Potatoes are protected from the Colorado potato beetle and the voracious larvae of this well-known pest throughout the season. And if in small cultivated areas it is possible to use simple folk methods, then in larger planting areas and when growing crops on an industrial scale, it is not possible to save the crop from harmful insects without the use of specialized chemical products.
The fight for the potato harvest will be much more effective if you know the enemy by sight and take into account some biological aspects when processing, such as the periods of insect development.
Article outline
Life cycle of the Colorado potato beetle
Under a shallow layer of soil (from 30 to 50 cm), adult insects survive the winter period and, when the warm season begins, begin to emerge en masse to the surface of the earth. This time usually falls in April-May, when in most Russian regions the temperature reaches 12-15 degrees.
- Over the course of three months, female Colorado potato beetles lay a huge number of eggs on the underside of potato leaves and young plant shoots. Already at the end of May, you can notice the orange coating of the beetle’s oviposition with the naked eye.
- One insect can reproduce more than 700 eggs and become the cause of another outbreak of the pest. In this connection, it is better not to delay the treatment of potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle and carry it out in the early stages or even do it before planting.
In the northern regions, the Colorado potato beetle is capable of creating only one new generation; in the south, the favorable period for reproduction is increased two to three times.
The emergence of beetle larvae from eggs can occur literally after 5 days, in cool weather - after 2 weeks. To successfully combat the pest, it is important to prevent the formation of countless larvae and to exterminate insects as much as possible before oviposition.
Intensive feeding of Colorado potato beetle larvae lasts about 20 days, after which they burrow into the ground for subsequent pupation. If the weather is warm enough, the life cycle repeats, otherwise the pupa will remain in the ground until it awakens in the spring. Before wintering, in search of better conditions, beetles are able to fly over a distance of more than 10 km.
Interesting fact: On average, an insect lives no longer than a year, but the Colorado potato beetle has the ability to enter a perennial diapause for several years. It is this biological fact that does not allow the total elimination of the Colorado potato beetle from areas of any size, even the smallest.
However, do not despair; modern methods of combating the Colorado potato beetle and other crop pests have developed many highly effective drugs to minimize the number of pests.
Let us consider in more detail the advantages and disadvantages of the most effective means intended for treating potato plantings against the Colorado potato beetle.
Biological agents against the Colorado potato beetle
The popularity of biological preparations for reducing the number of pests is due to the absolute harmlessness of the constituent components. After processing, potato tubers do not accumulate any harmful substances, the drugs do not pollute the environment, and most formulations do not harm mammals or beneficial insects.
Colorado
“Colorado” is an insecticidal preparation characterized by convenient packaging (ampoules of 2 g). The package contains 5 ampoules, designed to prepare 50 liters of solution. The poison from the Colorado potato beetle acts immediately, retains its properties under any climatic conditions and is not washed off by rain. In addition to its direct purpose, Colorado performs the function of protecting plants and stimulating their growth.
Important! The drug "Colorado" is dangerous for animals and causes severe poisoning, which leads to damage to the central nervous system and liver.
- Active ingredient: neonicotinoid imidacloprid.
- Duration of protection: 2 – 4 weeks.
- Maximum effect: 3 days after spraying.
- Safety precautions: spray no later than 20 days before harvesting.
Agravertine
“Agravertin” (analogues of “”, “Avertin”, “Aversectin”, “”) is a means for combating a number of pests, including thrips, spider mites, cutworms, Colorado potato beetles and their larvae, white moths, codling moths and others.
For each type of insect, a certain dosage of solution is used. To combat adult Colorado potato beetles, 5 g of the drug is dissolved in 5 liters of water, the larvae are pickled with a more concentrated solution - 1.5 liters of water per 5 g. It is recommended to use the drug at least three times with an interval of 2 days. In this case, the product must be diluted immediately before spraying; after 5 hours, the active substances lose their properties.
Important! The effect of the drug becomes significantly greater in hot weather. Washed away by rain.
- Active ingredient: Avertin N
- Duration of protection: up to 6 weeks.
- Maximum effect: 6 days after treatment.
Bicol
"Bikol" (analogue of "Bitoxibacillin") has an effect on 80 types of pests and is a natural biological agent. Available in powder form, it is used to destroy young Colorado potato beetle larvae. A solution of 2 g of powder covers an area of 1 m2 (20 g of powder is dissolved in 10 liters of water).
- Active ingredients: spore-crystalline complex, exotoxin.
- Duration of protection: three treatments per season are required at weekly intervals.
- Maximum effect: 7 days after treatment.
- Safety precautions: does not pose a threat to human or animal health. Toxic to silkworms.
The general condition for treating potato plantings with biological preparations is windless, dry weather.
Chemicals for exterminating the Colorado potato beetle
When used properly and strictly following the instructions for use, the drug based on chemicals is also harmless to humans and animals. By resorting to the use of chemicals in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, you will achieve the fastest results in the shortest possible time.
Killer 
“Killer” is recognized as the most effective among chemical agents against insect pests. The drug is capable of destroying not only adult beetles and beetle larvae, but also egg laying.
- Active ingredients: cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos.
- Number of treatments: single spraying.
Destroy 
"Destroy" is the optimal choice for the northern regions, since this systemic contact drug does not lose its properties due to low temperatures.
- Active ingredients: imidocloprid, lambdiccyhalothrin.
- Number of treatments: two sprays per season.
Prestige
“Prestige” is a highly effective product for treating potato seed tubers against the Colorado potato beetle, mole cricket, aphids, rhizoctonia, scab and wireworm. The drug is applied directly to the tubers before planting or during planting.
50 days after treatment, the components of the drug decompose into non-toxic compounds, so at the end of this period it is necessary to carry out ground spraying with a specialized pest control agent.
- Active ingredients: imidacloprid and fungicide pencycuron.
- Number of treatments: once.
Commander
“Commander” is a powerful insecticide used during the period of mass emergence of the Colorado potato beetle. The effect of the drug does not decrease in cold weather; Komandor also withstands precipitation.
Spring spraying of a young plant will provide complete protection from pests and new shoots. Processing is carried out during the growing season.
Active ingredients: imidacloprid.
Number of treatments: one spray per season.
Aktara
"Aktara" (analogs " ", " ") is an insecticide with systemic effects. One of the advantages of this product is that it achieves a quick effect; within half an hour you will notice numerous dead insects. "Aktara" is used as a spraying agent, and is also applied to the soil when planting tubers. Available in four forms: suspension, tablets, granules, powder.
Active ingredients: thiamethoxam.
Number of treatments: every 30 days.
Ephoria
“Eforia” (analogues of “Troy”, “Stop Beetle”) is an economical option for those who prefer to combine spraying against pests and a kind of plant feeding. The dual-action product vitaminizes vegetables and stimulates their growth.
- Active ingredients: thiamethoxam, lambdacyhalothrin.
- Number of treatments: once every 2 weeks.
The Colorado potato beetle quickly adapts to poisons, so each new season it is necessary to change the arsenal of means to successfully combat this unpleasant pest.
Traditional methods against the Colorado potato beetle
For supporters of environmentally friendly farming, folk remedies against pests are suitable:
- Birch tar: solution for spraying potatoes (10 g tar per liter of water);
- Birch wood ash: pollination of potato bushes and soil;
- Mustard: 10 liters of water per 100 g of dry powder;
- Celandine or wormwood: fill a bucket of herbs with water and boil for 20 minutes, strain, dilute with water 1:20.
Procedures for spraying potato beds with folk remedies are carried out regularly, at least once a week.
Agrotechnical techniques
The technology of growing potatoes, thought out to the smallest detail, can reduce the number of Colorado potato beetles several times.
- Regular hilling and removal of oviposition by hand;
- Deep digging in the fall;
- Loosening the soil between the rows;
- Compliance with crop rotation;
- Timely weeding;
- After harvesting, it is necessary to clear the area of tops;
- Mulching the soil to create favorable conditions for insect predators.
Most of the agricultural techniques presented take a lot of time and effort and are only suitable for small areas.
It is easier and more expedient to protect potato plantings from the Colorado potato beetle by spraying, the effectiveness of which will directly depend not only on the quality of the product used, but also on the immunity of insects to its constituent components.
- a long-time terrible enemy of gardeners. Gluttonous, difficult to exterminate and multiplying quickly, this pest can reduce potato yields to zero. But, fortunately, there are methods and means with which you can get rid of the Colorado potato beetle. Treating potato tubers before planting or after it, when the bushes have already sprung, can significantly reduce the number of the pest or destroy it completely.
Preplant dressing has its significant advantages:
- most modern insecticides protect tubers from both the Colorado potato beetle and other pests (wireworms, mole crickets and anyone else who can damage root crops);
- preparations for processing potato tubers have an antifungal effect;
- There are means that, in addition to protection, stimulate the growth of plantings.
Also, thanks to the processing of potatoes before planting, you will not have to frequently spray them later when they sprout. The reason is that the tops that have sprung up from the pickled tubers do not attract the beetle for a long time, and the sprouts have time to fully form and grow healthy.
It happens that after some time the pest still attacks the potatoes again. But in such a situation, as a rule, a single treatment of the tops before harvesting (during the flowering or growing season) is sufficient. This guarantees healthy potatoes, free from bugs and free of chemicals after dressing the tops. And to carry out the processing only once is not so difficult and will not take much time.
In addition, sometimes tubers are infected and diseased at the time of planting, which will obviously infect new tubers that will form near the mother potato. Fungicides and insecticides applied to such tubers before planting will eliminate this problem by preventing the infection from spreading to potato fry and the soil.
Advantages of chemical preplant treatment
Until recently, insecticides, fungicides and growth stimulants were used separately, because multicomponent preparations simply did not exist. This was inconvenient because it took a lot of time, because not every drug can be combined with any other at the same time. The potatoes had to be processed several times, each time with different means.
Now, to the delight of gardeners, combination preparations have appeared, which include compatible insecticides and fungicides. Such funds have many advantages:
- 1-2 treatments per season are enough;
- the effect of one spray lasts up to 2 months;
- the drugs have a wide spectrum of action (protection from both insects and fungus);
- convenient to use (no need to mix anything else, calculate the ratio of area, number of pests and volume of working material);
- affordable price (cannot be compared with buying two different products, as was done previously).
These advantages are enough to seriously think about using special products against the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes.
Types of insecticides
Insecticides are divided into types, depending on how they affect pests:
This applies to insecticides of the same type of effect. But in order to treat potatoes before planting against the Colorado potato beetle, it is better to use enhanced (double or triple) action preparations.
Which drugs are better
Gardeners recognize the following as the most effective among combined insecticides:
- Matador Grand. Insecto-fungicidal systemic action drug. Contains metalaxyl, imidacloprid and cymoxanil as the main active ingredients. This is a concentrated emulsion that protects plantings for 35-45 days. Equated to hazard class 3 (moderately harmful to humans), used in a ratio of 90 ml/1 l.
- Taboo. Russian insecticide with complex action. The main active ingredient is imdocloprid. This is a highly concentrated emulsion that works for up to 40 days, and then is completely removed from the plant and breaks down into harmless compounds. The product is assigned hazard class 3. Used in a ratio of 8 ml/1 l.
- Celeste-Top. A new insecticide + fungicide that provides a contact-systemic effect on insects. Protects plantings for 1 month, sold in the form of a suspension, diluted in an amount of 10 ml per 1 liter. It has a hazard class 2 (you must work with it with extreme caution).
- Cruiser. Works great against most pests. The main substance is thiamethoxam. A systemic insecticide that is easily compatible with any fungicides (they can be used simultaneously). This highly concentrated emulsion protects potatoes for 6-8 weeks. Dilute – 40 ml/3 l. Hazard class – 3rd.
- Prestige. An insecto-fungicide that can be used both for pre-planting treatment of tubers and for soil disinfection. It is considered one of the best drugs against the Colorado potato beetle and pests living in the soil. Prestige is completely absorbed by the plant and removed after 2 months. The period of its protective effect is up to 50 days. Sold in emulsion or powder form. Active substances: pencycuron, imidacloprid. For 100 kg of potato tubers, a solution of 50 ml/3 l will be required. Hazard class – 3.
- – a domestically produced drug. The Colorado potato beetle and many other types of pests are effectively destroyed.
Most of the listed products have hazard class 3, which indicates a low degree of threat to human health. But this does not mean that when working with them, you can neglect the basic rules.
How to process tubers
Considering that insecticides are poisonous to one degree or another, first of all you will have to follow safety rules when working with them.
To do this, you will need protective boots, clothing covering the body, a hat, a respirator and gloves. You also need to be careful when preparing the solution: the actions here must fully comply with the requirements of the instructions. The place for etching should also be chosen convenient: the area should be flat, without drafts, hidden from the wind and away from household items and pets.
When the preparatory measures to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle have been completed before planting, you can proceed directly to the treatment itself:
- spread the film over the selected area, secure its edges with weights (so that it does not bend or wrap);
- heat the potatoes (can be in the sun);
- pour the tubers in 1 layer onto the film, but carefully, without breaking the sprouts (here it is better to roughly imagine the mass of the tubers being processed, so as not to make mistakes when making calculations in preparing the solution);
- dilute the drug with water in a bucket strictly according to the instructions;
- Place the solution in a sprayer and process the tubers evenly (there is no need to turn them over, 2/3 of the treated top side of each potato will be enough).
If you don’t have a sprayer, you can dip the potato nets into a bucket of solution for a few seconds, then dry the tubers on film. But then the consumption of the drug will increase.
When the tubers dry out, they can be planted.
Do not use early potato varieties for dressing! In the short time of their maturation, the chemicals will not have time to “leave” the plant, which can lead to poisoning. For dressing, you need to take only mid-early and late varieties.
Processing potatoes after planting
If, despite pre-planting treatment, the Colorado potato beetle still attacks the potatoes, you can try three ways to destroy the pest: use chemical, biological or folk remedies.
Chemicals
If you use chemicals strictly according to the instructions, it will not only be safe for humans and animals, but will also quickly give the expected result. For dressing, it is better to treat the potatoes with products that have already proven themselves only on the positive side:
- Destroy. The product is excellent for regions with cold climates, as it is not afraid of low temperatures. The active ingredients in the drug are imidacloprid and lambdcyhalothrin. Spraying twice per season will be required.
- Killer. One of the best remedies not only against adult Colorado potato beetles, but also their eggs. Thanks to the powerful base ingredients cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos, just one treatment is needed.
- Aktara (analogue of Confidor and Mospilan). Kills pests in the shortest possible time - within half an hour after spraying. Aktara can be used to treat not only potato bushes, but also the soil during planting. Sold in the form of powder, suspension, tablets and granules. The main substance is thiamethoxam. Potatoes will have to be processed once a month.
- . A very strong remedy, effective even with a huge population of the Colorado potato beetle. The drug is not afraid of cold weather and precipitation. It is enough to spray potatoes only once, this is enough to protect new shoots from the pest. The active ingredient is imidacloprid.
No matter how powerful modern means are, it is important to remember: the Colorado potato beetle adapts perfectly to poison, so you need to change drugs to combat it every season.
Biological agents
Many gardeners are supporters of biological products to combat pests, not wanting to poison their plots with various chemicals. In their own way they are right. Such products really do not pose any threat to the health of others (or the risk is small), plus many of them are quite effective. You can treat potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle with the following preparations:
- Bicol (close in effect to Bitoxibacillin). A strong drug against 80 types of various pests, a natural biological product. This powder, which kills even young beetle larvae, must be diluted at 20 g/10 l. The main substance is exotoxin. Potatoes need to be processed three times a season (once a week). The maximum effect occurs on the 7th day. Bicol is not dangerous to humans.
- Colorado. The drug is sold in ampoules (5 pieces, 2 ml each), all 5 ampoules are needed to prepare a solution of 50 liters (or 1 piece per 10 liters). The effect is noticeable immediately, but the maximum effect is on the 3rd day. It is not washed away by precipitation, stimulates the growth of plantings, and is suitable for any climate. Protects plantings for 3-4 weeks, but is toxic to animals (causes poisoning in them with damage to the liver and nervous system). The main components are imidacloprid and neonicotinoid. You can use the product no later than 20 days before digging potatoes.
- Agravertin (analogue of Fitoverm, Akarina, Avectin, Aversectin). Protects against a number of pests, including the Colorado potato beetle. For adult specimens, the drug is diluted in a ratio of 5 g/5 l, for more viable larvae - 5 g/1.5 l. Spraying should be done at least 3 times with an interval of 2 days, and it is better in hot weather. The product may be washed off by rain. The main substance is Avertin N, the effect occurs on the 6th day and lasts 6 weeks. Work with the product according to safety rules, as it is toxic to humans, fish and animals.
Solutions of chemical and biological preparations must be used within the first hours after preparation! After this time, the products lose their properties. The weather at the time of treatment should be dry and without wind.
Traditional methods
Traditional methods are an excellent option for those who are categorically against using any purchased products in the garden at all. There are recipes that you can use to try to survive the Colorado potato beetle from a potato field and garden in general:
- Garlic. Its arrows and heads (200 g in total) are crushed, filled with a bucket of water, left for a day and 40 g of liquid or planed soap are added.
- Corn flour. It tends to swell from moisture, and beetles that accidentally eat it along with plant fibers will die from rupture of internal organs. You just need to scatter the flour over the potato bushes.
- Celandine or wormwood. Take a bucket of any of these herbs, add water and boil for 20 minutes. Strain the resulting concentrated solution and dilute it with water 1 to 20.
- Birch ash. In the morning, before the dew has dried, spray the prepared ash onto wet plants and soil. 10 kg is enough for 1 hectare (according to gardeners, after one such dusting you can notice a sea of dead beetles).
- Onion peel. Take 300 g of husks, pour 10 liters of very hot water (80-90 C), press down with a weight, leave for a day and sprinkle on potato bushes.
- Vinegar and mustard. You can treat potatoes with mustard and vinegar if you prepare a solution from them: 10 liters of water / 100 g of mustard powder / 100 ml of 9% vinegar.
Important: any spraying of potato fields (with chemicals, biological agents or solutions prepared according to folk recipes) is carried out during the growing season or during flowering. Treatments should be stopped 20 days before harvest.
- It is better to dust bushes on wet tops, and spray on dry ones;
- It is better to spray in the evenings (in the sun the properties of some solutions are reduced);
- when collecting beetles by hand, you need to collect them in a jar with a strong solution of water and salt, and not crush them between the rows;
- add soap to solutions from folk recipes (this way they stick to the leaves better);
- plant repellent plants (nasturtium, coriander, marigold, marigold, etc.) around the potato field and between the bushes;
- if the field area is small, mosquito nets can be used;
- plant varieties resistant to the Colorado potato beetle (Temp, Iskra, Zarevo, etc.);
- for early varieties for which chemistry is contraindicated, use folk remedies.
Colorado beetles reproduce rapidly (up to 700 eggs per year from just one female!), can fly, do not drown in water, and can easily go without food for 2 months. And if these pests do not find the potato field, they will begin to destroy any other nightshades. Therefore, treatment of potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle must be carried out urgently, otherwise the loss of the harvest or a significant part of it may be delayed. And how to do this (before planting or after, by what means) - each summer resident must decide for himself.
Adult beetles overwinter in the frozen soil layer at a depth of 5 to 60 cm (depending on the mechanical composition of the soil). During the wintering period, many of them die on heavy loamy soils, less on sandy soils.
In the spring, after the soil warms up to +12 +16 degrees, they come to the surface in search of food. Before potatoes emerge, they can feed on wild nightshade plants (black nightshade, physalis, henbane and others) or starve for a month.
Overwintered beetles can migrate in search of food. The average flight length is 40-60 km, but with a strong tailwind it can be 200-300 km.
The Colorado potato beetle also spreads passively: along rivers, by various modes of transport (on ships, trains, airplanes, cars), as well as with various cargoes.
Biological features of the Colorado potato beetle
At a temperature of +17 degrees, the beetles mate and lay eggs on the underside of the leaves, 30-40 eggs in each clutch. After 7-14 days, larvae emerge from the eggs. They develop over 20-30 days, gradually molting and increasing in size. The most harmful are the older larvae: 3rd and 4th instars.
On 1 potato bush, 10 larvae can destroy 10-20% of the leaf surface, and 20 larvae can destroy at least 50 percent. The larvae pupate in the soil, in an earthen “cradle”, at a depth of 5-7 cm, usually right there, under the damaged plants. Young beetles appear in July and August and again feed on potato leaves.
Larvae and beetles eat potato leaves day and night, leaving behind only bare stems. Having destroyed the tops of one plant, they move to other plants.
Chemical preparations for the Colorado potato beetle
Preparations for the Colorado potato beetle come in contact, systemic and biological action. The manufacturer indicates this on the packaging. When purchasing a drug, you should pay attention to its active ingredient (AI).
Different manufacturers produce drugs with the same active ingredient under different names.
The active ingredient thiamethoxam is contained in the following preparations:
- Aktara;
- Doctor;
- Angio.
The active ingredient imidacloprid is in systemic preparations:
- Bison;
- Prestige;
- Corado;
- Spark Gold;
- Commander;
- Confidor;
- Tanrek;
- Beetlemor.
Cypermethrin contains preparations:
- Inta-Vir;
- Arrivo;
- Spark;
- Kinmiks;
- Ram;
- Fury.
When using any preparations for the Colorado potato beetle, strictly follow the attached instructions. There can be no trifles in this matter. Otherwise, together with the beetles, you will harm yourself and your loved ones. The best time for treatment is when larvae appear en masse on potato bushes, when they emerge from the underside of the leaf and scatter throughout the bushes. Adult beetles, when threatened, can temporarily fly to other areas, so the main fight is carried out with the larvae. In collective gardens, simultaneous processing of potatoes by all neighbors has a great effect.
Preparations against the Colorado potato beetle of contact action are not absorbed into the plant and do not accumulate in the tubers. They act only when they land on insects. When it rains and waters, they are washed off with water, and Colorado beetles quickly become addicted to them. Therefore, contact-acting drugs must be changed annually to new, more modern ones.
Systemic drugs are more effective, they have a long period of action, are not washed off by rain, do not cause addiction to the pest, and require a minimum number of treatments. For example, with Masterpiece and Prestige, it is enough to treat potato tubers when planting, and you don’t have to think about the Colorado potato beetle for the entire season. The most modern systemic drugs have the active ingredient imidacloprid (list above). Systemic drugs should be handled with particular caution. Their toxic and carcinogenic active substance, penetrating inside the plant, accumulates, including in root tubers, so systemic preparations cannot be used for early potato varieties.
Instructions for use using chemicals
- Alverde:
- Prestige:
Poisons for dressing tubers
How do these drugs work? The poison from the planting tuber rises up the potato sprouts, accumulates in the tops, but does not fall back into the growing young tubers.
| A drug | Description |
Prestige 
|
Manufacturer: Germany. Chemical base: pencycuron and imidacloprid. Poison for spraying potato tubers against leaf-gnawing and leaf-sucking pests, rhizoctonia and scab. The period of protection from insects is up to 37 days. Poison packaging - 20 ml, 60 ml, 500 ml, 1 liter. Dissolve the chemical for spraying tubers at the rate of 10 ml per 100 water. Third class of danger. |
Taboo 
|
Manufacturer: Russia. Chemical base: imidacloprid. Used for processing material for planting: tubers, bulbs, seeds. The poison from the tubers rises up into the shoots and protects the young potato shoots. The poison protection period is up to 45 days. The release form of the poison is a concentrated aqueous suspension in a 10 ml bottle and 1 liter and 5 liter canisters. Dilution dose - 10 ml per 100 kg of potato tubers. |
Other pesticides for treating tubers are Matador, Celeste Top, Masterpiece.
Preparations for soil watering and leaf treatment
| Drug name | Description of the drug |
Aktara 
|
Manufacturer: Switzerland. Chemical base: Thiamethoxam. Popular with gardeners and gardeners. Systemic chemical. Hazard class three (moderately hazardous substance). Used for watering the soil and for foliar treatment. The dilution rate is 1.2 g per 10 liters of water. Period of protection against beetles: 28 days - when treated by leaf, 50 days - when watered. The beetles die within 24 hours. |
Apache 
|
Manufacturer: Japan. Chemical base: Clothianidin. Poison of systemic and contact-intestinal action. Effective against all stages of the Colorado potato beetle. The death of the pest occurs 30 minutes after treatment. Release form: powder in a 25 g bag. Used for watering the soil (1 g per 1 liter of water) and treating the leaves (05 g per 1 liter of water). The poison protection period is up to 28 days. The poison does not have a pungent odor and does not cause addiction to the active substance in the composition in insects. |
Preparations for application by leaf
| Drug name | Description of the drug |
Colorado 
|
Manufacturer: Russia. : imidacloprid. It has contact-intestinal and systemic effects. The poison inhibits the function of the pest’s intestines and nervous system, causing paralysis and death. Protective effect for plants up to 28 days. Adults and larvae die within three days after spraying the tops. Insects do not acquire resistance to this active substance. The package contains 5 ampoules of 2 g each. The dilution rate of the poison is 2 g per 10 liters of water. |
Corado 
|
Manufacturer: Russia. Current active substance: imidacloprid. Release form: ampoules of 1 and 2 ml and bottles of 5 and 10 ml. Method of exposure - systemic and enteric contact (1 ml per 5 liters of water). |
Regent 
|
Manufacturer: Germany. Current active substance: fipronil. Has a number of advantages. Effective at temperatures up to +40°C. Destroys not only adult beetles and larvae, but also egg laying. Protective effect 28 days. Third toxicity class. |
Tanrek 
|
Manufacturer: Russia. Current active substance: imidacloprid. Substance of contact-intestinal action in the form of an aqueous concentrate in an ampoule of 1 ml and bottles of 10 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml. Destroys larvae and adult beetles. The potato protection period is 21 days. The insect dies within two days. The dilution rate of the drug is 1 ml per 10 liters of water. |
Confidor 
|
Manufacturer: Germany. imidacloprid Systemic poison. Packaging 1 g and 5 g. Dilution rate - 1 g per 10 liters of water. The protective effect of the poison is up to 20 days. |
Beetlemor 
|
Manufacturer: Ukraine. Current active substance: imidacloprid and piperonyl butoscid. Effective against larvae and adult beetles. The drug is available in packages of 5 ml and 10 ml. The consumption rate of the poison is 5 ml per 10 liters. |
Use chemicals only if there are pests on plants. Treatments should be carried out with various preparations, alternating them so that the Colorado potato beetle does not get used to them.
Biological agents
The safest drugs for the Colorado potato beetle are biological drugs. They contain the spore bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, which causes stomach and intestinal upset in beetles.
Sick beetles lose their appetite and die after a few days. Biological preparations are not absorbed by plants and do not accumulate in tubers. They are harmless to other beneficial insects and humans. Potatoes processed by them can be eaten after 5-7 days. The disadvantages of such preparations include the frequency of treatments: at least three treatments of potatoes with a weekly interval.
Brief description of biological drugs:
| Drug name | Description of the drug |
Agravertine (Akarin) 
|
|
Fitoverm 
|
|
 |
|
Safety rules when working with pesticides
Most pesticides are toxic to humans and animals to some degree. Before using drugs, gardeners are required to familiarize themselves with the safety rules when working with them and strictly follow them.
When working with pesticides you must:
- protect your mouth and nose with respirators or (in exceptional cases) gauze bandages with cotton padding, wear safety glasses and gloves, use clothing and an apron specially designated for this (they should be stored separately);
- when spraying with nitrafen solutions, protect your face with cellophane or celluloid shields;
- when working with pesticides, smoking, eating and drinking are not allowed;
- after work, you should wash your face and hands well with soap and rinse your mouth;
- Children, adolescents, patients (according to a doctor’s opinion), pregnant and lactating women should not be allowed to work with drugs.
Particular care must be taken when handling pesticides during the preparation of working solutions from them. It is necessary to store drugs in cabinets or in locked rooms, in well-closed containers, indicating the name.
It is strictly forbidden to store chemicals together with food and animal feed. Dishes and equipment in which solutions and mixtures of pesticides are prepared must not be used for other purposes. It is not allowed to use drugs that do not have clear factory labeling (prior to laboratory analysis).
Before starting work, it is necessary to check and adjust the sprayer (by pouring water into it). When filling the sprayer, the solution must be carefully filtered. Spraying plants is less dangerous than pollination. When spraying (dusting) the garden, you should take into account the direction of the wind so that splashes and dust do not fall on workers or on vegetable and berry crops grown in rows.
Clothes in which plants were sprayed (pollinated) should be ventilated (away from premises) and periodically washed in a soap-soda solution (soaked and boiled). The containers in which the drugs were stored are neutralized with a solution of soda ash (50 g per 1 liter of water) or wood ash pulp, followed by rinsing with water. After work, pollinators and sprayers are thoroughly washed and cleaned. Pesticide residues unsuitable for further use are neutralized with lime milk and buried deeply away from housing.
When and how best to spray potatoes
Experts advise spraying a maximum of 60 days before harvest. Some preparations suitable for early varieties are recommended for the last spraying a week before potato harvesting. Preparations with different spectrums of action are used at different periods - some during the mass spread of larvae, others are preferably used for preventive purposes, when even egg-laying has not yet appeared.
How many days later can I eat potatoes after spraying?
Immediately after treating potatoes with drugs, you can eat the crop only if it was harvested in August. Early and mid-early varieties can be eaten 50 days after spraying. It is then that all the toxins that could remain in the tubers will be removed.
Treatment of potatoes during flowering against the Colorado potato beetle
Very often you can hear the question of how justified it is to spray potatoes during flowering and whether it is worth doing. Let's look into this issue.
Not recommended. The optimal time for spraying is considered to be the period before and after potato flowering. Even if the first beetles were noticed on the flowers, it is better to use traditional methods of control or collect insects by hand.
What preparations can be used during flowering?
When potatoes are flowering, you can spray them with biological and chemical preparations “Fitoverm”, “Agravertin”, “Bikol”, “Akarin”, “Bitoxibacillin”. Spraying will bring the best results when the beetle larvae first appear.
Spray again after a week. Among folk remedies, gardeners choose nicotine poisoning: make an infusion of 200 cigarettes in 10 liters of water for two days, then dilute with 40 g of laundry soap. Flowers can also be protected from pests by sprinkling with ash through a sieve, irrigating with various infusions and decoctions of walnut or poplar leaves.
Is it possible to spray potatoes after flowering?
Yes, you can. At this time, the beetles hide underground and come out only a year later with the first warming. During this period, it can be lured out and destroyed using folk remedies or resorting to special drugs.
Why can't you process potatoes during flowering?
Some drugs are so toxic that they can kill bees and other insects that pollinate plants. Even though potatoes are self-pollinating, their flowers still attract insects. In addition, potatoes are just beginning to form during the flowering period, and are most vulnerable to chemical poisoning.
Spraying is carried out in the early morning (before 10 o'clock) or in the evening (after seven in the evening), when temperatures are lowest and the weather becomes windless and dry (so that the poison is not washed away by dew and does not evaporate). This will allow the drug to have the strongest effect and be evenly distributed throughout all the bushes.
Preparations for processing potatoes can be prepared independently from some plants. We present here the best recipes for folk remedies. The effectiveness of such products is somewhat lower than the effectiveness of chemical drugs, but they work and are absolutely safe for both humans and animals.
It is better to treat potatoes with folk remedies at night in good weather. A little soap solution is added to the prepared infusion, which will allow it to linger on the leaves and stems of the potato for a longer time.
Recipes for preparing infusions to fight the beetle:
- Walnut infusion. Pour 300 g of walnut shells and the same amount of dried leaves of this plant into 10 liters of boiling water, leave for 5-7 days, then strain and use the infusion for spraying.
- Infusion of poplar leaves. Fill half a bucket with fresh poplar leaves, cover them with water, boil for 15 minutes, increase the volume to 10 liters and leave for 3 days.
- Birch tar solution. Dissolve 100 g of birch tar (tar soap will do) in 10 liters of water and spray the tops with the resulting solution 3 times a week.
- Infusion of celandine. Infuse 1.5 kg of dry or fresh celandine in hot water for 3 hours. Then pour 1 liter of 1.5% calcium chloride solution (15 g per 1 liter of water) into the infusion.
- Infusion of onion peel. Pour 300 g of onion peel into 10 liters of water at a temperature of 70-80°C and leave for 24 hours. In this case, it is advisable to place a heavy load on the husk in the container.
- Infusion of elecampane roots. Grind 100 g of dried elecampane roots, pour boiling water over it, cover with a lid and leave for 1.5-2 hours. Spray when the tops reach a height of at least 15 cm.
- A decoction of dandelions and horsetail. Pour 200 g of dandelion shoots and 200 g of horsetail into 10 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes. Cool and use in a concentration of 0.5 liters of decoction per 10 liters of water.
- Infusion of wormwood. Mix 300 g of crushed wormwood with 1 glass of wood ash, pour 10 liters of boiling water and leave for 3 hours.
- Infusion of tobacco. 500 g of tobacco dust, as well as tobacco stems and roots, pour 10 liters of water, leave for 2-3 days, then strain, add 40 g of laundry soap and mix well.
- Infusion of tomato tops. Pour 1 kg of crushed leaves and stems of tomatoes into 10 liters of warm water, leave for 4-5 hours, add 40 g of bar soap (or 3 tablespoons of liquid soap).
- Garlic infusion. Pour 200 g of chopped garlic heads and arrows into 10 liters of hot water and leave for 24 hours. Then add 40 g of soap to the infusion.
- Hot pepper decoction. Boil 100 g of hot pepper pods in 10 liters of water for 2 hours. Then strain, add 40-60 g of laundry soap and you can start spraying.
- Burdock infusion. Fill the bucket 1/3 full with chopped burdock leaves. Fill with water to the top and leave for a day. Then strain.
- Combined herbal infusion. 300 g of wormwood herb, 8 pods of hot pepper, 20 g of ground red pepper, 200 g of hemlock herb and garlic stalks, 1/4 piece of laundry soap, pour 8-10 liters of water. Leave for 12 hours, then strain and use to treat the plant.
Potato varieties resistant to the Colorado potato beetle
The fight against the Colorado potato beetle begins from the moment the plantings are placed. First of all, it is necessary to observe crop rotation. If this is impossible, then they try to place the potatoes at least as far away from other nightshades as possible.
For cultivation, varieties less damaged by the beetle are selected: Belorussky-3, Vorotynsky ranniy, Vesna, Desiree, Zarevo, Zov, Iskra, Crystal, Lasunak, Loshitsky, Lorkh, Lugovskoy, Ramensky, Resurs, Sante, Svetlyachok, Svitanok Kievsky, Stolovy-19, Sulev, Temp and others.
Manual measures to destroy the Colorado potato beetle
You can reduce the number of the pest by catching it with food bait. During the period of mass summer of beetles, potato tubers or tomatoes (whole, cut into slices), crushed leaves and stems of these plants are laid out in small holes or depressions in the soil, lined with pieces of plastic film. The baits are scanned 2-3 times a day and the collected beetles are destroyed.
When the spread of beetles is small, they and their larvae are collected by hand, leaves with clutches of eggs are picked off, and then the whole thing is destroyed. Simply shaking off the larvae from the bushes and filling them with soil will not bring you the desired effect.
We should not forget about such agrotechnical practices as deep digging of the soil of the site in autumn and spring, high hilling of seedlings with backfilling of leaves of the lower tiers at the beginning of the emergence of the first larvae, destruction of tops one to two weeks before harvesting.
In order to grow a good potato harvest, it is necessary not only to plant it, but also to skillfully care for the potatoes. Gardeners need to know when and how to properly spray, water and hill up potatoes.
Potato care - spraying potatoes
It is best to spray potatoes shortly before flowering for preventive purposes. Choose a day when you are absolutely sure that it will not rain in the near future, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain, and the product will simply be washed away from the potato bushes by streams of water.
It is better to spray potato bushes in the morning or, conversely, evening hours, since during the day, especially when the weather is hot, the solution from the tops quickly evaporates. If you want to protect potatoes from such diseases as late blight or Alternaria, then spraying to care for potatoes must be carried out within a fairly strict time frame.
When and with what to spray potatoes
The first treatment of potatoes is carried out even before signs of the disease appear, when the plants reach a height of approximately 20 cm and the tops close in the beds. The next treatment is carried out after about a week if the weather is dry, and after 4 days if there is precipitation. If the precipitation is heavy enough, then spraying the potatoes will have to be repeated.
To protect potato bushes from the Colorado potato beetle, spraying with special preparations is carried out during the period when the first larvae begin to appear on the tops. They are easy to spot as they have a distinctive red color.
Since the larvae hatch in three generations, spraying also has to be repeated three times with an interval of about 10 days. To care for potato bushes, be sure to pay attention to what is indicated in the instructions; as a rule, all the necessary processing times are defined there. When spraying, pay attention to which direction the wind is blowing and try not to spray the potatoes against the wind, otherwise most of the solution will settle on your own clothes.
What is needed for spraying potatoes
But you should start by purchasing a special sprayer. Of course, our grandmothers successfully used an ordinary broom for this purpose, but with the help of a specialized apparatus it is much more convenient to do this, and today they are not so expensive - around 1000 rubles. You will need such a device more than once. And it will save a lot of effort and time.
Potato care - hilling potatoes
When to hill up potatoes to care for them
Experienced gardeners recommend hilling for the first time as soon as the potatoes sprout their first shoots - from 3 to 5 leaves. For the first time, a mound of about 10 cm should be poured around the bushes. The plants are completely covered with earth.
The second hilling of potatoes is carried out when the potato shoots break through the mound of the first hilling and reappear above the ground. Make sure that they are strong and have a bright green color. Again, completely cover them with soil.
The third hilling is carried out when the potato bushes reach a height of about 25 cm. Now they do not need to be completely covered with soil, just sprinkle loosened soil at the base of the bushes. It’s even better if you add a little soil into the middle of the bushes so that their leaves unfold and the bush takes up more space.
Three hillings are enough.
Caring for potato bushes - why do you need hilling?
First, let's figure out what hilling actually does for potatoes and why it increases the yield. It turns out that the whole point is in the structure of the potato root system. It has a surface structure and spreads mainly in breadth, not depth, of the soil. But for this she needs to create certain conditions.
If the soil is loose, then the roots of the potato bush will try to occupy as much space as possible around them. Tubers that are located and formed under the fringe also prefer a loose soil structure and therefore there are always more of these tubers in the mound of earth that is formed as a result of hilling. Here they do not encounter strong resistance, and the tubers turn out smooth, round and filled with starch. If the potatoes are not hilled, and even in cases where the soil is clayey and heavy, then the tubers simply do not have space for development, and therefore they turn out small, clumsy and diseased. If you harvest such a crop, this does not mean that the potatoes have degenerated or are a bad variety. Most likely, you simply did not do enough loosening the soil and hilling up the potatoes.
Potato care: Video
Caring for potatoes is not difficult, except for hilling and spraying the potatoes, the rest of the care will not take you much time.
Processing potatoes before planting is an important stage in the preparation of seed material. Proper processing is the key to a good harvest. And the best way to combat plant diseases and harmful insects is prevention.
As a pre-sowing protection before germinating seeds, you can soak or spray the tubers using folk remedies. This helps to increase germination. Tubers need to be treated against pests with special preparations.
What and how to process the potatoes is up to you to decide. And from the correct choice of method and composition for processing harvest depends.
Against the Colorado potato beetle
- put onion peels and ash in the hole
- plants are planted in the middle of the potatoes that repel the beetle: garlic, beets, coriander, beans, calendula
- synthetic poison (Prestige drug)
To increase productivity
Planting material is treated three days before planting with a fertilizer solution.
This speeds up germination and improves yield on average by 15%.
From diseases
- Treat the soil against late blight with a solution Baikal M-1
- Treat the tubers with a solution copper sulfate or a drug Fitosporin M.
Post-emergence growth stimulator
- immune stimulant for potatoes. Helps the plant survive frost and stimulates intensive growth and branch formation, which increases yield by 50%.
Poteytin- a proven stimulant that accelerates germination by a week, strengthens the stems’ resistance to damage and increases yield by 20%.
- a new generation stimulant. Made from mammalian placenta and causes a short-term doubling of cell growth rate. Using the drug according to the instructions, the yield doubles.
Poteytin
Conventional pre-sowing treatment
From the wireworm
Against wireworms, seed potatoes are treated with the following substances:
- Taboo. Helps protect against pests until the first 4 leaves form.
- . Can be used on all potato varieties, except early varieties.
Prestige is removed from the tubers only after 2 months.
From aphids
When treating tubers with the drug Commander, potatoes are protected not only from aphids, but also from wireworms and the Colorado potato beetle.
Potato greening
In order to speed up the growing season of the plant, so that the plant grows healthy and with good immunity, in order to protect the plant from many diseases, seed potatoes must be subjected to the greening process. Sunlight hitting the skin of the tubers “turns on” the process of photosynthesis of the plant, thereby stimulating its growth.
The process occurs in autumn and spring. in autumn Place the seed potatoes in good dry weather in a sunny place. The tubers are turned over from time to time as they green up.
Autumn gardening has the advantage that green seed material is stored much better than regular potatoes. And rodents are not very fond of green potatoes.
in spring The potatoes are also laid out in a well-lit place, and they are also turned over as they turn green. But you need to monitor the temperature (+10 +12 degrees). Sometimes, when the weather permits, they take it outside, thus hardening the planting material.
How to treat potato seeds before planting
In order to obtain good material for planting potatoes that does not carry hereditary diseases, you need take the seeds(not tubers!) from fruits formed in autumn on a potato plant, rinse them and dry them.
In the spring, treat these seeds with microelements and plant them as seedlings. It should be borne in mind that such seedlings do not tolerate picking very well. When harvesting from such plants, you need to choose the best specimens in terms of shape and quality, regardless of size.
Substances for application to seed potatoes
Potassium permangantsovka
A solution of manganese acid potassium is used to process potatoes before boarding. Mix one gram of potassium permanganate per bucket of water. Tubers prepared for planting are placed in the solution for 40 minutes.
Copper sulfate
Copper sulfate solution is used for the same purposes as potassium permanganate. For one bucket of water you need to put 10 grams of vitriol and the same amount of zinc sulfate.
Fitosporin
Treatment of tubers before planting is carried out with Fitosporin M from late blight. Add 60 milliliters of liquid Fitosporin M to one liter of water.
Aktara
The drug serves to combat both the Colorado potato beetle and potato aphids.
It can be applied either by spraying the plant, or by adding it to the ground. You need to dilute 2 grams of aktar in a bucket of water. Spray the plants once before flowering, and a second time after digging up the potatoes.
Ammonia
For processing tools and spraying bushes from a nematode use a 10% solution of ammonia in an amount of 10 milliliters per bucket of water.
Boric acid
When the bed is treated with a solution of boric acid. 6 grams are diluted in a bucket of water. This amount should be poured onto 10 square meters of soil.
Maksim
The drug works well for pre-planting treatment potato tubers. Having processed the planting material, it forms a protective “shell” through which diseases such as fusarium, rot, and fomoz do not penetrate. Dilute 40 milliliters of the drug per 1 liter of water and spray the tubers.
The drug has several properties beneficial to the plant. Stimulates rapid growth and development of the plant. Has insecticidal properties.
Namely: it destroys almost all potato pests. The drug is endowed with fungicidal properties. Namely: it prevents the penetration of almost all diseases into the plant.
To treat planting material with this preparation, you need to prepare a solution. 100 milliliters of the drug are added to 1 liter of water. The tubers are sprayed with this solution, and after about a couple of hours, when they have dried, you can begin planting them in the ground.
Wood ash
The huge range of applications makes ash indispensable in your garden. Potatoes are soaked in a solution of wood ash (about 100 grams per bucket) before boarding.
After bathing the seed potatoes in a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate, they are sprinkled with ash. It is placed in the place for planting potatoes at the rate of 100 grams per square meter.
Ash not only plays the role of potassium fertilizer and disinfects seed material and soil, but also repels pests such as the leaf beetle.
Soaking potatoes before planting
Experienced farmers soak potato tubers for two days before planting in a special solution that nourishes the seed material.
They say that the germination of the plant improves, the rate of tuber formation increases, and the overall Potato yield increases by 15 percent.
Making your own soaking solution is very easy. You need to dissolve 40 grams in a bucket of water nitrogen fertilizers, then the same amount superphosphate and the same amount potassium salt. This should be enough to soak 50 kilograms of potato tubers.
To grow a healthy, vigorous and prolific potato plant, you need to avoid the possibility of potato disease and pest damage.
Careful soil preparation, selection of planting material and processing of potatoes before planting make this much easier. And knowing how to do it all correctly, you can grow a potato crop that will be the envy of all your neighbors.