The best remedies and drugs from the Colorado potato beetle

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A gluttonous leaf beetle can in a matter of days destroy an entire bed of greens of vegetable or ornamental crops. These pests include the Colorado potato beetle. Despite its small size, it is able to create truly big problems, so special tools must be used to combat it.

What does the colorado beetle look like

Recognizing an insect is simple. The oval body with pronounced pronotum bulge has yellow-orange color with black stripes (each elytra has 5 belts). The wings of a beetle are webbed, with their help it overcomes long distances. The size of the pest is small: length is about 9-12 mm, width - 6-7 mm.

Larvae Colorado potato beetle is no less dangerous for plants. On the reverse side of the sheet from the laid eggs appear whole hordes of dark brown parasites. The peculiarity of their digestion is the inability to digest carotene, which accumulates in the tissues.

Due to the natural pigment, the color of the larvae becomes orange (or carrot). Dimensions reach 15-16 mm, with a good appetite, it is easy to recognize the swollen body of the larvae.

During the summer period, up to 3 generations of parasites develop. A distinctive feature of insects is their adaptability to chemicalsused to fight, which makes processing with time ineffective.

What plants are usually affected by a pest

Experts and experienced gardeners noted that the pest is actively eating the foliage of plants belonging to the family solanaceae.

You can see an adult insect or larvae. in trees, bushes and even flowers:

• petunia;
• brugmansia;
• Cestrum night (a kind of jasmine);
• Physalis;
• fragrant and ordinary tobacco;
• dope
• mandrake;
• schizantus and others

Of particular interest is the Colorado potato beetle. vegetable cultures:

• potatoes;
• eggplants;
• pepper;
• Tomatoes.

A gluttonous parasite does not like all plants. This fact can be used to protect against insect invasion by planting several varieties of deterring crops near the flower beds or in the garden. Do not like the bug: marigold, mattiola, beans, spring garlic, calendula and other cultures with a pronounced aroma.

How to deal with the beetle in the garden with the help of poison

To combat the pest is recommended to use biological agents and chemical drugs that safe for human health. Popular products with names and instructions how to dilute:

• Fitoverm - consumption rate - 1 ml per 1 l of water, the frequency of spraying - 2 times with an interval of 20 days at the rate of 5 l of the working solution per hundred;
• Bitoxibacillin - proportion - 40-100 gr. for 10 liters of water, the frequency of spraying when larvae are detected - 2-3 times with an interval of 6-8 days at the rate of 1 liter of liquid per 1 m2;
• Acarin - Consumption rate - 2 ml per 1 l of water, the frequency of treatments - 2-4 times with an interval of 10-14 days at the rate of 5 l of working composition per hundred.

The best effective drugs and insecticides to fight

If the affected area is extensive, and the pests have managed to populate most of the beds, it is recommended to use more reliable means for treating plants - insecticides. Among the effective:

• Aktara;
• Corado;
• Fury;
• Patron
• Lightning, etc.

The use of folk remedies

Some gardeners trust little ready-made products or simply do not want to use chemicals, so the most unexpected products and plants are used in the fight against insects. Among folk remedies, the following recipes are popular.

Recipe number 1 - nut

Broth from green nut leaves and fruits kills beetles and larvae on the spot. For the preparation of funds will need to fill 1 kg of green boiling water (10 l) and cover with a lid for 5-7 days of infusion. The resulting liquid spend spraying.

Recipe number 2 - birch tar

The birch tar has proven itself well in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle. In a bucket of water bred 100 gr. product and after thorough mixing, processing of beds or trees is carried out.

Recipe number 3 - mustard

Mustard is often used to repel pests. To prepare the working solution bag of mustard powder diluted in a bucket of water and added 100 ml of vinegar (9%).

Not less effective is the method dusting the beds of wood ash. It is better to do this in the morning, while dew drops remain on the foliage.

The effect is noticeable even after a one-time treatment; after 1-2 days, both larvae and adult beetles die. The consumption rate of funds - weave 10 kg of ash per hundred.

Preventive methods of pest on plants

The use of different techniques will take a little time and money, but the threat to harvest will be significantly reduced. Experienced gardeners have developed their own ways to prevent the invasion of pests.

Among the effective recommendations are the following options:

• Nearby vegetable beds or in the aisle is to plant the plants, whose scent does not like the colorado beetle. Among natural repellents: coriander, calendula, marigold, night violet, nasturtium, etc.
• When landing in the hole add a handful of wood ash.
• Periodically (1 time in 5-7 days) sprinkle plants with homemade infusions or broths (mustard, garlic, onion peel, etc.). You can start processing when you reach the height of the bush from 10 cm.
• Regularly inspect the bushes for the purpose of mechanical assembly of vagrants.
• Pests attack weak shoots, so it is necessary to conduct regular feeding to improve the immunity of the plant. However, overdoing with fertilizers should not be.
• Hilling bushes helps to increase the protective functions of the plant as a result of enrichment with oxygen.
• The period of transformation of larvae into adult beetles is accompanied by immersion of parasites in the upper layers of the soil. Loosening soil to a depth of 5-8 cm will help get rid of annoying bugs. Especially well worth working between the rows.
• The voracity of pests is complemented by such quality as vitality and endurance. Surviving in the soil, even a harsh winter will not be of much difficulty for them. Therefore, it is very important in the autumn to thoroughly clean the vegetable garden from vegetable garbage and dig up the ground just before frost, so that the insects on the surface could freeze out.

You should not wait until “uninvited guests” appear in the garden or in the garden. It is better to worry about the harvest in advance through preventive measures.The action of biological agents is short, therefore treatments should be carried out regularly. Well-groomed plants will certainly thank the owners generous fruiting.