How to protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle

When growing potatoes there is always a real threat of distribution of the pest on seedlings in the spring and summer, as well as mass oviposition by females and the emergence of large numbers of larvae. Subsequently, the yield can be 20-30% or more.

The Colorado beetle belongs to the family of leaf beetles. The insect is very voracious, for two days 25 individuals can completely destroy the foliage on a Bush of potatoes.

The number of pests on private land is always greater than in industrial farms, as potatoes are planted almost on the same place - the monoculture.

Protection of potato from the Colorado potato beetle should not be developed on the basis of application of chemical defenses that are toxic, degrade the quality of the tubers.

The struggle should begin with the appearance of the first shoots of potatoes. Should be two to three times to collect manually beetles survived the winter, with an interval of 4-5 days.

After the proliferation of the topper collection of pests (beetles and larvae) with the aim of obtaining biologically clean crop of tubers should be continued systematically. To shake off the beetles and larvae in a bucket with a concentrated salt solution.

Perhaps spraying germination of potato infusion or decoction of spicy Cayenne pepper (0.5 kg of pepper cut, and boil for 1 hour in 5 l of water, then infuse for two days. Spraying of 0.5 of the concentrate diluted in 10 liters of water), wormwood, a solution of urea (100 g urea per 10 liters of water).

Helps to reduce the number of pests pollination tops in the morning, clean wood ashes (2 tbsp) per 1 meter of row) with an interval of 3-4 days. In this case, the beetle lays eggs and eats less tops.

Intimidating means is spring garlic. It can be planted between rows of potatoes.