solution. Then again after 7-10 days. I use this tool for the third season, so far without complaints.

Alexey, Saratov

Feedback

My effective fight against the Colorado leaf beetle is to spray potatoes Fitoverm. Prior to this, I did not know the best way to poison these bugs. And the neighbor in the country prompted this biological product. The main thing is that it does not harm potatoes.

Hope, Yaroslavl

The use of chemicals

Potent chemicals against pests do their job well. They are able to kill most of the insects in one application. This fight with the Colorado potato beetle has its drawbacks:

1. Chemical treatment is carried out at a strictly defined time until 10 am or after 18 pm. The weather should be calm and warm. For greater efficiency, the next 3 days after treatment should be no precipitation.
2. It is not recommended to remove beetles to people with a tendency to allergic reactions, pregnant and lactating women, children under 18 years of age.
3. During treatment, a person should wear a protective suit, gloves, and a respirator. Throughout the procedure, you can not eat food and drinks, smoke. At the end of all work, you need to rinse your mouth with water, wash your face and hands with soap. Clothes should be washed at high temperature.
4. To poison the Colorado potato beetle with chemistry, use a special sprayer or spray gun that should not be used for other purposes. After processing, you need to rinse all parts of the sprayer, dry them and store in a non-residential premise separately from food.

Aktara

The Swiss insecticide contains the active substance thiamethoxam, which is absorbed by the plant through the surface of the leaves or through watering the soil. Getting along with food in the body of pests, poison destroys their nervous system. After 30 minutes, the insect can not move and dies.

For spraying, you need to prepare a solution at the rate of 4 grams of substance per 1 liter of water. Apply the resulting composition immediately. Poison the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes in sunny weather at temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius.

On a note!

If it rains after treatment, it will wash most of the product off the leaves, and the result will be zero. Before processing plants, you need to make sure that rain is not expected in the next day.

With the help of Actara, you cannot destroy the eggs of the Colorado potato beetle. But the larvae that emerge from them will consume the tops to be processed.The residual toxin content in the foliage lasts about a month.

Regent

A highly effective contact-intestinal pesticide is able to poison potato garden pests in one application. The regent can be used in the fight against leaf beetles, which have already developed immunity to certain insecticides.

The advantage of this drug is its effectiveness even at high air temperatures. A day after spraying, all insects die. Insecticide, getting inside through food or direct contact, paralyzes the internal organs of striped leaf beetles.

The regent is available as a concentrated liquid in ampoules or as an odorless powder. During the preparation of the working solution and the application itself, safety measures must be observed: wear glasses or a mask, cover all parts of the body with protective clothing.

Feedback

My favorite method of dealing with leaf beetles is the use of Actara. A good preparation helps to quickly get rid of parasites on potatoes. I use it for 2 consecutive seasons, I recommend it to all summer residents.

Michael, Ufa

Folk methods of struggle

For those people who are categorically against the use of insecticides and other toxic agents on their beds, there are many popular ways to combat the Colorado potato beetle. The most popular among them are the following:

1. Wood ash fertilize the land while planting potatoes. When flowering begins, flowers can be sprinkled with fine ash. Colorado potato beetle avoids contact with ash. This method of combating leaf beetle is also a good fertilizer.
2. A soap solution based on laundry soap is sprayed on tops of potatoes. To do this, one piece of soap is crushed in a bucket of water and left to infuse for half an hour.
3. Tobacco infusion capable of effectively etching a striped pest. A home remedy can be prepared as follows: pour 200 grams of dried tobacco with 10 liters of water and infuse the mixture for 2 days. Then strain the infusion and spray it with plants.
4. Celandine broth is known for its use against leaf beetles. The recipe for celandine is quite simple. Leaves and stems of celandine should be filled with warm water in a ratio of 1 kg per 10 liters of water. 15 grams of calcium chloride per 1 liter of water are dissolved in a separate container. Mix both solutions, filter and spray the tops with the resulting liquid.
5. Soda and vinegar are effectively used in the fight against the striped leaf beetle. To obtain a solution, 100 grams of baking soda or tea soda is mixed with 100 ml of table vinegar and with 10 liters of water. The mixture is suitable for spraying potatoes.
6. The most natural remedy for beetles is their natural enemies. Many types of home birds feed on colorado potato beetle. So that the birds willingly ate them, chickens from three weeks of age are mixed with chopped potato tops and chopped beetles in food. After reaching 2-3 months, the young bird is released into the garden.
7. Plain garlic from the Colorado potato beetle also helps. To do this, grind 200 grams of cloves and add green arrows to a bucket of water. Insist the liquid for 4 days, and then spray it on a green tops.
8. The natural enemies of the striped leaf beetle include some insects: ladybug, wireworm, lacewing, ground beetle, spider. These useful insects cannot be destroyed.
9. Before pouring potatoes by any means, you can try to collect the beetles manually. If their number has not yet managed to grow, the procedure of shaking insects with a broom in a wide container or basin will be quite effective. The collected leaf beetles can be poured into a deep jar and filled with gasoline or kerosene. This method of struggle is the safest.

Feedback

I have heard many times about different ways to control pests, but I wanted to find a recipe on how to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle forever.After reading reviews about celandine, I decided to try this recipe: I poured a third of a bucket of plant leaves with water and boiled the solution for 15 minutes. Then the liquid is cooled and diluted with water in the ratio of 1 liter of broth to 10 liters of water. After one spray, all insects die.

Maria, Pskov

Feedback

Over the years, I fought the beetle, collecting it manually. And recently I came across on the Internet reviews about the fight against the Colorado potato beetle and found a new way for myself. One bag of mustard powder is dissolved in a bucket of water and 100 ml of 9% vinegar are added there. Instead of mustard, red pepper is allowed. By spraying with such a solution, all insects can be stained. The effect is instant!

Peter, Moscow