The Colorado potato beetle is a species of insects from the family of leaf beetles, a subfamily of true leaf beetles.
Discovered in 1824 by the entomologist Thomas Sayem, one of the most dangerous pests of solanaceous crops.
Currently, not only chemical insecticides to fight the beetle, but also folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle have gained wide popularity.
Did you know? Despite the fact that the insect got its name after the devastation of potato fields in the state of Colorado in 1859, its homeland is the Sonoran province in northeastern Mexico.
Colorado potato beetle: pest description
The body of the Colorado potato beetle is oval in shape, 7–12 mm long, on top is convex, yellow, the head and prothorax are covered with spots. On each wing there are five longitudinal black stripes.
Differs in exceptional fecundity - for the life of the female, on average, they lay up to 800 eggs, arranged in small groups of 30-40 pieces each. After 10-15 days, fleshy larvae appear in eggs, their life lasts 25 days. 
At the larva stage, four ages are distinguished, which are separated by molts. At the first and at the second age, the larvae have a dark brown color; at the third age, the larva acquires an orange, pink or yellow-orange shade. Their head, legs and two rows of warts on the sides of the body are black.
In the first and second instar, the larvae remain in groups on the tops of the shoots; in the third and fourth, they transfer to neighboring plants. During the pupation period, most of the larvae burrow into the soil to a depth of 10 cm at a distance of 10–20 cm from the bush, which they ate.
The pupa is formed in 10-20 days. In the fall, beetles burrow 70 m into the soil and freeze until spring, getting to the surface only after the temperature rises to 15 ° C.
In calm weather, the speed of flight of beetles - 4-8 km per hour. Getting into the water, the beetles do not sink, the current of the river carries them away, giving the opportunity to crawl out to the shore.
Did you know? The intense orange color of the larvae is a sign of the presence of carotene coloring matter in their bodies.
What is harmful Colorado potato beetle
Each year, the owners of the dachas raises the question of how to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle. The Colorado potato beetle has insatiable gluttony; it destroys potatoes, stems, leaves (in spring), flowers (in summer), tubers (in early autumn). As soon as the temperature decreases, the pests burrow into the soil.
The gradual movement of the plant means imminent damage, because the number of beetles increases with time, which puts even more fruit at risk. The beetle, besides potatoes, eats eggplants, tomatoes, sweet peppers with pleasure.
Important! The beetle is a long-lived record holder who overcomes his hungry years, falling into a 2-3-year pause, after which he is able to give healthy offspring.The Colorado potato beetle is inaccessible to chemical insecticides due to the fact that it overwinters deep in the ground, which even periodic re-digging of the garden cannot prevent.
How to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle, cooking mixture
Mustard will quickly and safely get rid of the Colorado potato beetle.
Summer residents planted mustard to scare away insects so that it does not allow weeds to grow and improve the structure of the land.
Thanks to its ability to grow rapidly, cleansing the land from phytophthora and scab, not leaching the soil, it helps to fight wireworm, pinworm, slugs.
It has a positive impact in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle. It is best to plant the mustard between the rows of potatoes and eggplants, pick during the flowering period and spread out between plants that can become victims of the Colorado potato beetle.
Vinegar is also useful against the Colorado potato beetle. In vinegar is acetic acid, complex alcohols, esters and aldehydes, and acetic essence of 80% of the concentration can destroy the insect when it penetrates inside.
But the best effect will be a mixture of mustard and vinegar. For her cooking 100 g of mustard powder and 100 ml of 9% vinegar should be diluted in one bucket of water.
Exists another version of the mustard-vinegar mixture: 200 g of mustard powder diluted in 10 liters of water and insist 12 hours, then add 150 ml of vinegar. Also, turpentine, an infusion of onion peel, garlic or wormwood can be added to the remedy for the Colorado potato beetle, which will enhance the effectiveness of a folk remedy.
How to apply the mixture
In order for mustard and vinegar against the Colorado potato beetle to work, you should follow the rules in the manufacture and use of the solution. It is necessary to process potato tops at the beginning of growth and when the number of beetles increases during flowering.
It is better to make spraying in the evening, when the heat of the day subsides, in warm and calm weather.
For processing, a large amount of the solution will be required, spraying should be done regularly, but treatment should be stopped 20 days before the estimated harvest. A solution of pure vinegar should not be watered. When processing tops, try to prevent the mixture from dripping. Mustard and can be watered and sprayed leaves.
You also can not forget that the use of the solution over 3 hours does not make sense, it must be made immediately before use. Mustard in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle will be powerless if carried out spraying under the influence of direct sunlight: it will lose its qualities, and the entry of rain drops can simply wash away the solution.
It is undesirable to use the mixture after rain, after abundant dew, in foggy weather, during strong winds. The best time to process is pre-sunset evening.
Important! The main harm to the plants is not brought by adults, but by the larvae at the third and fourth age of development, therefore the fight with the beetle cannot be postponed.
The use of folk remedies has the main advantage over chemical preparations - they are absolutely safe for people, animals, plants and the environment due to the fact that they are non-toxic.
