The Colorado potato beetle belongs to the leaf beetle family. Both larvae and adults destroy nightshade crops, including eggplant, potatoes, and tomatoes. It was this feature that turned them into dangerous pests of agriculture.
Short description
The 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 made on rather strong membranous wings, painted with characteristic black stripes. With their help, insects are able to make long flights.
Life cycle features
The leaf beetle hibernates only in the adult stage. Adult individuals dig into the ground to a depth of half a meter. With the onset of spring, they leave their shelters and begin to destroy crops and actively multiply. Females who managed to mate before winter dormancy can immediately begin to lay oblong eggs of a light orange hue on the leaves of plants. The number of generations that have grown over the course of one summer largely depends on climatic and weather conditions.
After 5-17 days, larvae begin to appear from the eggs laid by the female. They distinguish four ages, which are separated by molting. After two to three weeks, during which the larvae feed abundantly and intensively, they burrow into the ground for pupation. After another ten to twenty days, an adult appears from them. Depending on the ambient temperature, the hatched leaf beetle is selected to the surface or falls into a diapause state until next spring. Despite the fact that the average duration of these insects is one year, some of them live for several years.
How harmful is the Colorado potato beetle?
Untimely measures taken to combat the colonies of these insects can cause the complete or partial destruction of the crop. Both adults and their larvae are characterized by extraordinary gluttony.
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 the summer they regale with delicious flowers, and closer to the fall they switch to the lower parts of plants, starting to use hard foliage, and then potato tubers.
Colorado leaf beetle: the fight against environmentally friendly methods
These insects are afraid of garlic. Therefore, in the rows of potatoes, you can stick the cloves of this plant. A decoction of horsetail and dandelion helps against Colorado potato beetle. To prepare it, you need to take two hundred grams of each ingredient, add water and boil for a quarter of an hour. The resulting broth (500 ml) must be cooled, filtered and diluted in a bucket of water. This fluid must be used to spray plantings.
Noticing that a leaf beetle appeared in the garden, you need to take 100 grams of urea and dissolve 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 top dressing.
Colorado leaf beetle: how to deal with chemicals?
Immediately make a reservation that these methods must be used after all popular recipes have been tested. Chemical treatment is allowed no more than twice a season. The first time this is done during the period of full germination, the second - in the phase of budding. In recent years, a huge number of chemicals designed to control pests 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 to destroy the leaf beetle to work at full strength and not cause harm to your health, you need to follow a few simple recommendations. First of all, it is necessary to carefully study the instructions and strictly follow each item specified in it. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to close all exposed skin and put on a special mask. This will prevent the occurrence of burns and allergic reactions.
It is strictly forbidden to involve underage children, pregnant and lactating women in such work. Also, do not use "grandmother" means like a watering can or a broom. For uniform processing of bushes, a special sprayer is the best suited. In addition, it is advisable to do this in the evening or in the morning, in dry, calm weather. Upon completion of work for several days, it is not recommended to enter the landing. The last use of chemicals should be no later than a month before the start of the harvest.