When and how to spray and process potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle

Many gardeners plant potatoes, which have long become one of the staple foods. It is not difficult to grow it, but the overseas guests of the Colorado, who are capable of destroying all plantings in a short time, become an obstacle to a large harvest. Therefore, the processing of potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle should be carried out regularly and carefully, starting from the preparation of planting material and ending with the harvest.

Colorado potato beetle and its nutrition

Wintered underground colorado beetles they begin to appear on the surface already with warming up to + 10-14ºС, which in the middle zone of Russia occurs in late April and early May. After that, adult females actively lay on young, freshly sprouted potato sprouts, egg-laying.

The main food for the Colorado is potato tops, which are eaten in large quantities by both larvae and adult beetles. Their development from eggs begins when buds and flowers appear on the bushes, and it is at that moment that the planting of unprocessed potatoes is most vulnerable and suffers from an invasion of pests.

If nothing is done at such a time, then Colorado beetles are able to eat almost 80% of the green mass of bushes, which will entail a strong decrease in crop productivity.

On a note!

The danger of the Colorado potato beetle is its extraordinary voracity and high breeding rate. One female can lay up to 500 eggs during the spring-summer season, from which red fast-growing larvae that feed exclusively on young potato leaves and flowers are hatched.

When to spray potatoes?

If you plan to process various pest control, then you need to know how and when to spray potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle. The optimal time is selected based on the variety of vegetable:

• it is better to sprinkle early potatoes when the first eggs laid by the females appear, then again after 10-14 days;
• middle and late varieties are sprayed with a large number of larvae and adult pests.

The best time for spraying is dry and calm weather, with high humidity, the poisons will become less concentrated, which will reduce their effectiveness. In hot weather, handling is hazardous to health due to the strong toxic fumes of chemicals.

You should also know the time when it is better to process potato bushes: it is morning hours before 9-10 and evening hours after 18, but you must also make sure that there are no dew or raindrops on the leaves.

In the period of mass flowering sprinkle potatoes not recommended, because when forming tubers, the plant is vulnerable to chemicals, and toxic drugs can destroy not only harmful but also beneficial pollinating insects. Therefore, it is better to postpone the treatment until the end of flowering.

If the manual assembly of the Colorado potato beetles at such a time does not bring success, then you can use biological products that will do less harm to the crop and help protect the bushes from harmful insects.

Important!

Processing chemicals can be carried out no less than 2-3 weeks before the start of harvesting potatoes, otherwise the resulting tubers will be harmful to health.

Ways to deal with the Colorado potato beetle

When choosing a tool or method than to process potatoes from a Colorado potato beetle, one must take into account the degree of damage to the bushes by larvae or adult insects, the vegetative period of the development of the bush, the presence of flowers and the amount of time left before harvesting.

With a small defeat by pests of flowers and tops, it is recommended to use manual collection of beetles and other folk methods, with mass reproduction - you can not do without chemical means.

On a note!

After processing with chemical insecticides, you can eat potatoes only after no less than 20 days. During this period, toxic substances decompose into harmless chemical compounds, and the grown tubers become suitable for human consumption.

Traditional methods of protecting potatoes

Many gardeners try do not use chemicals, and use only plant infusions or decoctions, which are treated with bushes. You need to cook them immediately before spraying potatoes, and always repeat the procedure, as they do not act on eggs and larvae.

Popular methods and recipes against the Colorado potato beetle:

• powdering tubers with birch wood ash powder during planting;
• decoction of horsetail and dandelion, which are taken in equal parts, pour water and bring the mixture to a boil, then you need to cool, strain and dilute in a ratio of 500 g of decoction per bucket of water before spraying;
• a solution of dry celandine plants: they are put into a bucket, then water is poured and heated to a boil, then the broth cools, it is filtered and added to a bucket of 0.5 l for spraying;
• infusion of 200 g of sifted wood ash and 200 g of freshly chopped wormwood is prepared with boiling water, leave for 3 hours, mix well and filter, then spray them with plants;
• wood ash, well sifted, can also be used in dry form, regularly sprinkling potato bushes, which helps get rid of Colorado beetles in a week;
• a decoction of 3 kg of tomato tops per 10 l of heated water is prepared by boiling it for 30 minutes, then it is insisted, filtered and diluted at a rate of 1: 5 with the addition of 40 g of grated laundry soap;
• a solution of 100 g of dry mustard per bucket of water, 100 g of 9% vinegar are added there, then you need to sprinkle them with potato bushes.

Biological products

Biological preparations for processing potatoes are safe for the soil and destroy only striped pests. Their active ingredients are not harmful when released into the air, water and young tubers.

Popular biologics:

• Bitobaxibacillin or Bicol - is available in the form of a powder or tablets containing spore-crystalline ingredients and exotoxin. The maximum number of treatments over the summer is 4 times. Before spraying, a solution is prepared at the rate of 40-100 g per bucket of water. The drug contains bacteria spores that penetrate the intestines of larvae and beetles and begin to develop, paralyzing the nervous system and causing mutations in adults, they also infect their counterparts. Beetles emerging from poisoned larvae are not able to reproduce.
• Fitoverm - refers to bioactive drugs that paralyze insects after entering their body, which occurs 8-10 hours after processing potatoes. The death of larvae and adults occurs after 3-6 days.Its disadvantage is the lack of damage to the ovipositor, which is why it is necessary to re-spray after the next generation. Minimum air temperature during processing: + 18ºС.
• Agravertin is a bio-insecticidal preparation containing Avertin N, acting similarly to Fitoverm, the only difference is that potato tops can be processed at lower air temperatures - from + 12ºС. It also protects against thrips, spider mites and other pests. Spraying should be carried out every 2 days at least 3 times.

Chemicals for processing

Insecticides are rightfully considered the most effective in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, because in their composition are potent poisons. Therefore, when choosing how to spray potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle, it is recommended to focus on proven and highly effective drugs.

The most popular chemical insecticides:

• Colorado - insect-fungicide, contains the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, which does not depend on washing off by rain, because it penetrates the green parts of plants and poisons pests after eating them tops. It has a protective effect and stimulates the growth of plants, valid for 2-4 weeks. It is recommended for repeated spraying from the Colorado potato beetle, but no later than 20 days before the start of the harvest.
• Aktara - Instecticidal preparation, is available in several forms (suspension, granules, tablets, powder), which can be processed after planting when seedlings appear and before flowering of potato bushes begins, it is detrimental for several hours.
• Destroy - a systemic contact agent containing imidoclooprid, lambdacigalotrin, is recommended for use in the northern regions, because it retains its properties at low temperatures.
• Killer - includes the insecticidal components cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos, which allow you to quickly destroy larvae and beetles in one spray.
• Confidor Extra - refers to the latest generation of systemic insecticides that have almost no effect on root crops.
• Euphoria - an insecticide whose components (thiamethoxam, lambdacigalotrin, etc.) not only destroy pests, but also feed the plants due to the content of vitamins, it is recommended to use every 14 days.
• As well as Bankol, Senpai, Decis, Karate, Regent and etc.

Important!

In order to spray potato tops correctly, when preparing an active solution of each drug, one should be guided by the attached instructions, it is impossible to exceed the dosage of an insecticidal agent due to its likely negative effect on the plant. Wear protective clothing, a respirator, gloves, and goggles during processing. After spraying, wash your face, hands, clothes and shoes well.

Protecting potato tubers before planting

In recent years, new potent drugs have appeared that are not used during the massive attack of Colorado potato beetles, but when planting tubers. The uniqueness of these products is that toxic substances penetrate only into potato tops, by eating which, larvae and adult pests poison and die.

The duration of action of such funds is 45-50 days, during which the potato bushes have time to grow well, safely survive the period of flowering and the formation of young tubers. Then caring owners can already decide what measures to use to further destroy the adult Colorado potato beetles, given the processing time and the approaching harvest.

Advantages of preplant treatment:

• increased yield of bushes;
• the ability to protect plants from insect pests and diseases for a long time;
• reduction in the number of sprayings;
• improving the quality of tubers and promoting good preservation of the crop.

Tools are used in several ways:

• processing from a sprayer of planting material laid out on a film, and then drying;
• soaking nets with tubers in the prepared solution, guided by the instructions for this drug, then drying and planting;
• spraying with the preparation of holes or furrows with spreading tubers.

These drugs include:

• Prestige, Chameleon - insecticides for spraying planting tubers, suitable for medium and medium late varieties, applied directly by spraying potatoes before planting them in the ground;
• Taboo, Cruiser - used for dressing potato tubers of early varieties, the prepared solution can be processed decomposed planting material or add it to the holes or furrows with potatoes.

In order to save potato bushes from Colorado potato beetles and get a good harvest, it is necessary to use all kinds of methods and means of control, starting from preplant planting and ending with the destruction of numerous pests in adult bushes. The choice between folk recipes and chemicals depends on the degree of damage to plantings in the garden, as well as the possibilities and wishes of the owner.