Colorado potato beetle is a crop pest that attacks potatoes. It is a bright yellow/orange-bodied pest that feeds on potato leaves. They are considered among the most difficult pests to manage and control on a farm. This is because they are resistant to many insecticides.
However, there is always a way out when getting rid of pests. One of the best ways is to do it organically. This is because organic practices can control different types of beetles with minimal effort.
Read carefully through this article to get more information on how to get rid of these insects from the farm.
How to repel Colorado potato beetles naturally
- Planting resistant plant varieties
One of the best ways of organically removing the Colorado beetle is by planting resistant plants. There are many plants resistant varieties that you can choose from. However, this depends on the farm’s size and the climate.
Common resistant varieties include Yukon Gold, Caribe, Norland and the Russet Burbank. These varieties are less vulnerable to attacks by beetles. It means that they deter the beetles from attacking other crops on the farm.
Other plants attract these beetles. The concept is to ensure that the beetles prefer to feed on these varieties than the potatoes. It means that the potatoes are spared from attack.
These plants are best planted along the perimeter of the garden. They are the first to be colonized by the beetles, thus shielding the potatoes.
Research has indicated that commercial potato growers mostly use this method. The method has been recorded as having an over eighty percent success rate. The method works perfectly in delaying attacks on potatoes until they are mature and harvested.
- Crop Rotation
The other organic method that works in deterring Colorado beetles is practicing crop rotation. This is a traditional method that has worked in many small farms. The idea behind this method is to reduce the beetle infestations on potatoes.
The method works when you plant potatoes on different portions of land over the seasons. The method works better when the frequency of rotating potatoes is increased. There are suggestions that small-scale farmers best use this method.
The Colorado beetles hibernate in the soil during winter. This means they can easily attack the potatoes if planted in the same part near that section. Planting the potatoes further shields them from the beetles when they hibernate.
- Handpicking
It is also considered effective when you work on hand-kicking the potato beetles. This method is a traditional approach but has been working for years. The technique involves picking these beetles and preventing them from laying eggs on the potato plants.
Adult beetles can easily be handpicked. It only requires the use of a cloth and soapy water. But this method is tedious. It can only work for small farms. It is not very common among the commercial growers.
- Adding Mulch
One of the best ways of controlling pests and weeds on a farm is mulch. This has been a very popular method for many years. The idea is to cover the bare areas of the land where the pests can hibernate.
Covering the ground using mulch means that you impede the movement of pests. Experts recommend a 2-3 inches layer of mulch for better results. However, caution is also advised, given that mulch may be home to insects that can attack the potato plant.
- Planting Covers
There is also the idea of using cover crops to protect the potato plants from weeds and beetles. However, this is considered less effective given that the cover crops may also attract other pests. The cover crops work more like the mulch.
The cover plants provide a cover of the ground. This means that the beetle’s movement is limited during hibernation from the soil.
Experts also present that cover crops prevent the beetles from laying eggs on the ground. Therefore, they limit the survival of these pests across the seasons.
- Introducing beneficial Insects
Another great method of controlling potato beetles is the introduction of beneficial insects. There are those insects that can deter potato beetles. This also includes some insects that can feed on these beetles.
Understating the garden ecosystem is important. This is good because you can decide on the harm and benefits of each insect. This is considered appropriate for keeping the pest populations in check.
Some beneficial insects that can deter potato beetles include lacewing, ladybugs, and spined soldier bugs. They are well known for feeding on the eggs of potato bugs. This means that it is possible to keep the bugs in check. They attach the eggs and prevent them from maturing.
Do Colorado potato beetles also eat tomatoes?
Among farmers’ major issues and concerns is whether there is any link between pests that attack tomatoes and potatoes. The answer to this question is yes. Many of the pests that attack the tomatoes are also attracted by the potatoes.
Therefore, even potato beetles are also attracted to tomatoes. They also feed on other plants, including the eggplant. All of these are in the nightshade family category.
It is, therefore, important to understand how to protect tomatoes from potato beetles. This is especially true when you have planted two crops nearby or on the same land.
How long do Colorado potato beetles live?
One of the difficult questions to answer is the life span of the potato beetles. But there are suggestions that these beetles can live longer because of their hibernating behaviors. They mostly hibernate during the cold seasons. They can hibernate on debris or soil only to emerge during the sunny season.
The ability of the potato beetles to lay many eggs also increases their life span in a garden. They mostly look for Solanaceous host plants where they can lay these eggs. They do so at the end of the summer season when they do not move a lot.
Among the most plants that are home for these eggs include tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes.
The average number of eggs a female beetle can lay is between 10 and 30 in one season. These eggs take about fourteen days to hatch. However, it is mostly determined by the weather. The eggs hatch faster when the weather is warm.
The larvae feed on the foliage for survival. They later drop into the soil when they are mature. This is where they form into pupae and later emerge as adults.
Experts have indicated that potato beetles can hatch into one to three generations yearly.
Does neem oil prevent Colorado potato beetles?
Among the most sought procedures include those that can help deter Colorado potato beetles from the farm. This is because they are very destructive. One of the suggested means has been the use of neem oil.
Researchers observe that neem oil may not be used to deter mature potato beetles. But it works perfectly in destroying the larvae before it hatches into a mature beetle.
This method has been preferred because many adult beetles have grown to have greater resistance to pesticides. It is considered as among the best ways of controlling the beetle population.
Do coffee grounds repel potato bugs?
There are also suggestions that the coffee grounds may be used to repel the potato beetles. However, this is not a very common method among farmers.
The coffee grounds are known to have some smell that repels the pests. This method is best for small farms. This is because it is work intensive.
A farmer has to spread the dried coffee grounds every few weeks to deter the pests. It is considered better when these grounds are used early in the morning.
It is good to note that the method may not be as effective as other organic methods introduced in this article.