The Colorado potato beetle - the main enemy of potatoes, appeared along with an amazing fruit. The appearance in Russia is dated to the end of the XVII century and is associated with the name of Emperor Peter I, the Fight against him is ongoing, but not one gardener was able to completely get rid of the insidious pest.
Colorado potato beetle: features
The striped beetle quickly adapts to any remedy that is used against it. In no case can one ignore them, they are so voracious that they can destroy the whole crop, and also multiply and grow very quickly. One female can lay up to 1000 eggs per summer. Colorado easily adapt to any conditions, burrowing into the ground, they survive even the most severe winters. If the year is given out hungry, and the nightshade does not land, they fall into hibernation, which can last up to three years. Therefore, every lucky person who has a plot of land or a house in the village is constantly worried about the question: how to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle?
The main methods of combating the Colorado potato beetle:
- chemical;
- agrotechnical;
- folk;
- biological.
Colorado potato beetle classification
Remedies for the Colorado potato beetle can be classified according to several parameters:
- By specialization:
- narrow, aimed at combating a specific species: adult, eggs or larvae;
- wide or universal. Effectively affect all phases of the life cycle equally. They are more toxic than narrowly targeted agents.
- By the method of use:
- herbs for the treatment of tubers;
- sprayers are applied to the leaves and stems of the plant.
- By the method of exposure:
- contact. The advantage of such drugs is that they do not accumulate either in the stems or in the fruits themselves, but remain on the surface and act directly on the beetles. That is, they do not have any effect on the crop, and do not pollute the potato with excessive chemistry. However, when watering or rain, it is quickly washed off with water, because of this, treatment should be carried out several times a season. The Colorado potato beetle very quickly adapts to this type of remedy, which is why every season should choose a more modern drug;
- biological. Biological agents are the safest and are aimed at the fact that after eating them, the beetles lose their appetite and die from hunger. They are harmless to humans, they can be used for early varieties of potatoes. The main disadvantage is that you need to repeat the processing several times. Usually three times a week is enough;
- systemic. Drugs are considered the most effective in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle. Some of them, for example, Prestige and Masterpiece, are designed to process tubers before planting, which allows you not to worry about the crop all season. However, this method cannot be applied to early potato varieties due to its high toxicity. These funds penetrate into the stems and tubers of the plant, making them poisonous to beetles.
- By active substance:
- avermectins are safe for humans, but can be dangerous for bees or other insects, obtained naturally or industrially from streptomycetes;
- pyrethrins - obtained from Astro plants, non-toxic to humans, but dangerous to bees. At temperatures above 25 ° C are ineffective;
- phosphoric - with regular use, they quickly lose their effectiveness due to the fact that bugs get used to it, drugs of this class should be changed at least once a season;
- neonicotinoids - used in systemic drugs.
Destruction of the Colorado potato beetle by safe means
The use of chemicals in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle is no doubt effective, but not everyone decides to use them.
Aggressive chemistry can harm health and the environment. Moreover, organic products that people who lead a healthy lifestyle choose now are held in high esteem. And when growing high-quality products, the use of artificial additives in any form is extremely undesirable. Potatoes, especially pickled in tubers, despite all the safety certificates, cannot be considered a 100% organic product.
How to protect your crop and get rid of the Colorado potato beetle without chemistry? The most budgetary and easiest way is manual picking. But, despite the apparent simplicity, the method is also the most time-consuming. In one day, it is impossible to collect all the pests at once, without forgetting about the larvae and laid eggs. Especially considering the fact that the Colorado potato beetle moves very quickly from place to place, is transferred to clothing and animal hair, and reproduces very quickly. This method is suitable for those who have not allocated a large area for potatoes. The leaves should be treated very carefully, since young larvae and eggs are on the underside of the leaf. After collecting the beetles burn.
If an extensive plot of land is allocated for potatoes, this method will not be very effective. Beetles will fly from place to place, lay new eggs, huge work will prove to be simply useless.
A popular folk way to protect potatoes is to plant a plant in the aisle, the smell of which is extremely unpleasant for the Colorado potato beetle. The most commonly used dill. It is unpretentious, does not require special care, but such proximity to pests is not to their liking. Onion peel. Buried in holes or furrows will scare away Colorado. The smell of rotting husk, unpleasant for pests, but completely safe for the environment and does not affect the quality of potatoes.
Another way to deal with the Colorado potato beetle without chemistry is to mulch. To do this, prepare mulch - hay from young weedless grass without seeds, straw, foliage. It is laid out in the fall, before wintering. In winter, fermentation occurs. The height of the mulch should be about 30 cm, after planting, the necessary height must be maintained by laying new materials. This method significantly reduces the number of colorads on the site and helps to keep the crop intact. After collecting, the hay can not be removed, but plowed together with the earth, this will become a good organic fertilizer for the soil.
The second way - after germination of the potato row spacing, lay out a 5-7 cm layer of freshly cut grass, or sawdust. Sawdust of coniferous trees is especially good at the task.
Biological methods
Destruction by natural methods is also possible, but the struggle can be ineffective, because the Colorado potato beetle in the Russian climate does not have many natural enemies. At home, in Colorado, the population is restrained by predatory bugs and ticks, however, unlike a more hardy competitor, these species in Russia do not take root due to climatic features, so the Colorado feel more than comfortable.
Ground beetles, bugs and lacewings and ladybugs can eat larvae and eggs, but they do not touch adults.
Turkeys and guinea fowls can be taught to hunt adults. To do this, they are given crushed Colorado feed, and you need to start this at the earliest possible age. Plus, birds provide additional protection - their droppings can scare away unwanted insects. However, this method has a drawback, birds can damage seedlings and significantly reduce the amount of the final crop.
Agrotechnical methods
Proper land cultivation can reduce the pest population to a large extent. To deal with the Colorado potato beetle by mechanical and agrotechnical methods is an effective, but at the same time labor-intensive process that is not done in one day. It requires careful preparation. Each step must be prepared in advance.
- So that the parasites do not survive the winter, the soil after harvesting should be dug up to a depth of not less than half a meter, then the freezing will be deeper, which will affect the number of pests.
- After the autumn digging, the earth should be abundantly sprinkled with ash.
- When planting in holes or grooves, a large amount of organic fertilizer should be added.
- Early hilling of potatoes will allow you to get rid of most eggs.
- Do not neglect mulching. This is one of the most reliable ways to protect the garden.
- You should not plant nightshade crops next to each other. Tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes are best planted as far as possible from each other.
- Ideally, the location of planting crops susceptible to infection should be changed every year.
- Traps. Before the planting season, but when the air temperature during the day is above 10 ° C, chopped tubers can be laid out in the area where the potatoes are planned to be planted. Beetles, hungry after hibernation, will leave their shelters in search of food, and they can easily be collected together with unnecessary potatoes.
Mr. Dachnik recommends: folk recipes and methods to combat the Colorado potato beetle
A few recipes that can also help reduce the Colorado potato beetle population without the use of harsh chemicals:
- Vinegar and soda. To prepare the solution, you will need 100 ml of vinegar, 100 g of soda and 10 liters of water. Mix right before spraying. This amount can be processed approximately 200 square meters.
- Pour the tops of onions and garlic with 10 liters of hot but not boiling water, leave for 1 day, strain and process the beds.
- A glass of vegetable oil, diluted with 10 liters of water, also effectively cope with uninvited guests.
- Pollination with bitumen or cement dust will protect the tops and make it unsuitable for feeding the Colorado potato beetle.
- Infusions of wormwood, celandine, elecampane, white acacia bark are harmful to insects. For preparation, it is necessary to fill the plants with boiling water in a ratio of 1: 1, insist for a day, then dilute 1 liter of infusion with 20 liters of room temperature water and treat the seedlings.
- Tobacco dust will drive insects away from the site with their smell. To prepare, you need to chop the tobacco leaves as finely as possible. Both industrial and self-grown tobacco are suitable. The main thing is dry leaves for easy grinding and spraying on the site.
In any mixture to enhance the effect, you can add a small piece of laundry soap. For easy dissolution, it can be pre-grated on a fine grater.
Chemicals
The easiest way to permanently get rid of the Colorado potato beetle is the chemical method. The industry has stepped far forward, many tools have been developed that will help protect the crop, while not harming the environment and human health, while strictly observing the instructions for use.
Any tool should be used in strict accordance with the instructions. Otherwise, either the drug will be ineffective, or the potato itself will absorb excess poison, after which it will become unfit for food. When fighting a Colorado potato beetle, precautions should be taken. For processing potatoes, you should choose a dry, calm day.
It is advisable to choose a period during which it is not expected to rain so that the poison does not wash off the stems immediately after spraying. The best time is early morning or evening, when there is no intense heat to avoid evaporation of funds. Also, after processing for about a day, watering is not recommended. Potatoes need to be sprayed in special clothes and gloves to protect the skin. Eyes should be protected with glasses and a respirator should be worn on the face. During treatment, in no case should you eat, smoke or talk so that the product does not get into your mouth. In case of contact with skin, immediately rinse with plenty of running water. If the poison has got on the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth or eyes, then first of all it is necessary to rinse them with plenty of water, and consult a doctor.
The most common drugs aimed at combating the Colorado potato beetle: Aktara, Aivengo, Alatar, Bitoksibatsillin, Batsikol, Dendrobatsillin, Komandor. Monsoon, Taboo, Corado, Killer.
Modern methods of destruction
Already there are varieties of potatoes that are not attractive to insects. Varieties "Kamensky" and "Nikulinsky" are practically not infected, they have stiff stalks and tops unsuitable for eating by larvae, however, in terms of taste, they strongly lose to less stable varieties.
Breeders and scientists are trying to bring out genetically modified products that will not be the object of attention of parasites, but there is still too little information about the effect of introduced genes in the human body. The attitude to GMOs in society is mostly negative precisely because of the lack of verified and reliable information about the consequences of eating another revolutionary development of scientists.
It is for these reasons that the war for the harvest of nightshade crops continues every season. To permanently get rid of pests on potatoes, the use of only one method is not enough. An integrated approach is required over time, not even one year. Perhaps one day there will be a new, universal way to get rid of insects, but so far gardeners can only dream about it, and fight the Colorado potato beetle with all available means.
