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Why You Can't Get Rid of the Colorado Potato Beetle: The Pest Is Strong, But You Hold On
07.06.2024 18:37
Since the Colorado potato beetle settled in the garden beds of Soviet summer residents and collective farm fields, no one has been able to defeat the pest.
Some enthusiasts offer bizarre recipes with a guaranteed result, but before you believe another myth, remember that the beetle hardly reacts to chemicals.
Anastasia Kovrizhnykh, an expert at the online publication BelNovosti, explained why it was not possible to exterminate the Colorado potato beetle.
Historical background
The Colorado potato beetle emerged as a pest in the mid-19th century in the states of Nebraska and Colorado.
It managed to spread throughout the world together with the import of vegetable products.
It poses quite a serious threat to agriculture. If 30-40% of potato tops are destroyed, then the yield loss will be about 30%.
What Science Says
While studying the pest's resistance to new pesticides, scientists found out that the insect's genes quickly react to various chemicals (mutate), which is why the "Colorado beetles" adapt to new preparations.
For now, the scientists’ findings do not allow us to expect that one day beetles will again become a curiosity in garden beds.
Is it possible to save the harvest?
Don't lose heart. It is possible to fight the pest population, and this is important.
It is enough to follow the rules that will help to cope with the invasion.
Firstly, you should not plant potatoes next to pumpkin and nightshade crops.
Secondly, you should not neglect hilling, which helps protect seedlings from the appearance of beetle larvae and eggs.
Thirdly, do not neglect weeding and cover the space between the rows with straw.
As for chemicals, summer residents have long been told that the same solution cannot be used twice in a row, even if it has shown excellent results.
Earlier we told you how to feed cucumbers at the beginning of summer.
