general information

The Colorado potato beetle is a member of the leaf beetle family. Colorado beetles feed on a variety of crops such as potatoes, bell peppers, tomato, eggplant and many more. These insects are dangerous pests. Appearance on the site is fraught with the destruction of most of the crop and subsequent problems.

Colorado potato beetle - the most formidable pest... It is very voracious and its population is very difficult to control due to the rapid reproduction of individuals and the number of eggs that the female lays. The pest brought from North America managed to earn a reputation as a real killer of agricultural crops.

Despite everything, it is possible and necessary to fight with it. If you leave him alone and do not take any action, then you can be left without a crop.

What harm does

They got the name "leaf beetle" because of their love for eating plant leaves. The list of the diet includes: potatoes, tomatoes and other crops, they can also enjoy some flowers, for example, tobacco, petunia.

The beetle most often refuses the fruits and roots of the plant, since by nature it eats exclusively tops and leaves... But even nature is sometimes deceiving, otherwise it is impossible to explain the fact that some representatives do not refuse fruits and young shoots.

Larvae are much more voracious than adults... They can completely destroy all shoots. When all the leaves are eaten and there are no whole leaves, they go to eat the leaf pulp, this leads to the complete destruction of the plant.

Individuals that are in the ground eat tubers. Potatoes refuse to grow, and in the end they bring a meager harvest, or nothing at all.

Where did it come from

Where is he from? Homeland - northeastern Mexico. He was first discovered after he appeared and destroyed fields in Colorado. Also in the northeast of Mexico, other representatives of the leaf beetle family live, feeding on wild crops.

History

He went from northeast Mexico inland of North America... Having reached the United States of America, the insects devastated the potato fields in Colorado. From the name of the state, where they first learned about beetles, the pest was named "Colorado potato beetle".

Development stages

As soon as the thaw sets in, the beetles get out to the surface in search of food. The fight against them is complicated by the fact that they come out of the ground for a long time, the process takes from one month to several.

In total, the insect has four stages of development:

• Egg... Insects leave their eggs on the leaves. As a rule, the female lays about a thousand pieces of eggs, which are oval in shape and are close to two millimeters in size. It can be in the egg stage from five to seventeen days, it depends on external conditions. During this period, individuals acquire a darker tone.
• Larva... The larva that has just hatched from the egg, in turn, also involves four stages of development.

On the first stage it turns dark gray. The larva is two and a half millimeters in size.She uses leafy pulp as food.

Second stage caused by an increase in size up to four and a half millimeters and a color change to red. During third - already nine millimeters, the larva also acquires a red-yellow color.

On the last stage this individual is orange in color and sixteen millimeters in size.

Why is the larva dangerous?

She is able to completely destroy all potato leaves, and when there are no leaves left, she will begin to feed on the pulp. The culture stops in its development, therefore, the plant will no longer grow. The gardener may remain with a meager harvest, or not get a single potato from the bush.

• Chrysalis... The larva slides off the potato leaf and goes underground to pupate. The duration of the conversion stage is approximately three weeks, again depending on conditions. The insect changes its color to yellow-orange.
• beetle... It crawls out of the place of its imprisonment, namely the pupa, and begins to eat potato leaves. The young individual has a bright orange color.

All these stages are important for the full development of an individual. Quite simple development, each stage takes some time.

What does it look like

Average insect length twelve millimetersand the width is eight millimeters... It looks like a yellow-orange beetle.

Adults have small webbed wings, with the help of which they fly. Each elytra has 5 black stripes.

How many lives

Usually representatives of the species live one yearbut some are able to live for 2 or 3 years.

Notable for its ability fall into diapause (with the help of this skill, the Colorado potato beetle slows down its metabolism, in other words, the metabolism, which allows it to go without food for a long time. As a rule, the ability is used in order to survive the winter, or a poor year for food).

What beetles are similar to the Colorado

They look like the Colorado potato beetle:

• Haldman's Green Potato Beetle
• Blue potato
• Red potato
• Texas mock potato

How was it spread

As it was said, the Motherland is the northeast of Mexico. From here, the individuals headed north, where they ate potato fields in many American states. After a few years, the representatives of the species have firmly entrenched themselves in this place.

When transporting goods from the New World to the Old Colorado beetles were introduced to Europe. They were successfully fought against, but during the First World War they were able to gain a foothold in the French fields, and from there they went further across Europe, traveling with the help of boxcars.

Where it hibernates

When cold weather sets in, representatives of the species burrow into the ground to a depth of half a meter and they successfully overwinter there. They are "dug out" during the thaw period. During wintering, some of the beetles die, but most still survive.

How does it multiply

As a rule, individuals reproduce in autumn, before diapause, and in spring. The female can lay almost a thousand eggs in one clutch. Laying begins three days after mating. Mating takes place in sunny weather, mainly at noon.

Interesting Facts

• When an insect senses danger, it does not fly away, it falls to the ground and pretends to be dead.
• An individual, in the presence of wind, is capable of speeds up to seven kilometers per hour.
• Toxins accumulate on the surface of the insect's body, which makes it practically invulnerable to other insects.

How to deal with the Colorado potato beetle

Chemistry

Insects are fought with the help of many chemicals. As a rule, insecticides are used, which are divided into two groups:

1. Which potatoes are processed at the time of landing (potato seed dressing) - "Prestige", "Matador Super", "Emperor".
2. By which processing is performed during the growing season, plant growth - "Aktara VDG", "Aktellik".

Folk remedies

The list of folk methods to combat the beetle includes:

• Dusting plants with ash
• Dusting with corn flour
• Dusting with cement or plaster
• Sprinkling sawdust on row spacings
• Spraying with herbal infusions and decoctions
• Planting repellent plants that smell bad for the Colorado potato beetle

Traditional methods can greatly help in the fight against insects.

Natural enemies

Among the saviors of the garden from larvae should be entered:

• Ground beetles
• Lacewing
• Skvortsov
• Predatory mites
• Ladybirds
• Guinea fowl
• You can also train turkeys to eat adults.
• Praying mantises

It should be mentioned that the beetle able to kill himself, not without the help of gardeners, of course. The body of the Colorado potato beetle contains toxins that can kill the host. It is necessary to place the beetles in some vessel filled with water and leave there. The poison will dissolve and kill the bugs.

Prevention of the appearance

Many gardeners argue that in order to prevent a large number of Colorado potato beetles on the site, it is necessary dig up the ground in a timely manner, in which the individuals are, and collect the beetles, which is in a state of diapause, spud the plants in time, again, collecting the beetles with your own hands.

It is also necessary to use folk methods of fighting the beetle, or chemical means, but gardeners are against treating plants with anything, arguing that everything ends up in potatoes, which we then eat. They may be right.