Colorado potato beetle: fighting it 

The most famous enemy of all nightshade crops is the Colorado potato beetle. It parasitizes on fresh leaves of plants and is capable of completely destroying plantings of potatoes or, for example, tomatoes in a short period of time. Fighting the beetle is quite difficult, since even the destruction of adults by mechanical means will not solve the problem: 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. So, various poison from the Colorado potato beetle can be an effective means of protecting plants. We will try to tell you about how to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle with folk remedies, biologics and chemicals below in the article.

The enemy must be known “by sight” 

Back in 1859, colonies of little-studied striped beetles in Colorado mercilessly destroyed potato fields, leaving residents without a crop. “In honor” of this event, the beetle, originally from Mexico, began to be called the Colorado. With merchant ships, the insect repeatedly tried to penetrate the European continent, however, a successful attempt to resettle the pest dates back to 1918. Gradually, moving from France, the pest conquered more and more space, parasitizing on the fields of nightshade crops. Today, the beetle can be found in almost every garden in Our Country.

The Colorado potato beetle is difficult to confuse with other insects. Its shape is oval, convex, the dimensions can be quite impressive: length from 8 to 12 mm, width up to 7 mm. On the back of the insect, one can see strong elytra with original coloration: 5 black stripes flaunt on each yellow-orange elytron. The wings of this harmful insect are very well developed, which allows it to move freely 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 fixed 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 plate 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.

The larvae of the Colorado potato beetle do not have wings. Their body is represented by a soft tissue of orange or pink color. This is due to the fact that the larvae, when eating leaves, digest all trace elements, except for carotene, which gives a certain shade to their body. On the sides of the larva, 2 rows of black dots can be seen.

With the onset of autumn, adult insects burrow into the ground to a depth of 50 cm, which allows them to successfully winter and, next year, with the advent of spring, again intensify their harmful activity.

Remedies for the Colorado potato beetle 

After reviewing the description, it should be clear what the Colorado potato beetle looks like, now it remains only to understand how to deal with it. And there are several methods of pest control: having found a leaf beetle, you can use special chemical, biological substances or folk remedies. Also, when faced with a problem, do not forget about preventive measures to combat the Colorado insect.

Use of chemicals

There are various types of poisons that kill the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle and its adults. Among other things, the greatest effect is possessed by:

Aktara

The drug is based on the chemical thiamethoxam. This is a relatively new development of 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. Use a chemical to spray the tops of plants. Upon contact with the leaves, the drug quickly penetrates through their wax plate and spreads along the stems. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity, as well as rain, do not affect the effectiveness of the substance after it has been absorbed into the leaves of plants. The chemical lasts for 30 days.

The drug has a longer period of protection when watering plants under the root, however, such treatment negatively affects the quality of root crops, which is important when it comes to potatoes. After treatment with Aktara, the larvae and adult Colorado potato beetles die within 60 minutes.

Fas

This domestic preparation 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 substance of the drug is deltamethrin.

“Fas” has an enteric-contact effect, destroying insects immediately after eating the processed leaves. The poison lasts for 21 days. The analogue of the drug is “Decis Profi VDG”.

Inta-Vir

Known drug in the form of tablets. 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 agent 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 a working solution, it is necessary 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. The analogues of the drug are “Punisher VDG”, “Bushido VDG”.

In practice, among all available chemicals, preparations based on imidacloprid have the highest efficiency in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle. These include Zubr, Iskra Zolotaya, Komandor, Kalash and some others. These funds really destroy the Colorado potato beetle, its larvae and eggs quickly enough, providing reliable plant protection for a long period. So, having processed the plantings once, you can forget about the pest for 170-180 days. However, it must be understood that such efficiency is ensured by the high toxicity of the substance. It penetrates not only into the stems and leaves, but also into the fruits of various crops. At the same time, the period of complete disintegration of the drug occurs only 700 days after its use, which means that even next year’s crop will contain a harmful chemical.

Thus, comparing all the listed preparations for the Colorado potato beetle, it is worth recommending Aktar, since it reliably fights insects and has low toxicity, quickly decomposes in the soil. Among the disadvantages of the substance, a rather high cost and the need for repeated use in a season should be highlighted. Information about other chemicals from the Colorado insect can be found in the video:

Biopreparations

Many farmers have a negative attitude towards various chemicals and do not use them on their plots, referring to the fact that substances accumulate in fruits and negatively affect the human body. Of course, such an effect 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, highly effective biological products can be recommended that will protect plantings from pests and preserve the environmental friendliness of the crop.

Bithoxybacillin

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, not accumulating in the fruits and soil. The impact 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 repeatedly at any stage of vegetation, which is its main advantage. As a rule, four treatments are sufficient for the protection of plants for the entire period of cultivation of the crop. At the same time, bacteria have a better effect on the pest at an ambient temperature 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.

Lepidocid

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. For spraying plants, the substance is dissolved in water in accordance with the instructions. Processing is recommended to be carried out in warm, calm weather.

Each gardener decides how to spray his plants on his own. However, the method using biologics is preferred. 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 advantage is availability, safety, environmental friendliness.

Folk remedies for the fight against the Colorado potato beetle are based on the use of decoctions and infusions that repel or poison the insect. So, the following popular recipes show high efficiency:

1. An infusion of onion peel is the most affordable remedy for a pest. To prepare the infusion, 300 g of husks are placed in a bucket of boiling water and infused for a day. Horsetail infusion is prepared in the same proportions and using a similar technology.
2. An infusion to combat Colorado insects can be prepared from walnut shells. To do this, 300 g of the shell is poured with a bucket of water and insisted for a week. You can speed up the process of preparing the infusion by periodically heating.
3. A decoction of elecampane is prepared by adding 100 g of herb to a bucket of water. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. After cooking, water is added to the broth until a volume of 10 liters is obtained.
4. An infusion of tobacco repels a harmful beetle. To prepare the product, add 500 g of crushed tobacco and infuse for 2 days.
5. The 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. So, for effective protection of crops, processing 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 a harmful beetle on 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. For this you need:

• annually grow nightshade crops in a new place;
• use the joint planting of nightshade crops with coriander, mint, elecampane, horseradish, marigolds and some other smelling plants;
• before planting plants in the soil, add a significant amount of wood ash, which will become a source of potassium and phosphorus, and will also scare away the pest;
• timely hilling of potatoes is also a measure of protecting plants from the beetle;
• regular inspection of plants will allow, at the first appearance of a beetle, to destroy it without allowing it to lay eggs;
• soil pretreatment 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 the beetles in the ground and quickly disintegrate without harming the crop;
• installation of baits throughout the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe ridges.

The bait method must be used before the culture has germinated. Baits are small containers, such as tin cans, inside which pieces of last season’s potatoes are placed. Beetles in search of food will crawl into containers, which will facilitate their collection for mechanical destruction.

Conclusion

There are many different preparations and means for protecting plants from a harmful insect. How to poison the Colorado potato beetle, each farmer decides for himself, depending on what result he wants to get. Of course, the fastest-acting agent with high efficiency is a chemical, however, it is always worth remembering that it has a harmful effect not only on an insect, but also on a person. Biological products and folk remedies eliminate the lack of chemicals, but reliable plant protection can only be provided with regular use. Preventive means of combating the Colorado insect are also not a panacea, however, they can significantly reduce the level of harmful effects. The best effect is given by complex plant protection with the alternating use of all the proposed means.