The Colorado potato beetle is a scourge of potatoes not only in large industrial enterprises, but also in small gardens and plots. Therefore, the fight against it is relevant for any person related to growing potatoes.
Content
Pest Description Colorado potato beetle
The Colorado potato beetle is one of the pests of nightshade, especially potatoes. This is a relatively large insect. In shape, it resembles a droplet on a sheet of paper: round on top, and flat and even below. This is a relatively heavy insect, weighing up to 160 mg an adult.
The peculiarity of the Colorado potato beetle is that in winter, until the earth warms up, it falls into "hibernation" - a state of suspended animation, while calmly surviving freezing of the soil to -9 degrees. When spring comes, and the sun warms the soil to 13 degrees, the "hibernation" ends, insects are activated in search of food. After the winter, beetles are very hungry, therefore they can travel long distances to saturate. This makes fighting them harder.
Why is it harmful?
Everyone knows that one of the favorite “dishes” of the beetle is potatoes. He does not care what exactly is, everything is destroyed - from the leaves to the tubers in the ground.
For the sake of food, these insects are ready to overcome large flights. They are very voracious, but in case of a forced hunger strike, they can endure up to 2 months.
There are many different options for dealing with this pest, they can be combined into two large groups:
- Finished chemicals;
- Folk ways.
The second group is more extensive and here are some of the actively used methods:
- In small areas (gardens, greenhouses), you can manually collect leaves with already laid eggs and larvae, as well as the beetles themselves. Then destroy in any way - crush, pour kerosene or any saline solution of sufficient concentration.
- The Colorado potato beetle finds food by its smell. Knowing this feature, you can grow next to plants that kill the aroma of potatoes. These include: calendula, garlic and legumes.
- You can also produce potatoes with various solutions, infusions and decoctions. For these purposes, use celandine, bitter wormwood, dandelion, horsetail, wood ash. You can also scatter a mixture of birch and pine (any coniferous) sawdust between the rows.
Mustard and vinegar from Colorado potato beetle
Also, one of the actively used and highly effective agents is ordinary mustard powder. It can be combined with various substances (for example, vinegar), improving the result.
How to use dry mustard
The principle of action of mustard is based on the fact that it has a strong, not very pleasant smell. It irritates most insects, including the Colorado potato beetle. Yes, mustard does not kill them, however, fleeing this fragrance, they leave their places and migrate further. Mustard also has an unpleasant taste, which does not allow pests to eat leaves. Therefore, they go to other plants and sites in search of delicious food without mustard.
The scheme for combating the Colorado potato beetle with the help of dry mustard:
- Dry undiluted powder must be sprayed on plants, on the ground near the bushes and between their rows.
- Dry mustard exerts its effect for a rather long period of time. For four days, your plants will be protected.
- Another important point is that poisoning of pests should be carried out in neighboring areas. Otherwise, the action will not be effective, because after 4 days the bugs will fly again.
The powder is very easy to use, and yet profitable and affordable. Efficiency can be improved by combining with other substances, such as wormwood or vinegar.
How to prepare the product
The recipe for mustard with vinegar in the form of a solution:
- The process of preparing the solution is carried out with gloves and to prevent contact with the skin;
- On a bucket of 10 liters of water we take a pack (100 grams of powder or 4 tablespoons) of mustard;
- Then carefully slowly add 100 ml of 9% acetic solution. Stir.
- Then add water (10 liters), stir again, let stand a little and use.
Rules for using the product
How to use the tool:
- It is better to work in the evening, when the street is not so hot;
- Strong winds are an obstacle to processing;
- No need to spare the solution, you need to handle it plentifully. The better you process the bushes, the higher the chance of getting rid of pests.
- The product should not fall on the ground, it can be applied to leaves and stems;
- The procedure should be carried out regularly. And preferably agreed with neighboring sites.
In which cases it is better not to use the tool
- The solution should be used almost immediately after preparation, for a long time it is not stored. Over time, its effectiveness decreases, precipitate. Therefore, if you forgot about him for a couple of days, it is better to cook a new one.
- The sun, wind and water are your best friends, but not in this case. Plant treatment time should be selected so that it is not hot, the sun is not active - evening cool hours are better. So until morning the solution will have time to work.
- High humidity, whether it is rain or fog, or just plentiful dew, will also nullify your efforts. The solution will simply rinse off. Therefore, it is better to wait for dry, calm weather.
Reviews
Elena Sergeevna, Pavlodar: Dishes from potatoes are simple, tasty, and this is most of what my family eats. In this regard, without planting potatoes on the site can not do. Because of this, we are familiar with the Colorado potato beetle quite closely, we are constantly fighting. That just did not try. I bought different poisons, everyone together gathered hungry pests, such a clean-up, and the effect was small. Last year I process a mixture of mustard and vinegar. The price of this composition is small, calculate for yourself, but the efficiency is higher.
Alexander Maximov: I am a beginner gardener, I live near Krasnodar. Recently acquired a site, and since I love fried potatoes, I decided to grow it. I turned to folk processing methods, and more specifically to a mixture of mustard and vinegar, on the advice of my neighbors, who were tired of my indignation at chemicals. I prepare my solution this way: I take mustard powder, add a little wormwood, pour vinegar, dilute with water, mix - everything, the solution is ready for processing. I do not always observe proportions, I often catch my eye, so to speak. But it still works. I spend processing once a week. At the weekend I arrived, processed, and until next week everything is well worth it. Potato survives well. It is also important that we process together with our neighbors each of our plots, so the bugs fly far from here and do not return.
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