Colorado potato beetle: what it looks like, a means of dealing with it, how to get rid of it forever from a photo

Every year, potato growers encounter the Colorado potato beetle in the bushes. This pest is very dangerous, as it constantly feeds on the shoots of the plant until the tubers are fully ripe. Any poison from the Colorado potato beetle will help get rid of this insect. However, before you poison the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes, you need to familiarize yourself with the main ways to deal with it.

What does the Colorado potato beetle look like

This pest is quite large, and therefore it is difficult not to notice. An adult insect grows up to 15 mm long and 8 mm wide. The beetles are distinguished by a short oval shape with a large bulge on top.A distinctive black of these pests is their color. Their back is covered with black stripes. There are also small spots on the belly of insects, which consist of seven segments.

Insects have three pairs of legs with small hooks, with which they cling to the surface of the leaves. Their legs are poorly developed, and therefore they move rather slowly.

How to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes with chemicals

Most often, the chemical treatment of potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle is carried out. For this, special preparations are used, which include insecticides and pesticides, which help to quickly clean potato bushes. Such drugs from the Colorado potato beetle must be used correctly so that they do not have a negative impact on the grown potatoes.

Killer

Often, during the fight against the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes, the combined drug Killer is used. It can be used not only to combat potato pests, but also to destroy other insects. The killer is sold in small 1.5 ml glass ampoules.

This remedy is made against the Colorado potato beetle based on chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin. When any insect enters the body, these substances immediately begin to affect its nervous system. Exposure to chlorpyrifos stops the formation of a protein that is used to transmit nerve impulses. Cypermethrin disrupts sodium channels.

Before you poison pests on potatoes, you need to familiarize yourself with how to make a working solution from the Killer ampoule. To do this, all the liquid from the ampoule is mixed with eight liters of water. The prepared mixture is enough to process one hundred square meters of land. Don't spray the bushes with Killer too often. It is enough to carry out this procedure once during the period of fruit ripening. At the same time, spraying should be done in the evening in calm weather.

Gulliver

Beetles are afraid of such an effective drug as Gulliver. This tool was created not only to kill insects, but also to stimulate plant growth. Therefore, it can be used if the potatoes do not grow well. Gulliver is sold in 3 ml containers. These poisons include thiamethoxam and cyhalothrin. Of course, these components affect insects in different ways, but they are united by the fact that they disable the nervous system of pests. After spraying the bushes, the Colorado potato beetle starts convulsing, which leads to death. With this tool, you can completely destroy pests in one week.

Before using this effective drug, you should familiarize yourself with the features of its use. It is not recommended to spray bushes with Gulliver in rainy or windy weather.Rain will quickly wash off the drug from the leaves, and the wind can transfer the chemical liquid to neighboring plants.

Processing potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle is necessary only with a pre-prepared working solution. To create it, one ampoule of Gulliver is mixed in ten liters of cold water. The prepared solution cannot be stored for a long time, and therefore it is better to use it immediately. The created solution is enough to process 200 square meters of the garden.

On the spot

To permanently get rid of potato pests, you can use the On the Spot tool. This insecticide is sold in small ampoules with a volume of 2-3 ml. A feature of this tool is that with its help both the larva of the Colorado potato beetle and the adult can be destroyed.

On the spot is made from cypermethrin and imidacloprid, which begin to act immediately after pests enter the body.They disrupt the functioning of the nervous system of insects, because of which they gradually die. Within 2-3 days after the first use of the insecticide On the Spot, the entire pest colony will be completely destroyed.

To create a working mixture, add 3 ml of the drug on the spot to 5-7 liters of water and mix. Then the prepared mixture is poured into the sprayer, after which you can begin to process the bushes. We fight pests only in protective clothing, as liquid contact with the skin may cause slight irritation.

How to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle without chemistry with biological preparations

The fight against the Colorado potato beetle without chemistry with the help of special biological preparations is quite popular. They are good because they do not contain dangerous chemicals. That is why these biological products are absolutely safe for humans. To choose the best biological product for insect control, you need to familiarize yourself with some of them.

Bitoxibacillin

Beetle bushes can be sprayed with Bitoxibacillin, with which you can get rid of pest larvae and adults. The drug is sold in small paper or plastic bags with a volume of 10-20 kg. The product is available in liquid form and is sold in 30 ml ampoules.

We fight the beetle at any stage of bush development. Some use Bitoxibacillin even during the flowering period of potato bushes. To prepare a working solution, add 10-20 ml of the product to ten liters of water. Then another 3 liters of clean, settled water is added to the mixture. We get rid of pests only in the evening, so that there is no sun and rain. Spray potatoes with Bitoxibacillin three times a month.

Bicol

Reviews of many gardeners indicate that the Colorado potato beetle is afraid of Bicol.Therefore, when choosing an effective insect repellent, you should pay attention to it. The main advantage of the product is that it is absolutely non-toxic to humans, bees and some insects. Bicol is sold, like most other biological products, in 10-20 ml ampoules.

To prepare the working mixture at home, mix 10 ml of Bicol with 7-9 liters of water. It is recommended to spray the bushes during the mass appearance of pests on the leaves. It is necessary to process the bushes three times. In this case, between each spraying there should be an interval of at least five days. Use Bicol only in sunny weather at an air temperature of 20-25 degrees.

Agravertine

Some argue that the most effective remedy for the Colorado potato beetle is Agravertin. It is produced in the form of an emulsion with small capsules of 5 ml. Less common are larger containers with 10 ml of liquid.

Agravetrin helps to get rid of not only the Colorado potato beetle, but also many other pests. It is used to protect plants from aphids, moths, codling moths, cabbage scoops and whites. After the solution enters the body, the insects become paralyzed and die within 10-15 hours.

Before you spray potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle, you need to prepare a working solution. To do this, the ampoule with Agravertine is opened, and its contents are poured into a small saucepan filled with 10 liters of water. Then the whole mixture is poured into a sprayer, with the help of which the bushes will be treated from the beetle. The fight against it should be carried out at a temperature of about 15-20 degrees.

How to deal with the Colorado potato beetle folk methods

Many people think that in 2022-2023 few people fight the Colorado potato beetle with folk remedies, but this is not so. Such measures to combat the Colorado potato beetle are popular today. It is recommended to figure out in advance how to process potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle.

Red pepper

When spraying plants, folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes, made from red pepper, are often used. To prepare such a solution, finely chop 2-3 peppercorns and pour them with 5-7 liters of hot boiled water. The mixture should be infused until completely cooled. Spray the tops and potato bushes twice a week.

Mustard

The most effective homemade solution is made from mustard. Bushes treated with this product can be protected from pests before harvest.

To prepare insect repellant, 250 ml of vinegar and 150 grams of mustard powder are added to 10 liters of warm water. All components are thoroughly mixed and infused for 2-3 hours. The finished mixture should be used once a week until the pests disappear completely.

Conclusion

Not every vegetable grower knows how to deal with the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes and what means to use for this. To understand this, it is necessary to study the most common methods of dealing with them and choose the best insect repellent.