It multiplies quickly and can cause major damage to crops within a short period of time, eating all of their leaves. Since the Colorado potato beetle was introduced from the USA around 150 years ago, it has become one of the most widespreadPests in the home gardenestablished. We explain how you can quickly recognize an infestation and fight the Colorado potato beetles.
Fighting Colorado potato beetles: How to recognize the pest in good time
To combat the Colorado potato beetle, it is first and foremost important that you act in a timely manner. The females lay their eggs at the beginning of summer and when the larvae hatch, they quickly all diePlants in the vegetable gardeninfested and stripped. The first step in combating it is prevention. From mid-April onwards, check all plants twice a week for eggs and traces of feeding. You can see the adult Colorado beetles as well as the larvae and the eggs with the naked eye.
How does the Colorado potato beetle develop and what can you do about it?
- The eggsare golden yellow, small, and are usually located on the lower side of the leaves. The females lay 20 to 60 eggs together. If you notice them in the spring, you should act quickly and collect all the eggs. In this way you can prevent the larvae from hatching and the Colorado potato beetles from multiplying without restriction.
- The colorof the larvaevaries from dark yellow to brick red depending on age. The larvae also have small dark brown dots on their sides. They usually hatch about three to six days after the females lay the eggs. Their size varies, but does not exceed 10 mm. So if you find a large caterpillar in the garden, then it is not a Colorado potato beetle. But if you see lots of small orange larvae, you should act as quickly as possible and take them with youfight with a home remedy.
- The Colorado potato beetles are beetles about 10 mm long with a yellow back and dark brown stripes along the wings. The head is orange to brick red in color and has dark brown dots. The insects are resistant to most pesticides and insecticides. But they are not dangerous because they do not feed on plant leaves.
- Colorado potato beetles primarily attack potatoes. But if they don't have enough food, the other crops in the vegetable garden will also fall victim to them. If you see traces of feeding, this is a sure sign that the larvae have already hatched. You must therefore prevent it from spreading.
What can you do against Colorado potato beetles? These home remedies help combat it
In the years following World War I, it was vital for farmers to control Colorado potato beetles. At that time, potatoes were one of the most important foods. Therefore, people first tried to collect the larvae and eggs by hand. Over the next few years, they fought the beetle with pesticides. However, the pest is very adaptable and has developed resistance. Today, experienced gardeners know that some home remedies prove to be more effective than pesticides. The use of chemical pesticides is also not recommended because they are also dangerous for beneficial insects. It is therefore much better to fight the Colorado potato beetles naturally.
Neem oil as a home remedy against Colorado potato beetles
If you want to fight Colorado potato beetles naturally, you can try neem. Neem oil is obtained from the seeds of the Indian neem tree. The oil tastes bitter and has an unpleasant smell. Neem oil is harmless to pollinating insects, but fatal to larvae. This is because they absorb high amounts of the toxic substance through their food (the plant leaves).
When to use neem against Colorado potato beetles?If you see the larvae and Colorado potato beetles in June and July, you can make a spray with neem oil yourself. For this purpose, dilute the neem oil with water in a ratio of 1 to 100. So dissolve 1 ml of neem oil in 100 ml of water. Then pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray the crops shortly before sunrise. The Colorado potato beetles will then ingest the toxic agent through their food throughout the day. You can then water the plants with a neem oil solution once a month as a preventive measure. For this purpose, dissolve 5 ml of neem oil in 10 liters of water.
Rock dust against Colorado potato beetles
The rock powder is made from lava rock. The special thing about rock dust is that it contains important trace elements. Therefore it is often administered as fertilizer. However, in the case of a Colorado potato beetle infestation, it fulfills a different function: it is an environmentally friendly remedy against Colorado potato beetles. To do this, simply pollinate the plants with it. You should use the rock dust in the spring when the infestation is just beginning. If you find a lot of eggs and larvae then it can slow them down. However, the home remedy cannot kill all the larvae.
When to use rock dust?As an aid in the event of an infestation in June and July. If you notice the infestation early and only a few larvae have hatched, you can kill them with rock dust and collect the eggs. Otherwise, you can combine the rock dust with a bacterial preparation.
What helps against Colorado potato beetles: Manure made from nettle or horseradish
You can't kill the pests with a mixture of nettle or horseradish, but you can drive them away from the garden. Fill an empty and clean compost bin with 5 liters of tap water and add 100 g of dried horseradish or nettle. Place the bucket uncovered in a sunny spot in the garden for about 4 days and then pour the spray into a pressure sprayer. Use it to wet all parts of the plant. Repeat the process as many times as necessary. You can spray the plants with it in spring to keep Colorado potato beetles away.
When to use home remedies?In the spring before the first infestation, and then in August to prevent a second spread.
Fight Colorado potato beetles with mint: This is how you can make your own spray
Mint is poisonous to Colorado potato beetles. If you theFight pests with itIf you want, you can make your own mint broth. Proceed similarly to making mint tea. Boil 1 liter of water and pour it over 5 handfuls of mint. Let the mint steep for half an hour. After the water has cooled, carefully strain the broth and then dilute it with 10 liters of cold water. Use the spray directly on all plants (both the affected potatoes and their immediate neighbors).
When to use mint in the fight against Colorado potato beetles?In the event of a severe infestation, mint proves to be a very effective control agent.
Fight Colorado potato beetles naturally: coffee grounds for prevention
Have you successfully combated an infestation in spring or June/July? Now prevention plays a crucial role. It is very important that you remove the Colorado potato beetles from the kitchen garden. A second phase begins in August and in a dry summer the pests multiply quickly again. To avoid this, you can use coffee grounds. Simply sprinkle the plants and the soil around the kitchen garden with the coffee grounds very early in the morning before sunrise. The Colorado potato beetles don't like the coffee grounds at all and you'll get rid of them for good.
Fight Colorado potato beetles naturally: bacteria
If too many crops are infected, you can fight the Colorado potato beetles with bacteria. In particular, bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis is used by organic vegetable producers. You can find preparations with the bacteria in the garden center. They are only deadly to pests that eat the plant. They are not harmful to pollinating insects, animals or humans. Families with small children or pets should seek advice from the garden center. In order for the preparation to work, you should spray the plants where the pests are. It is also very important that temperatures do not fall below 15 degrees. The preparation is therefore suitable for use in summer for moderate and very severe infestations.
