The Colorado potato bug ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata ) does n’t fix its wrong to just the body politic of Colorado . The destructive louse can be establish throughout North America and is a hard pest to eradicate .
Resorting to chemical pest dominance or potato bug spray is n’t suggested , as the bug has established resistance to most and is immune to the chemicals they check . Manual or constitutive defoliation of the bugs is your right potato glitch killer .
In increase to the tater , the bug also attacks eggplant , nightshade , black pepper and tomatoes . Plant management techniques , including deal pick , are suggested .
Potato Bug Life Cycle
After winter as adults , you ’ll commence remark potato bugs emerging in the spring . They ’ll immediately start set egg on the bottom of the leaves in radical of up to 10 to 30 orchis , laying an estimated 500 more eggs over a four- to five - calendar week period .
Depending on the temperatures , the eggs will dream up within two week , and the playfulness begins . The larva will instantly start munching on the leaves , and it ’s prudent to eliminate them at this stage .
Recognize the larvae by their humped back and two rows of black spot on each side . This stage lasts about two week and impose dangerous wrong to the harvest .
Natural Control of Potato Bugs
Beneficial insects and wildlife aid master the murphy hemipteron infestation . raspberry , ladybeetle , predatory stink bug , lady beetles and leechlike flies aid remove the bugs from your plant life .
Netting roll around the potato leave before the spring emergence of the adults is another preventative . Keeping your garden uncontaminating of weeds , ground covering fire and any leafy nutrient source helps control the infestation . grow potato every other year when temperatures are moderate and spacing the patch 1/4 to 1/2 Swedish mile from other murphy also helps microbe ascendancy .
It may also help to lay ail or horseradish at the base of the industrial plant . The odor will deter the pests .
Manual Removal of Potato Bugs
snaffle a brace of thin baseball mitt , such as operative gloves , and start picking the bugs off the parting . Shaking the leaves causes them to throw away , and it is suggested that you come in a bucket of quick , soapy urine under the leaves as you remove the bugs .
If you find eggs under the leaves , jam them and drop them into your soapy water . This remedy necessitate to be chink ofttimes , as new bugs will get , and the routine begins again .
Once you ’ve removed the majority of the white potato bugs , diffuse wheat bran around the leave-taking . Any remaining bugs will wipe out the bran , expanding their stomach and make death .
Tip
Crop rotation of fields at least 200 yards away from previous field helps in the control of murphy bugs . Plant roadblock crops to isolate the potatoes .
Cocktails of Death
you may also make a homemade all - purpose spray cocktail that destroys most destructive bugs , admit potato germ : In a 1 - Imperial gallon ewer occupy with warm pee , add 2 teaspoons of dishwashing soap and spray thoroughly . To spice up up your homemade spray and create a diverting odor , try contribute rock oil , a Eugenia aromaticum of garlic and/or cayenne pepper into the resolution and add warm water . Stir the mixture .
transmit the solvent to a nebulizer feeding bottle . The soap and water will suffocate the bug while the oil , garlic and cayenne leave a acrid smell that ward off the bugs .
you may also employ a homemade spray to ward off bug and insect by mixing 10 to 20 drop cloth of all-important oil with 2 ounces of distilled water and 2 ounces of white vinegar .
Eliminating 100 percent of the bugs is n’t necessary . white potato crops can withstand 15 to 20 percent defoliation without affecting proceeds .
