Colorado potato beetle belongs to the leaf beetle family. Both larvae and adults destroy solanaceous crops, including eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes. It is this feature that has turned them into dangerous agricultural pests.
Short description
Colorado leaf beetle has a very memorable appearance. The length of its oval convex body reaches one centimeter. The back of adults is painted in a bright yellow-orange color. The main emphasis of these insects is on rather strong membranous wings, painted with characteristic black stripes. With their help, insects are able to make long-distance flights.
Life cycle features
The leaf beetle hibernates only in the adult stage. Adults burrow into the ground to a depth of up to half a meter. With the onset of spring, they come out of their hiding places and begin to destroy crops and actively multiply. Females that have managed to mate before the onset of winter dormancy can immediately begin to lay oblong eggs of a light orange hue on the leaves of plants. The number of generationsgrown during one summer, largely depends on climatic and weather conditions.
After 5-17 days, larvae begin to emerge from the eggs laid by the female. They have four instars, which are separated by molts. After two or three weeks, during which the larvae feed abundantly and intensively, they burrow into the ground to pupate. After another ten to twenty days, an adult appears from them. Depending on the ambient temperature, the hatched leaf beetle gets out to the surface or falls into a state of diapause until next spring. Although the average lifespan of these insects is one year, some of them live for several years.
Why is the Colorado potato beetle harmful?
Untimely measures taken to combat the colonies of these insects can cause the complete or partial destruction of crops. Both adults and their larvae are characterized by extraordinary voracity.
Potato is the main “dish” that the leaf beetle eats (you will learn how to get rid of this pest later). In spring, the main bait for insects is juicy young foliage, in summer they feast on delicious flowers, and closer to autumn they move to the lower parts of plants, starting to eat tough foliage, and then potato tubers.
Colorado leaf beetle: fighting with environmentally friendly methods
These insects are afraid of garlic. Therefore, in the aisle of potatoes, you can stickteeth of this plant. Not bad helps against the Colorado potato beetle decoction of horsetail and dandelion. To prepare it, you need to take two hundred grams of each ingredient, pour water and boil for a quarter of an hour. The resulting broth (500 ml) must be cooled, strained and diluted in a bucket of water. This liquid must be used for spraying plantings.
Noticing that a leaf beetle has appeared in the garden, you need to take 100 grams of urea and dissolve it in 10 liters of water. This tool brings a double effect. Firstly, it destroys a significant part of the pests. Secondly, plants receive foliar nitrogen fertilization.
Colorado leaf beetle: how to deal with chemicals?
Let's make a reservation right away that these methods should be used after all folk recipes have been tried. Chemical treatment is allowed to be carried out no more than twice a season. The first time this is done during the period of full shoots, the second - in the budding phase. In recent years, a huge number of pest control chemicals have appeared on the market. So that insects do not develop stable immunity, it is necessary to alternate the means used. The most effective are Sumicidin, Sonnet, Colorado and Bitoxibacillin.
Chemical Precautions
In order for the means for the destruction of the leaf beetle to work at full strength and not harm your he alth, you need to follow a few simple recommendations. First of all, you need to carefully studyinstructions and strictly follow each item prescribed in it. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to cover all bare skin areas and put on a special mask. This will help prevent burns and allergic reactions.
It is strictly forbidden to involve underage children, pregnant and lactating women in such work. Also, do not use "grandmother's" means like a watering can or a broom. For uniform treatment of bushes, a special sprayer is the best suited. In addition, it is advisable to do this in the evening or morning hours, in dry calm weather. Upon completion of work for several days, it is not recommended to enter the plantings. The last application of chemicals should be no later than one month before the start of harvest.
