The Colorado potato beetle really came to us from across the ocean. It was first noticed on potato plantings in Nebraska back in 1855. But they named him only in 1859, after he reached the potato fields of Colorado. And even then, the question arose before American farmers: "How to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle?" And the beetle itself, fed up with American potatoes, went to conquer Europe on merchant ships, hiding in the products. And in the Old World, he first “landed” in Bavaria and shocked the peasants with his gluttony. Then he went to conquer East Prussia, and then he appeared on the fields of Russia.
From the end of the 19th century, first German chemists and agronomists, and then their colleagues from other countries tried by all possible means to destroy this pest. But this alien was resistant to all kinds of poisons. Specialists have not been able to invent a sufficiently effective remedy for the Colorado potato beetle. And now all gardeners know that the fight against him is a dubious pleasure. This gluttonous beetle can easily destroy the tops of potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. And chemicals in the fight against it help only temporarily. But if science does not help, then there is also a folk remedy for the Colorado potato beetle.
For example, it can be outwitted if you use the properties of some plants. After all, the Colorado potato beetle is attracted by the smell of young inflorescences and nightshade leaves, which he eats in the first place. In this regard, their smell should be tried to interrupt another, stronger smell. And for this you need to prepare folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle. For example, you can pour 10 pods of fresh pepper into a bucket of boiling water and add to this 100 grams of shavings from laundry soap. Then the container with this solution must be wrapped up and let it brew for five hours. And before spraying, the solution should be mixed and filtered. Also, instead of hot peppers, you can use red hot pepper (25 gram sachet).
And here is another folk remedy for the Colorado potato beetle. Wormwood is used here - also a very odorous plant. And to prepare such a solution, you need 2 kilograms of fresh bitter wormwood, which you need to fill with a bucket of water. Also, instead of wormwood, you can take a kilogram of onion husks. This infusion should be wrapped and put for 3 days in a warm place. And then they can be sprayed with nightshade plants. And treatment with such drugs should be carried out regularly, at least once a week, in the evenings in dry, calm weather.
The people in this struggle with the overseas beetle succeeded no less than chemists, and the list of funds does not end there. For example, the decoction of balsamic poplar leaves acts quite effectively on the beetle. Half a bucket of these leaves is poured with a bucket of hot water, and then they are boiled for no more than 25 minutes. The broth is infused for 5 days and filtered. Then they will be able to spray potatoes and tomatoes. And after a three-week treatment with this infusion, the Colorado beetles will disappear.
Another folk remedy for the Colorado potato beetle can be prepared from the roots and greens of an ordinary dandelion. Three kilograms of this plant need to be crushed and filled with warm water. Then this infusion is infused for half a day, and filtered before use, and 10 drops of iodine are added to it. Ground nettle is also suitable as a raw material for preparing poison from the Colorado potato beetle. And to cook it, you just need to fill the bucket with nettles to the top, fill it with water and let it brew for a day. Before spraying, a liter of this infusion is diluted in a bucket of water. You can also scare off the beetle with calendula, which should be planted along the beds with potatoes. In a small area, you can simply collect beetles and their larvae by hand.