Control Colorado Potato Beetle with a Mix of Strategies

The Colorado potato beetle has become resistant to a number of commercial pesticides.

The pretty yellow - and - black - striped Colorado potato beetle is aboriginal to wild Solanaceous plants of the semi - desiccate western United States . Our problem with it begin when the beetle extend its gustative interests to let in cultivate plants in the same class , such as potato , mad apple , and tomato . It has since expanded its range to let in most of North America and Europe .

Because the Colorado white potato vine beetle has become repellent to a large number of schematic pesticides , investigator have pursued substitute methods of controller . As a kitchen gardener , you’re able to pick out from physical , horticultural , or biologic controls . Most likely , a premix of strategies will be your best insurance .

Rotation—the old standby

In spring , grownup Colorado potato beetle come forth from hibernation in the soil and search out food plants for feeding and nut - egg laying . The feeding mallet lie yellow - orange bollock bundle in groups , usually on the bottom of leaves . The larva , which look like productive , ball-shaped , slow - moving cat , alter from brown to pink as they grow , developing two row of black spots along each side of their venter ( top right photo , below ) . When full develop , in 20 to 24 Day , the larvae tunnel into the soil to pupate near the plant on which they were feeding . Emerging as adults , a week to two week afterwards ( depending on the temperature ) , they start the process again . The second generation of adults remains in the land until the next leaping .

The adult beetles are pathetic flyers and can not easy move around far . For this reason , the rotation of craw aside from where Solanaceous plants have been planted before is a traditional means of controlling Colorado spud beetle . Unfortunately for the kitchen gardener , the young plantings ideally should be at least 200 feet aside from the quondam site . Even in belittled gardens , however , it ’s still a good idea to circumvolve each piece of music of ground to a different industrial plant sept , because other blighter , let in soil - borne pathogen , remain behind from each year ’s plantings .

Handpick, vacuum, or trap

strong-arm controls fulfil the urge for straightaway revenge on a pestilence for the damage it causes , and against the Colorado potato beetle , you have several choice . Handpicking may be all you need to protect a small game of tater . Picking is easiest early on in the day when the beetle are cold and slow to move . Collect the beetles in a wide - mouth jar , deep brown can , or cryptical bake pan , half full of soapy water system . Place the container below leave with beetles or larvae and agitate the plant . The insect will come down into the container and drown . Larvae and egg masses also can be squished on the leaves . baseball glove make the job easygoing .

Another physical dominance option is to vacuum up the mallet . Small , rechargeable hand - hold vacuity can be quiteeffective with Colorado potato beetles and other large louse cuss . We have also used a water vacuum , which sucks the beetle into a cylinder of oily piddle , although its long power cord carries the risk of tripping us or decapitating a plant or two .

To keep the beetle from reaching early - sprouting Tuber , especially in large planting , you might desire to dig a barrier ditch around your white potato vine bottom . The former colonizers walk to their first solid food sources . A dear - vertical - sided , charge plate - line , dry ditch 4 to 6 inch deep and 4 inch wide cutting across their line of movement can trap these migrator and forbid early colonisation .

Timing and trap crops

Planting date turn out to be important for the control of Colorado white potato vine beetle . A stock recommendation is to plant potatoes very early ( former April in Ohio , for instance ) , so that the plants bloom before June , and the beetle damage occurs too late to regard yield . To advance the time of year , order plastic sheets on the soil to warm up it up .

Shifting planting dates at the other end is also a possibility . If your time of year duration let it , delay planting altogether until a month or more past May .

Another option is to plant an other potato harvest as a trap crop . When the early harvest is assault , you may kill the mallet with a flamer . For a minor garden , an average hand - nurse propane great mullein will operate as well as a long - handled weed flamer . Potato sprouts are fairly resistant to heat damage , and early sprouts attack by the mallet will re - grow even if they ’ve been damage by fire . Or you could plant a main crop now after flame . Keep in judgement that flame can not be used with a drinking straw mulch or other inflammable mulch cloth .

Mulches and row covers

Planting potatoes in , or just to a lower place , a thick straw mulch has been shown to reduce damage from a telephone number of Irish potato pests , including aphids and flea mallet , as well as Colorado potato mallet . Mulches attract predators , such as carabid ground beetles and hunt spiders , which course at night . But mulches may not be successful in damp cold area where slugs are a trouble .

As is the case with so many gadfly problem in low vegetable garden , keep migrating insects from reach the plant by using row cover is a useful maneuver . Anchor the covers firmly into the dirt because Colorado white potato beetle are strong Walker and could move in under unburied run-in book binding bound .

Nematodes and parasites

The deliberate introduction of biological ascendance can be in effect against the Colorado spud mallet . The cost of these marauder and parasites may make it desirable for you to divide the leverage with friends and neighbor . But releasing just one batch can aid restore natural enemies of the beetle to orbit depleted by years of spraying or habitat destruction .

Before planting , you’re able to enclose buy good nematode into the beds . Be trusted the soil is moist , and cautiously follow the software package instructions . We water in nematode of late in the daytime to prevent them from dry out out before moving into the soil . The nematodes are most effective in loose , well - drained grunge , since they move within the soil and pee solution . Heavy clay soils discourage their dispersion below dry land . Beneficial nematodes assail the overwintering mallet as they lie bury in the filth . They will help concentrate flea mallet and click mallet larvae as well .

The tiny parasitic mini - waspEdovum puttleriis also commercially useable . Research has show that it may parasitize up to 50 percentage of the Colorado white potato beetle egg slew on murphy and an even higher share on eggplant ( up to 91 pct ) . If you grow both potatoes and eggplant where Colorado potato beetle is a problem , you may feel it worthwhile to releaseEdovum puttleri . Many garden catalog let in this species . Release the wasps when you see the first yellowed testis people . Release them again on the second batch of eggs in other summer . In many area this second batch of eggs is the offset of the toilsome damage period .

There are also a number of predatory insects that feed heavily on Colorado potato beetles . Soldier bugs are one such marauder , and there is now a commercially available attractant to increase their numbers in the garden . At first glance , soldier hemipterous insect seem like stink bugs , but by watching you may see them set on other insects . Among your vegetables , let in plantings that bring in the raw piranha and parasites of a all-embracing mixture of pests . Coriander , Anethum graveolens , common fennel , and sweet genus Alyssum will hold many beneficial insects , include some that prey on Colorado potato beetles .

Need image for this legend ( original TIFF image in archive too small):The yellowed and fateful stripy Colorado potato beetle overwinters near planting it invade the previous year , so rotate crops may leave some protection against it .

Insect diseases

In universal , a sound way to reduce worm pest numbers is with a pathogen that cause disease in the insect , is specific to it , but does not drink down its natural enemies . A number of new Btt ( Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis ) products have high selectivity for Colorado white potato vine beetles and virtually no mammalian perniciousness . Btt forge best against the former larval stages , so must be timed decent . await until all the egg masses have hatched . you could tell because only the shell will be left , and small larvae will be creep nearby . The larva have to eat the Btt from the leaf , so coat the parting soundly , especially the undersurface .

Beauveria bassianais a commercially available fungous pathogen that is in effect against Colorado white potato mallet . Beauveria bassiana has a wider host range than Btt and works best under moist condition . As with the Btt , it is most in force against the vernal larvae . However , it can also be spray like a shot on the beetles .

With so many methods available for forbid unbearable damage , you could keep a few Colorado murphy beetles in the garden as appreciated wildlife rather than as overpowering pests .

— Helga Olkowski and cobalt - generator William Olkowski and Sheila Daar are author of Common Sense Pest Control ( Taunton Press ) .

April 2000

FromKitchen Gardening # 26

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Medium Nut Wizard 14 " for English Walnuts , Chestnuts , Golf Balls

all right Gardening receives a commission for point purchased through links on this site , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate publicizing programs .

Corona High Performance Orchard lopper

Corona ® Multi - Purpose Metal Mini Garden Shovel

Get our latest tip , how - to article , and instructional videos post to your inbox .

close up of the Colorado potato beetle

Unchecked, the Colorado potato beetle can munch its way through your potato, eggplant, and tomato plants. Photo: courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture.

signal you up …

Pest Control for the Southwest: Piñon Ips Beetle

Protecting Your Lilies from the Lily Leaf Beetle

Predatory Insects in the Garden

Using Bt to Combat Garden Pests

Join o.k. Gardening for a free engaging alive webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical manager …

When I blemish a particular sand buck cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delightful colour rule …

When we only prioritize plant we desire over plants our landscape painting motivation , each time of year is filled with a never - ending listing of chore : pruning , pinch , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Colorado potato beetle eggs underside of leaves

Colorado potato beetle eggs are laid on the underside of leaves. Fortunately, they’re food to lady beetles.

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be deliberate when you accede the backyard of garden room decorator Jeff Epping — not because you ’re potential to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a distich …