What can i put on my plants to keep bugs off

How To Stop Bugs From Eating Your Plants

Springtime is here in Scottsdale, and we’re all itching to get outside and get busy bringing our gardens back to life for the year. We’re excited to see our favorite perennials pop back up, and maybe we’ve got some new plants that we want to introduce as well. Even our indoor plants are perking back up again, bolstered by the lengthened hours of sunshine.

Of course, as delightful as this season is for experiencing the full beauty of your garden, it isn’t without its challenges. Weather and temperatures can be unpredictable. Diseases can creep into your garden. And of course, what would springtime be without the sudden appearance of tiny little holes in your plant leaves?

But what causes these holes? How can you prevent them, and how can you stop them from worsening? Today, we’re going to talk all about this, including the most likely culprits and how Scottsdale pest control can benefit your plants and garden.

Why Do Your Plants Have Holes In Their Leaves?

While the occasional hole in a leaf might be because the leaf was malformed or perhaps your kids thought it would be fun to poke holes in it, it’s easy to tell when there’s something much more serious going on. If every leaf on your plant is covered in regular holes, there’s clearly a systematic problem. In most cases, that problem is bugs.

Whether you’re working with indoor plants or an outdoor garden, you’ll find that both are susceptible to developing bug problems. These bugs are capable of burrowing through the soil to eat at roots, climbing the leaves to chew away flowers and buds, and, of course, biting holes right through the center of new green leaves.

There isn’t just one type of bug that’s solely responsible for eating away at your plants, either. Instead, many different insect species are attracted to your plants and eager to begin eating them. For the most effective anti-pest measures, you’ll need to learn about each type of bug in Scottsdale that may be responsible and how to guard against them.

Why Do Bugs Keep Eating Your Plants?

Bugs eat your plants because they’re hungry and your plants are likely the best option around at the moment. While it’s unfortunate for you as the gardener, it’s also easy enough to understand why it happens. Bugs are like any other living creature, and they’re usually just looking for their next meal.

Another related question you might be wondering is why the bugs are only going for specific plants in your garden while avoiding the others. It’s because, like most of us, bugs have preferences for what they eat. If you have an infestation of aphids, for example, they’re likely to head for one type of plant. An infestation of Japanese beetles will go for something different.

Why do you suddenly have bugs this year when you’ve never had a problem in years past? Think back to what’s different about your garden this year. Did you make any new additions? Add any unusual plants? The odds are good that these new plants are responsible for attracting your new visitors.

Wondering how to stop insects from eating plant leaves? It’s possible, but it takes planning and dedication. The reward will be worth it, however, when you see your plants begin to thrive once you’ve successfully removed all the bugs. Today, we want to walk you through the process of naturally getting rid of bugs that are eating your plants without hurting the plants in the process.

What Are The Most Common Plant-Eating Bugs In Scottsdale?

Curious which bugs are likely responsible for the holes in your leaves and the droopy-looking plants in your garden? Take a look at our list of likely candidates:

Indoor Pests

Some of the bugs that might be causing your indoor plants to droop include:

Aphids

These bugs are easy to pick out for their unique pale-green color. Unless you’re looking closely, aphids are almost easy to mistake for very tiny leaves. Closer inspection will reveal them to be very small, pear-shaped bugs with long antennae and two tubes pointing backward from their abdomen. These pests are frustratingly common and enjoy eating everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and outdoor trees. Rather than chewing holes in leaves, however, they prefer to suck the sap out of plants, causing the leaves to droop and spreading disease in their wake.

Mealybugs

These little white bugs are especially attracted to houseplants, and you’re most likely to find them at the small joint where the leaf meets the stem in your plants, as well as on the stems and leaves themselves. Like aphids, they feed on the plant’s sap instead of chewing on the leaves directly, causing the plant to wilt and eventually die if left unchecked.

Spider Mites

While these pests are technically arachnids instead of insects, there’s effectively no difference when it comes to how destructive they can be. These mites look like tiny red dots that collect on the underside of leaves, where they eat plant fluids and leave tiny dots at any location where they’ve been munching. While they can infest any household plant, they’re especially common in ivy and can cause a plant to yellow, wither and die.

Outdoor Pests

While some of the indoor bugs, like aphids, can occur outdoors as well, you’ll likely have a new set of insects to worry about in your outside garden. A few of the important ones to keep an eye out for include:

Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles are pests that you can find in almost every state east of the Mississippi, where they feed on many different flowers, fruits, and vegetables. You can easily tell where they’ve been by the way they turn leaves into patchy skeletons, eat away at flowers and, in some cases, strip a plant entirely bare of any foliage. Adults are a metallic bluish-green with metallic red wing covers, while the larvae are white grubs.

Tarnished Plant Bugs

These bugs move extremely quickly, and you’ll recognize them by their green-and-brown coloring, as well as the yellow triangles with black tips located on their forewings. They’re not extremely picky about their food and will eat plenty of different fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Rather than chewing on the leaves, they suck out the plant juices, leaving the plant wilted, drooping, and often stunted.

Flea Beetles

Flea beetles are another pest that you’ll find on vegetable plants throughout North America. The adults will chew round holes right into the center of leaves, which can be particularly damaging to young plants. Larvae are more likely to chew at roots. You can identify this bug by its dark coloring and its unique ability to hop like a flea when startled.

Caterpillars

There are many different types of caterpillars, and none of them spell good news for your garden. These insects are larvae that will one day hatch into moths, flies, butterflies, and other insects, but until then, their sole purpose in life is mostly to eat. Unfortunately for gardeners, their preferred food is usually garden leaves.

Caterpillars aren’t picky about their food, which means they’ll eat away at fruits, vegetables, and trees, often chewing along the edges of leaves. The good news is that these pests are usually easy to spot and recognize, making it simple to diagnose the problem.

How To Keep Bugs From Eating Your Plants

Once you’ve noticed that your plants are suffering from an invasion of insects, and once you’ve identified or at least suspect which bugs are to blame, your next step is to figure out how to keep bugs from indoor and outdoor plants alike. And while there are plenty of synthetic pest-killers out there that you can purchase for yourself by heading to the local plant nursery or home improvement store, many of us prefer a more natural alternative.

That said, let’s look at some homemade bug sprays for indoor and outdoor plants.

How To Get Rid Of Bugs On Indoor Plants

Are bugs getting into your houseplants? Try a few of these homemade solutions:

Aphid Prevention

The first step to getting rid of aphids is to avoid attracting them in the first place. They’re attracted to moist soil, so if you have a tendency to overwater your plants, it could explain your aphid problem. Avoid this practice, and you may have better luck staying clear of aphids in the future. If you’ve already attracted them, however, try wiping down the leaves of the infested plant with a solution of a few drops of dish soap and water. It’s also a good idea to pinch the aphids off the plant directly, especially in cases of extreme infestation.

Mealybug Prevention

One of the best homemade bug killers for the house, particularly where mealybugs are concerned, is a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. Simply dab it on every bug you see for a quick and efficient removal system. You may need to complete several sessions of this procedure before the infestation is under control, but it should eventually prove effective. Once the bugs are gone, prevent them from returning by not over-watering or over-fertilizing your houseplants.

Spider Mite Prevention

Spider mites do their best work in dry conditions, meaning they love it when you let your plant go for a while without watering it. One of the best ways you can fight this pest off is by regularly misting the leaves to keep them moist. You should also dust and clean the leaves often to prevent these mites from laying eggs on them. For extreme cases, try a homemade bug spray made of water and neem oil for indoor plants.

How To Get Rid Of Bugs On Outdoor Plants

Are your concerns centered more on your outdoor garden? If so, try a few of these home fixes.

Japanese Beetle Prevention

Start by shaking the bugs off the plants in the early morning, before they’re at their most active. Once they’re gone for the moment, spray down the plants with a homemade insecticidal soap. A great recipe for a homemade bug spray for vegetable plants is to use one tablespoon of dish soap, one cup of vegetable oil, one quart of water, and one cup of rubbing alcohol. For best results, apply this spray in the morning and be prepared to spray the plants again with water if they seem to start drooping after the treatment.

Tarnished Plant Bug Prevention

Avoid attracting these bugs in the first place by keeping your garden free of weeds all spring, at least as much as possible. Doing so means giving the bugs fewer places to hide and making your garden a less attractive spot for them. If you find yourself with a tarnished plant bug problem, however, control it by locating the nymphs and spraying them with neem oil. Finally, one of your best bets is to encourage natural predators of these bugs, as they’ll do a big part of your job for you.

Flea Beetle Prevention

A great natural bug repellent for flea beetles is garlic-based. For this remedy, you’ll need a head of garlic, one tablespoon of a dish soap that doesn’t contain bleach, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, and two cups of water. Make the spray by peeling the garlic and pureeing the cloves along with the oil and water. Let this mixture sit overnight before straining it. Add the soap and mix it together thoroughly. Then, just pour it into a spray bottle and use it to cover the infected plants.

Caterpillar Prevention

To deter caterpillars, you can try several different methods. The first is to encourage natural predators that will eat the caterpillars and thus clear them out for you. Another method is to spray the plants with a solution of neem oil and water.

Finally, you might try mixing together a homemade chili spray. To make this spray, grind three and a half ounces of dried chilies in a blender. Throw this powder into a half-gallon of boiling water and let it boil for five minutes before adding half a gallon of cold water and a few drops of dish soap. Spray this mixture on the caterpillars every morning until you no longer see them.

Call In The Scottsdale Pest Control Professionals

When it comes to bug infestations either in your garden or among your houseplants, home remedies are a great first course of action. Oftentimes, they’ll be just the trick you need to banish the bugs and get your plants looking great again. In other situations, the bugs may persist despite your best efforts. In cases like these, it might be time to set the home remedies aside and call in professionals.

Contact Us Today!

If you’re based in or around the Phoenix area, we want to invite you to reach out to us here at Green Home Termite & Pest Control. We’re a locally owned and operated pest control company, serving the area surrounding Phoenix. Since we’re a local business, we have the freedom to treat you like family, providing you with the very best in personalized services as well as the highest quality and safest products in the business. Together, our technicians have more than 30 years of combined experience, giving us the background necessary to make your pest problem a thing of the past.

Are you ready to get started finding a solution to your bug problem? Contact us today to tell us a little bit about your situation, and in return, you’ll receive a free quote. To learn more about the pest control plans we offer in Scottsdale including our home pest control services and commercial pest management plans, browse our website or give us a call!

11 Homemade Insecticides and Pesticides to Protect Your Garden

Photo: Hinterhaus Productions / DigitalVision / Getty Images

When pests come a-crawling, give one of these effective options a try

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While every gardener loves to watch the bees buzz, some bugs in the garden are not as welcome, as they can wreak havoc on your perfectly pruned perennials. Luckily there are a variety of homemade insecticides and bug repellents you can use to try to keep those unwelcome insects at bay. Here are 11 of the most effective natural and DIY pesticides for your garden.

General Tips for Using Natural and DIY Insecticides

There are many benefits to using a natural insecticide or one that you whip up using ingredients you already have at home. While many commercial pesticides are effective against insects, they sometimes kill off beneficial insects and can be harmful to pets and children. However, before getting into the best kinds to try, you should know a few quick tips for using insecticides.

Never apply any insecticide to a stressed plant.: Avoid spraying burned leaves, and ensure all plants are well watered.
Remove as many of the diseased leaves as possible before spraying. If the leaves still look healthy, treat them individually.
It’s best to apply either in the morning before the sun hits, or early evening when the sun has faded, to eliminate the chance of burns.
Always wear gloves and a face mask when applying any pesticide in your garden, even a gentle one.
Keep pets away from the area during application and until the insecticide has thoroughly dried, even if you use something like dish soap.
Before applying to an entire plant, it is advisable to test spray a few leaves with the solution you have made, wait 48 hours, and inspect for damage. If the leaves are burned or browned, dilute your solution and run another test.

1. Dish Soap

Combats: aphids, beetles, whiteflies, mites

One of the more common household ingredients for blasting bugs is dish soap. You can make a spray using this kitchen sink staple, but you need to be careful about the ratio of soap to water. Too much soap will ruin your plants.

Use mild dish soap or castile soap.
Add 1 and a half teaspoons of soap per 1 quart of water.
Mix this in a larger container and then pour it into a household spray bottle to ensure you are getting the ratio correct.
Spray the leaves where insects appear. Cover the top and bottom of the leaf.
Never apply during the heat of the day or when plants are in direct sunlight (choose early morning or evening instead).
Repeat the process every four to seven days, and after heavy rain, until you start to see an improvement.
Don’t forget to test first.

Use a few drops of dish soap in water in a small bucket or container and place this below your plant to collect bugs like beetles or squash bugs. The soap in the water will coat their bodies, making it impossible for them to fly out. The ratio of soap-to-water is less critical here, as it’s not being applied directly to the leaves of the plant itself.

2. Vegetable Oil

Combats: aphids, beetles, whiteflies, thrip, mites

Similar to soap spray, a vegetable oil insecticide is a good way to get rid of annoying bugs. The soap and oil combo coats the insects’ bodies and helps banish them from your beloved garden.

Use 1 tablespoon of mild soap (like dish soap or castile soap) to 1 cup of vegetable oil. Mix well.
Add 2 tablespoons of the oil mix to 1 quart of water and pour into a spray bottle.
Spray the top and bottom of each leaf where the insects are dwelling and the stems if needed.
You’ll probably have to stop and shake the mixture a few times during application to make sure the soap, oil, and water are mixed.
Never apply during the heat of the day or when plants are in direct sunlight (choose early morning or evening).
Reapply every four to seven days and after heavy rain.
Don’t forget to test first.

3. Diatomaceous Earth

Combats: snails, slugs, ants

This powdery substance is ground silica produced from the fossilized skeletons of tiny marine organisms known as diatoms. The powder itself damages the protective coats of ants, slugs, snails, and other invertebrate pests.

Be sure to use the horticultural grade—there is another type on the market used for swimming pool features and is much too harsh for your garden.
Always wear a mask and gloves when applying diatomaceous earth.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for distribution, but in general, you will put the powder around the perimeter of any garden bed you want to protect, as well as at the drip line of your plant.
To be more precise, use a paintbrush, small measuring spoon, or even a turkey baster if you are trying to get in cracks (to deter ants, for example). If you are applying over a large area, such as a lawn, use a flour sifter; just do NOT reuse the sifter in your kitchen.
You will need to reapply after rainfall or heavy dew.
Reapply every week.

4. Pyrethrins

Combats: aphids, leafhoppers, mealybugs, scale, spider mites, stink bugs, whiteflies, thrip

Pyrethrins are derived from the flowers of the Dalmatian chrysanthemum or Pyrethrum Daisy (Tanacetum cinerariifolium). The spray is widely available at any garden center, or, if you’re feeling crafty, you can try making your own:

Wearing a mask and gloves, use a blender or food processor to grind dried flower heads into a powder. (Just be sure to wash it well before making your daily smoothie).
For every half cup of dried flowers, add 4 cups of water. Include a few drops of soap to help the mixture stick.
Add this mixture to a spray bottle and apply to the tops and bottoms of infected leaves. For heavy infestations, spray the stems as well.
Pyrethrins break down in sunlight, so apply at sundown.
Don’t spray when the temperatures are above 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Repeat once a week and after heavy rain until infestation seems to be under control.
Don’t forget to test first.

5. Hot Pepper Spray

Combats: spider mites, aphids, deer

Used most commonly to deter deer from eating plants, exercise caution with this one. If you’ve ever made a big mistake while eating wings, you already know that hot peppers can cause burning and discomfort, especially in the eyes. Always wear gloves when you prepare or administer this solution, and avoid applying on a windy day. You do not want a cloud of pepper spray blowing back into your face.

Wear gloves and a mask.
Consider mixing this one outside if possible.
Combine 2 tablespoons of red pepper, cayenne pepper, or paprika with 1 gallon of water. Add six drops of mild dish soap to help the pepper solution bind.
Pour the substance into a household spray bottle. Make sure to label the bottle clearly.
Thoroughly saturate the plant on both sides of the leaves.
Do not apply during the heat of the day. Sundown is the ideal time.
Reapply every three to four days and after heavy rainfall.
Don’t forget to test first.

6. Beer

Combats: slugs, snails

A bowlful of beer in your garden will act as an attractant to slugs and snails: They can’t resist it and will fall into the bowl and meet their demise.

Make sure it’s deep enough to make sure they can’t just crawl out easily.
Place out in the evening and check each morning.
Any kind of beer will do: It doesn’t need to be the good stuff.
Be sure to supervise any kids or pets if you’re putting this out in the garden.
Refill as needed.

7. Beneficial Insects

One of the most sustainable ways to combat invasive, leaf-destroying insects is to introduce their natural predators. Plant native and pollinator-friendly plants, such as the pincushion plant (Scabiosa) and beebalm (Monarda), to attract insects that not only help your garden thrive but also prey on the bugs that damage plants. You can also add these beneficial insects directly into your garden.

Purchase beneficial insects at a garden center and release them into your garden.
It’s best to release insects first thing in the morning.
Aim to introduce these insects at least once every growing season, ideally in early spring.

8. Vinegar

Combats: slugs, snails, ants, flies

Use a simple vinegar solution to repel and kill insects in your garden, especially slugs, moths, and ants. Do not use industrial vinegar that has a higher (20% or more) concentration of acids, as it will ruin your blooms.

Use one part vinegar (apple cider or white) to three parts water to create a sprayable solution.
Add a few drops of mild dish soap to help the solution stick.
Add to a sprayer bottle and apply to the base of infested plants. Treat the leaves directly if heavily infested.
Use vinegar in place of beer to attract slugs and snails to their doom.
A concentrated spray (three parts vinegar to one part water) is used to treat weeds.
Vinegar is effective in repelling dogs, cats, and even coyotes.
Only apply vinegar solution in the early morning or at sundown. Too much vinegar will burn your plants.
Apply the solution every seven to 10 days.
Don’t forget to test the solution on a few leaves first.

9. Garlic

Combats: aphids, ants, beetles, caterpillars, slugs, whiteflies

Not only can you plant garlic in and around vegetable garden beds to ward off bugs (and create delicious meals to boot), but you can also use it as an effective insecticidal spray. Buy concentrated garlic sprays at a garden center, or try making your own.

Wear gloves.
In a blender or food processor, finely crush six cloves of garlic.
Add 5 cups of water and four or five drops of dish or castile soap. You may also add a few drops of vegetable oil.
Strain this mixture through a cheesecloth or a very fine strainer to remove any large pieces. This strained mixture is your concentrate.
Store the concentrate for up to a week in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. When ready to use, dilute the entire solution with 3 cups of water.
Add this mixture to a household sprayer.
Coat tops and bottoms of leaves of affected plants.
Apply this solution every week or after periods of heavy rain.
Don’t forget to test a few leaves first to make sure your solution is safe for your plants.

10. Neem Oil

Combats: Aphids, beetles, leafhoppers, mites, mealybugs, caterpillars, scale, thrip, whiteflies

Neem oil is a natural byproduct of the Neem tree and is an effective insecticide against various garden pests. It is widely available at garden centers.

Neem oil comes in a variety of forms, including a concentrated oil and ready-to-spray. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for precise mixing and application. Too much neem oil will burn your plant’s leaves, so run a test on a few leaves first if you aren’t sure.
Neem is used to control insects at stages of development, including larvae, so apply once during dormant seasons and then apply weekly or biweekly throughout the growing season.

Neem is also used as a fungicide to treat powdery mildew, rust, black-spot, and other common garden diseases.

11. Companion Planting

Just like your body, preventative care among plants is the foundation for having a healthy garden. One of the best (and prettiest) ways to do this is with plants that act as natural insect repellents, such as:

Allium
Alyssum
Chrysanthemums
Garlic
Marigolds
Onions
Petunias

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Protect yourself from insects in an eco-friendly way: let's talk about natural repellents

In the summer you just want to get out into nature: go to the forest or park, go to the country house, take a walk near the water. However, insects can overshadow such summer entertainment. Of course, repellents are sold in any store, but we do not always remember that we need to buy them. Then natural remedies come to the rescue. Pavel Skorodumov, the chief specialist of Mospriroda, told about them to the NZM correspondent.

Let's sit by the fire

Natural repellents are eco-friendly and practical. They do not harm nature and do not have harmful packaging, which can be difficult to recycle. There are different ways to protect yourself from blood-sucking parasites. One of them is smoke.

- I'll start by reminding you that you can't make fire in the natural areas of the capital. However, in the country, many have a brazier or barbecue. You can use smoke - all living beings are afraid of it. Smoke can scare away not only insects, but also, often, larger animals. This is often used by tourists who go hiking for long distances, says Pavel.

Add sprigs of wormwood to the fire - they create smoke and are rich in essential oils and phytoncides that repel insects. Branches of coniferous trees will also do - just don't overdo it, those who rest by the fire will not like it if there is a lot of smoke around.

- By the way, wormwood is also good as an independent remedy - walking in the forest, you can pick a few leaves, grind them in your fingers and rub the open parts of the body with this gruel, - recommends Pavel.

DIY fly trap

Flies and midges are especially annoying on hot days, so you can make a special trap for them from a plastic bottle.

- In every household there is an unnecessary plastic bottle. To make a trap for flies and midges out of it, you need to cut the vessel by 1/3, and turn the upper part over, inserting it into the bottle with the neck inside. A sweet bait is placed at the bottom of the bottle - it can be sugar syrup, a spoonful of jam or spoiled fruit. Flies will be able to fly into the bottle, but fly back - no longer, - says the specialist.

These traps are best placed around the perimeter of the gazebo or area where you are going to relax. But when installing the device in the house, you should choose a room without animals and carefully fix the bottle. The fact is that when falling, the sweet bait can greatly stain the surrounding surfaces.

By the way, to prevent the flies from buzzing in the bottle, you can add a little insecticide to the bait: then the insects will die quickly.

Summer fragrance with bonus

Insects do not like strong smells. This applies to all blood-sucking, overshadowing outdoor recreation. You can take advantage of this and create a repellent aromatic composition for yourself.

- Insects are attracted to the smell of the human body and sweat, so it is logical to try to mask the body's natural odors. Vanilla works great for this. A little vanillin should be dissolved in water and sprayed on exposed areas of the body. And you can also spray clothes - the fragrance will linger on it much longer, advises Skorodumov.

Another option is essential oils. The most effective are virgin oils, but they are also the most expensive. However, cheaper oils also cope with the task of scaring off bloodsuckers.

Mosquitoes do not like the smell of citronella, clove, lavender, geranium, lemongrass, eucalyptus, thyme, basil, orange and lemon essential oils. Oils can be mixed - this increases efficiency, and in addition, you can compose the composition to your taste.

- Another remedy recommended for mosquitoes is an orange cut in half. You need to stick a clove spice into the pulp, and put this design on the table. While the essential oils are evaporating, the orange will scare away flying animals, Pavel added.

Safety

Natural repellents may not be suitable for allergy sufferers - therefore, they must first be tested on a small and inconspicuous area of \u200b\u200bthe body.

Citrus essential oils should also be used with caution. When in contact with the skin, they increase its susceptibility to sunlight, which can cause burns.

Colorado potato beetle

Potato growers have many problems, but most consider the fight against the Colorado potato beetle to be one of the main ones. The characteristics of the variety often indicate how resistant the variety is to the Colorado potato beetle. And often, potato growers, having bought a variety resistant to the pest, are disappointed. I have come across many such situations. And many times I heard the question, what kind of Colorado pest still does not eat. Forced to disappoint the potato growers. There are no varieties that are absolutely not damaged by the beetle.

From time to time, one of the potato growers will say that a certain variety is not attractive to the beetle. But this statement immediately has a lot of evidence that the beetle does not ignore this variety. There is information that even genetically modified varieties in the Kuban are damaged by the beetle, albeit to a lesser extent. The climate of the Kuban contributes to the fact that up to 6 generations of beetles grow there during the summer. Any pest quickly adapts to the measures against it, and each generation is more adapted than the previous one.

Under our conditions, the development of two generations is possible, but this only slightly delays the beetle's adaptability to poisons. And perhaps there will be no panacea against it. In our varieties, the expression "resistant to the Colorado potato beetle" means: "quickly restores the green mass after eating it. " Varieties with strong leaf pubescence are damaged less than others. It is simply inconvenient for a beetle to eat on such varieties.

All of the above does not mean that we are powerless against this aggressor. You just need to understand his preferences and use this information to your advantage.

Any plant is capable of resisting pests on its own. To do this, it produces special substances that make it inedible or inedible by one or another insect. Potatoes also have such a mechanism - the alkaloid corned beef is produced. When there is a lot of corned beef in a potato plant, the beetle almost does not damage it. Almost, this is because, in the absence of other food, the beetle can also eat such plants. But like any living creature, the pest chooses what is "tastier", what is more edible for him, what is more accessible. And he always has a choice. The fact is that not all potato plants are equally strongly protected - they synthesize corned beef.

Weakened, diseased bushes cannot defend themselves properly. It is on such bushes that the beetle attacks in the first place. Everyone probably saw that there were single larvae on some bushes, and on others they were completely strewn. Once I heard this opinion: "The beetle eats only low bushes, does not touch the high ones." But it's not about the height of the bush. Healthy plants, under optimal conditions, on a balanced diet, have more vigorous growth. And of course they are higher. Here it is important not to confuse really healthy plants and those fattening from an excess of nitrogen. Sick and weakened plants are always damaged, this is the law of nature - natural selection. Potato plants grown from mini-tubers (planting material rehabilitated by the apical meristem method) in my garden are not 100% affected by the beetle. With further reproduction, with each reproduction, the harm from the beetle increases due to plant diseases.

But even healthy plants are protected to varying degrees. Potatoes accumulate corned beef during growth and young undeveloped plants contain less of it. In addition, young, tender leaves are more attractive to the beetle than older, tough, fully formed leaves. In these questions, the beetle is absolutely predictable, which means that you can build a strategy for dealing with it on them. It is a relationship, not a struggle.

Everything in nature is built wisely, absolute evil does not exist. Every student knows about natural selection in the wild. The predator kills weak and sick animals. This is an undeniable blessing. The predator does not allow the spread of diseases, deformities of its potential victims. The strongest individuals that survive will produce strong offspring. A predator in nature is likened to a surgeon cutting off a malignant tumor, and thereby saving the whole organism from death. History keeps a lot of evidence of human struggle with "pests". After the destruction of pests, useful animals began to die from mass diseases. The Colorado potato beetle is no exception. He is the same predator, surgeon, keeper of potato health.

Most potato growers will be outraged by such a statement, and in vain. In my practice, I use the beetle precisely as a "keeper of potato health." Everything is simple. All kinds of methods for selecting seed tubers always have an error. The reason for this is that the period of time from infection to the onset of symptoms of the disease is often significant. When selecting, we simply do not notice the infected plants, in which the external symptoms of the lesion will appear the next year. Even the hydrosorting method does not solve this problem. There is always the possibility of latent infection with viruses and other diseases. The beetle is able to accurately identify such plants. This is the basis of the "Colorado selection" method. On the seed plot, I mark plants that had more clutches. In no case do I take tubers for seeds from these plants.

For me, the main thing is not to get rid of the beetle, but to create optimal conditions for my plants to ensure strong growth and health. Plus healthy planting material. And then the pest will simply cease to be a problem. I am not calling for abandoning protection, but only prioritizing what is more important to reduce the harmfulness of this insect. These are not just my conclusions, in my area I see serious shifts in this direction. I can’t boast that there is no beetle at all, but I have to fight it much less than before. How I create such conditions is in my articles on natural farming.

But ideal conditions cannot be created overnight. No matter what wonderful fertilizers scientists create, something will always remain beyond modern knowledge. The more one understands the natural world, the more questions arise. But in order to adapt nature for yourself, you need to know it thoroughly. And we haven't even come close to this issue yet. So it’s better to adapt yourself to nature, try to copy it in your gardens and orchards. It takes time to create such conditions. And until this happens, we will have to take some action to limit the harm from the Colorado potato beetle.

Chemical insecticides are the easiest to apply. That's how most do it. But such treatments do not go unnoticed. Poisons get into the tubers, and therefore into the human body. Probably everyone knows this. Not everyone knows that spraying with pesticides is the most powerful stress for potato plants, which inevitably reduces the yield. These facts make us look for other ways to fight the "interventionist".

Recently, on my personal plot, I have been using crushing beetle clutches. The method is quite effective. After a single procedure, a large-scale struggle is not needed. There will be larvae in the future, but their number will not exceed the "threshold of harmfulness". This approach is simple. The bushes are looked through, and when a masonry is found, a leaf of some weed is superimposed on it so that the pest eggs are between the potato leaf and the weed leaf. It remains only to press. At one time, having more than 10 acres under potatoes on a summer day, I managed to process the entire plot in this way. Now, when potato plantings have been reduced by three times, it can be done even faster.

There are recommendations to tear off sheets with masonry. But cutting reduces the leaf surface of the plant, and hence photosynthesis. The beetle harms in this way. By picking off the leaves, we become like a pest, and no one knows who is capable of causing more harm ...

Gennady Petrovich Sukhinin, a member of the Omsk club of potato growers, uses the above facts to protect against the beetle. On his site, he uses bait landings. He noticed that the "Indian Summer" cultivar is most affected by the beetle. Plants 2-4 rows of this potato, and the vast majority of larvae are reflected on these rows. The fight against the beetle on the rest of the potatoes becomes unnecessary. Neighbors have a uniform lesion even when treated with chemical insecticides.

Gennady Petrovich considers it important to pay attention to the beetle's predilection for tender young leaves. They can also serve as effective bait. It is not difficult to provoke the appearance of young leaves on potato bushes - you just need to cut off the tops of the stems. The potatoes will begin to expel the stepsons, which will attract the beetle. The rest of the potatoes with adult, hard leaves will be left without attention.

Galina Ivanovna Shkred from Kuzbass also uses baits, only in a slightly different way. In early May, she plants several tubers in pots of earth. And leaves on the veranda. By May 20-22, potato bushes rise by 10-12 cm. Pots, with potatoes, Galina Ivanovna digs in (to make it easier for the beetle to climb into them) in different parts of the site. Usually this technique works well - it protects seedlings from pest encroachments.

I.P. Zamyatkin from the Krasnoyarsk Territory does not fight the beetle. It just doesn't exist. The methods of organic, natural farming he uses make it possible to obtain strong, healthy potato plants that the Colorado pest is too tough for. Ivan Parfentievich, as a result of many years of experiments, identified a number of plants that can scare away or misinform the Colorado potato beetle. In addition, potatoes are not planted in a continuous field, but in beds alternating with other crops. On my site, I also use the alternation of ridges of different vegetables, following his example. If you are already unable to apply this method, then you should try to at least plant potatoes in small pieces, isolating them with other plantings. The beetle is more attractive to large areas with monoculture.

I would like to give recommendations that I gleaned from various sources: private conversations with potato growers, from correspondence with specialists and amateurs, books and periodicals, the Internet. Please note that this is only a retelling, and the correctness of the recommendations must be checked at each individual site. I quote my personal observations in italics

Agricultural practices:

Spatial isolation of production plantings
from old potato fields, from individual and collective vegetable gardens.
High agrobackground (creation of optimal conditions for plants),
optimum landing time.
Destruction of potato residues after sorting potatoes
in preparation for landing.
Harrowing plantings by seedlings and first hilling -
against young beetle larvae.
Inter-row cultivation - during the period of mass departure of larvae
into the soil for pupation.
Pre-harvest desiccation of tops with reglon — 2 l/ha.
This leaves the larvae without food and they do not pupate.
Collection of the Colorado potato beetle and its destruction when harvesting potatoes and after harvesting. Particular attention is paid to the execution of these works on personal plots.
Compliance with crop rotation.
Permanent cultivation of potatoes contributes to the accumulation of the pest.

"After digging the potatoes, the tops are piled up and, when beetles accumulated in it, they are burned" .
Author: Beetles accumulate on green tops, and burning tops in this state is quite problematic.

“Ashes are used to control the Colorado potato beetle. In the spring, before the beetle leaves the winter hut, they dig holes in the garden 0.5 m deep. Potato peels are laid out in them. The earth around the pits is sprinkled with hot ash from the boiler furnace. And so, either from the smell of fresh coal ash, or from its chemical composition, the beetles that crawled out of their shelters (the pits provoke this to be done early) immediately die. Not only coal ash, but also wood and peat ash has the same destructive effect. In autumn and winter, ashes are scattered throughout the site. The result is gratifying: the beetle is gone.”

“It is necessary to collect a full liter jar of adult Colorado potato beetles. Take a container of 20 liters, pour beetles into it and fill it with water, close the container. The beetles will die, but will still float on the surface of the water. Over time, they will begin to gradually sink to the bottom - wait 1 week. In a week, the poison will be ready, but in this proportion it will turn out to be highly concentrated (using it undiluted, you risk burning potatoes). Pour the poison into 3 half-liter jars and dilute it with water: in the first half (1:1), in the second - 1:2, and in the third - 1:3. Spray several potato bushes from each jar; after a day, check the sprayed bushes and see what concentration is suitable for your potato variety.

“In the spring, before planting potatoes, potato pieces soaked in chlorophos are laid out on the field. The beetle, having no other food, eats the bait and dies.
Author: poison will inevitably get into the soil, killing all living things.

“Some gardeners put potatoes prepared for beetle bait instead of chlorophos in a solution of urea for a day. The beetle, eating such potatoes, also dies.

“Catching the Colorado potato beetle with baits from potato peels. Taking 0.25 l glass jars (0. 5 l can be used), put sliced pieces of raw potatoes, carrots or beets on their bottom and bury in the area up to the neck in the shade. Per hundred - 10 jars. Every 2-3 days collect beetles, adding or changing bait as needed. Apply it all season."

“A very useful method of dealing with the beetle is the shaking method. It is useless to drop an adult beetle to the ground: it has developed a defensive reaction - it will climb back. Large larvae are not afraid of this method either. But small, newly appeared larvae will die.”
Author: the method works, but the efficiency is about 80%. Those small larvae that are in the leaf axils at the top do not fall.

“There's also an amazingly fast way to collect bugs. We take a zinc bucket and a broom. Pour a strong solution of salt water into the bottom of the bucket and forward to the beds. We approach the bush with potatoes, put the bucket under the leaves, and hit the leaves with a broom, but not hard. The beetles rain down into the bucket. We passed the beds, harvested beetles and larvae, and then everyone is free to deal with the harvested crop to the best of their humanity.
Author: not all beetles and larvae fall into the bucket, some fall to the ground and then return to the plants. In addition, the reception is effective while the potato plants are small. After closing the tops, it is difficult.

“B. Pikusev from Ulyanovsk fights the Colorado potato beetle with the help of coniferous sawdust. When planting potatoes in each hole, he sprinkles sawdust or crushed bark of a coniferous tree. “Now, with full confidence, I can please respected gardeners: the results are good. All last summer, I never stooped down to collect beetles, because there were simply none. If every year I suffered collecting beetles, now I have a rest both physically and psychologically. The harvest, although the summer was dry, turned out to be 2 times higher than in previous years, moreover, the tubers grew even and without any disease damage.

“Not only from the Colorado potato beetle, but also from other flying pests, coniferous concentrate powder is used: 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. Plants after spraying smell like needles and repel pests that lay their eggs anywhere, the larvae do not touch plants that smell like needles and die. Sprayed in the evening 4 times per season.

Unrefined vegetable oil is mixed in cold water (3 tablespoons per bucket) It must be emulsified. Oil and 700 grams of water are poured into a liter bottle. Minutes three strongly shake. The liquid should become almost white, and after that it is mixed with the rest of the water. Sprinkle the mixture abundantly in rows with a broom made of branches. Once - before the appearance of the beetle in early summer, the second - before flowering. The oil spreads over the leaves, covers them with a thin film and is almost not washed off by rain. The leaves are slippery, and it is difficult for the beetle to hold on to them.

“Viktor Alekseevich Petrenko set up a kind of barrier against beetles that could lie down for the winter and start eating seedlings in early spring. In July-August, when potatoes planted in spring finish their vegetation and the stems dry up, hordes of beetles move across the ground and air in search of young potato and eggplant plants. Knowing this, at the beginning of June he put potato tubers for germination and from June 20 to 30 planted them along the edges of the plot with spring planting potatoes, from the side of neighboring vegetable gardens. Through 20-30 days these plants of summer planting took root well and by the time when the tops of the vegetable gardens either completely dried up or the potatoes of spring planting were already harvested, their young stems reached a height of 60-80 cm. searching for food, the beetles moved in unison against these "bait baits". The gardener treated young plants with a double dose of Mospilan. This is a guarantee that this year several hundred thousand, or even millions of beetles will not give birth in the spring, and potato shoots not only of Viktor Alekseevich, but also in the gardens of his neighbors will be protected from this evil spirits for a long time. Instead of bait plantings (as crops or plantings are called in agronomy, the purpose of which is to collect pests in one place and destroy pests), you can also lay out small, chopped and spoiled tubers on the borders of potato beds. If all gardeners carry out extermination measures since autumn, next year the number of the beetle can be significantly reduced, and even its harm can be reduced to nothing.

"High hilling of seedlings with backfilling of the lower leaves during the mass "laying" of eggs significantly (up to 80%) reduces their number in potato plantings."

"The use of ammonia water as a nitrogen fertilizer in autumn on a potato plot after the Colorado potato beetle leaves for wintering leads to the death of the majority (up to 80-100%) wintering pest. "
Author: ammonia water at the same time will drive away from the site and the great soil fertilizers - earthworms. Fresh chicken manure scattered around the site works in the same way.

As an effective means of combating the Colorado potato beetle, amateur gardeners use water decoctions and infusions of various plants that have a deterrent or destructive effect on the pest when processing potato tops:

Decoction of dandelion and horsetail
place 200 g of fresh herb in a bucket of water, boil for 15 minutes, cool, strain, dilute 0.5 l of decoction with 10 l of water;
Celandine decoction
fill a bucket 1/3 full with fresh or dry grass stalks, add water, boil 10-15 min.
Elecampane decoction
150 g roots chopped, boiled 15-20 min. in a bucket of water, cool, strain;
Decoction of wormwood
fill a 1/3 bucket with crushed stalks of flowering wormwood, add water, boil 15–20 min. , cool, strain, dilute 0.5 l of decoction with 10 l of water;
Hot pepper decoction
Boil 100 g of dry pepper for 2 hours in a bucket of water, cool, strain, add 40 g of laundry soap;
Bedbug infusion
put the plants tightly in a bucket, add 2-3 packets of shag, add water, infuse 2-3 days, drain;
Infusion of garlic
Chop 200 g of cloves or heads of garlic, add 10 liters of water and infuse 3-4 days, strain, add 40 g of laundry soap;
Infusion of poplar leaves
Pour 0.5 buckets of leaves with water and boil for 15 minutes, dilute with water to 10 liters and insist 3-4 days, strain;
Tobacco infusion
500 g of tobacco dust, stems and roots of tobacco pour 10 liters of water and infuse 2-3 days, strain, add 40 g of laundry soap;
Hemlock infusion
Grind 1 kg of fresh or 0. 5 kg of dried herb, add 10 liters of warm water, infuse 2-3 days, strain, add 40 g of laundry soap;
Greater burdock infusion
1/3 bucket of finely chopped leaves, pour water over, steep 2-3 days, strain;
Infusion of high honeysuckle
1 kg of dried leaves and stems pour 10 liters of water, infuse 1–2 days, strain, add 40 g of laundry soap;
Tansy leaf infusion
When beetles and their larvae appear, potato tops are sprayed with an infusion of wormwood with ash.
0.5 kg mugwort leaves, 1 cup wood ash, 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of liquid soap with hot water, rub the leaves and ash, insist for 3-5 hours, filter , add water to a volume of 10 liters. You can spray not only when beetles appear, but also for preventive purposes
walnut leaves,
onion waste,
leaves and stepsons of tomatoes,
sprinkle potatoes with infusion of onion peel on shoots. The beetle does not sit on processed landings. After a while, repeat the treatment.
Dilute 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fir oil in a bucket of water and spray the plantings.
The beetle will not land.
100 g of dry elecampane roots are poured with boiling water (10 l) and put in a cool dry place for a day. Plantings are sprayed with cold infusion 3 times during the summer.
1 kg of ash is boiled in 10 liters of water for 15 minutes, then infused for 2 days, filtered, 40-50 g of soap are added.
Not more than 100 g of birch tar is mixed with a bucket of water.
Spraying is carried out 3 times a week.

Spraying is carried out in warm (18-22 ° C) calm weather, in the morning, after the dew dries, or in the evening, before it appears, since the insecticidal properties of herbal preparations decrease in the sun.

Treatments are repeated after 5-10 days, with the last spraying carried out 20 days before harvest. Working decoctions are prepared 1-3 hours before spraying, adding soap or washing powder for better adhesion.

“Kemerovo schoolchildren conducted an experiment on a school plot. They added half a liter of vodka to six liters of water and put sprouted potatoes in the solution for 12 hours. Planting material gave good shoots on the experimental plot. There was practically no beetle on it. Then he flew from other plots, but did not give offspring - the larvae did not appear. This means that the need for the treatment of these plantings with pesticides has disappeared. And the harvest on the experimental plot was, of course, higher than on the others.

"When pollinating potato bushes with ash at the rate of 1-2 tbsp. spoons per square meter m. (about 10 kg per hundred square meters), most of the pest dies.

Crop rotation. For the first two months, there is absolutely no Colorado potato beetle on the site after lupine, since the pest does not hibernate in the lupine field due to the alkaloids that make up lupine.

“I subtracted and planted a simple datura, it is very poisonous, and for some reason beetles prefer it. Last year I found a couple of dead beetles on Datura. And this year there are more datura, but there are no beetles yet.”

Plants, hemp, tansy, catnip, nasturtium, coriander, onion, garlic, white lamb, lupine, petunia, beetroot repel beetles.

"Many amateur gardeners plant dill, beans, beans, peas, calendula, nasturtium, marigolds next to or along with potatoes and believe that a good effect is obtained" .
Author: Contrary to numerous recommendations, plants of calendula, beans, beans, marigolds do not scare away the beetle, it has been verified.

“People’s expert Vasily Tikhonovich Lupenko from the city of Belorechensk somehow by chance (seeds scattered) along with potatoes grew matthiola - a two-horned lion. And I noticed that these lilac-pink fragrant flowers not only decorated the planting of potatoes, but also protected them from the invasions of the Colorado potato beetle. There were no larvae or adults on the potatoes. Since then, year after year, he has been sowing one row of matthiola on five rows of potatoes. Thus, he got rid of the pest in his area.

“Beware of ants, toads and large ground beetles running fast across your property. One adult ground beetle eats 26 Colorado beetle larvae per day.

With a strong colonization of plants by the Colorado potato beetle, it is possible to carry out treatments with biological preparations: Aktofit, batoxibacillin, lipidocid, bowerin, fitoverm, bicol, Colorado, Corado. These drugs are safe for humans and the environment. Author: But it should be noted that they will have to be sprayed several times in 8-10 days, because they do not act on the beetle as destructively as "chemistry". In addition, it must be borne in mind that these drugs do not act on the pest immediately, but over a period of time (up to 10 days). In this regard, it may seem that the drugs do not work. It is very important to follow the recommendations indicated on the packaging of drugs.