Potato pests: fight against them who eat tubers in the ground

Potatoes are one of the most widely grown vegetables. But besides us, a huge number of potato pests love it. They eat not only tubers, but also leaves, stems and even flowers. And if you do not take measures to exterminate them, the harvest will be small or it may not be at all.

Potato pests: species

There are quite a few species that harm potatoes, but we will analyze the most common ones.

Colorado beetle.

This beetle eats potato leaves. The body of the beetle is small, oval, yellow-orange in color. There are five black stripes on the wings. In one season, the female is able to reproduce up to 700 individuals of her own kind. Two weeks later, from the laid eggs, a larva hatches, which begins to actively feed and grow. She feeds on leaves in the upper part of the plant. After two weeks, they descend to the soil and burrow there to pupate. After three weeks, adults emerge from pupae. They continue to eat plants and reproduce. Beetles in dry and warm weather can transfer to other plants. They live on average from one to three years. If he has a presentiment of danger, then he pretends to be dead.

Wireworm.

The wireworm is the larva of the click beetle. It has such a name due to the fact that its corpus luteum has an elongated shape and is very rigid, like a wire. In the larval stage, this beetle can be up to five years old. Wireworm damages tubers and young shoots of potatoes. He gnaws a hole in which pathogenic bacteria settle, causing various diseases. For wintering, this larva can bury itself to a depth of 60 cm.

Nematodes.

Nematodes are microscopic, parasitic roundworms. These worms are very small. They are resistant to adverse environmental factors. Therefore, their eggs that live in the soil can survive severe frosts. Different species can damage different parts of the plant (stems, tubers,

roots). Eating on the root, they damage it and thereby prevent the access of nutrients from the roots to the plant.

Stem nematodes infect the stem and tuber. Dark spots appear on the peel, and under it the pulp becomes dark in color and friable.

Medvedka.

A large insect, up to 8 cm long. The body is elongated, brown. She lives in the soil, in a hole that they themselves drip. They damage the roots and tubers of potatoes. Lays up to 500 eggs at a time. They hibernate in the ground, at a depth of 2 meters, or in compost heaps.

Caterpillars of a butterfly butterfly.

Caterpillars are gray, cinnamon colored. They eat the stems, leaves, tubers of the plant. They are active mainly at night. In addition to potatoes, it is harmful to tomatoes, beets, cabbage, cucumbers, onions and other plants.

Potato moth.

This is a gray butterfly that lives only two days, but during this time it manages to lay up to 200 eggs. Eggs hatch white or beige caterpillars, which do the main harm to potatoes. They feed on all parts of the plant. Caterpillars live from 15 to 30 days. Then they turn into a pupa, and a week later into a butterfly.

Cicadas.

These insects make holes in plants with their piercing-sucking mouthpieces and suck out the juice. They feed at night, and during the day they live under the protection of ants. In the holes made by leafhoppers, pathogenic bacteria, viruses that cause serious diseases of potatoes, enter. Very often, after being eaten by leafhoppers, the plants wither and die.

Potato flea.

It looks like a small beetle up to 3 mm, brown. The plant is damaged by both an adult insect and its larvae.The adult insect feeds on the upper part of the potato, the larvae on the lower part and roots. It spreads very quickly, infecting nearby potato bushes, especially in dry and warm weather.

Potato pests: control methods

There are many ways to control insect pests. All of them can be roughly divided into mechanical, chemical and folk.

Mechanical methods of struggle.

1. Digging the soil in autumn and spring, before and after planting potatoes. When you dig, you lift the larvae, eggs and nests of pests upward, where they cannot survive in the winter.

2. Collection of pests by hand and their subsequent destruction. Some insects can pretend to be dead, for example, the Colorado potato beetle, so it is better to destroy them after collecting, and not just throw them away.

3. Hilling and loosening the soil, helps to get rid of insect larvae. While loosening, you remove the weeds that adults can live on.

Chemical methods of struggle

Pest control with chemicals. These preparations are used to treat the planting material before planting, or they are added to the hole directly at the time of planting, and you can also prepare a solution and spray or water already mature plants. After processing, potato tubers can be eaten after a month or two, depending on the drug.

The most popular drug that fight against many types of insects is Prestige or Tabu.

Folk methods of struggle

1. The seed is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

2. During planting, ash is placed in the holes, which scares away many insects and their larvae.

3. To combat the wireworm, put lime flour into the hole along with the ash.

4. Set up homemade traps, for example, a bottle of beer is used to catch a bear. For catching the Colorado potato beetle potato slices.

Potato pests: what they eat

The leaves are preferred by the Colorado potato beetle, potato flea beetle and leafhoppers. Stems - Colorado potato beetle, potato flea, moth and scoop, bear. The roots and tubers are eaten by the Colorado potato beetle, wireworm, nematode, bear, potato flea and scoop.

In order to use insect control methods correctly, you need to determine its type, i.e. who is harming your plant. And it is better to fight to carry out preventive measures that prevent their occurrence