Where did Colorado beetles come from in Russia and how to deal with them?

Many owners of their own plots annuallypotatoes are planted, which are among the most important food products. At first, there are no special problems, but then Colorado beetles appear on the tubers. Larvae and adults of insects of the species Leptinotarsa ​​decemlineata multiply rapidly and feed on the leaves of plants of the nightshade family, to which the potato belongs. An active struggle is being waged with them by all available means: someone digs in onion peel and tries to scare off pests with the smell of its decay, someone is not too lazy to collect beetles by hand, but most spray potatoes with chemicals. In general, Colorado potato beetles are the cause of a huge number of problems, and getting rid of them is almost impossible. But where did they come from? Many people logically believe that Colorado is the birthplace of the Colorado beetle, but this is not so.

Colorado beetles bring a huge number of problems and try to fight them in every way.

Content

• 1 The real homeland of Colorado beetles
• 2 Distribution of Colorado beetles
• 3 The appearance of Colorado beetles in Russia
• 4 How to deal with Colorado potato beetles

The real homeland of the Colorado beetles

Colorado beetles became known to science in 1824.- they were discovered and described in detail by the American naturalist Thomas Say. They were assigned to the family of leaf beetles, which are distributed everywhere except for the cold Antarctic. Contrary to the name, the birthplace of these pests is not the state of Colorado, but Mexico. Moreover, initially these beetles did not eat potato leaves, but ate the leaves of other representatives of the nightshade family: tobacco, tomato, eggplant, and so on. These creatures began to eat potatoes only when they left Mexico.

Thomas Say - the man who discovered the Colorado potato beetle

Distribution of Colorado beetles

Colorado potato beetles spread around the worldin a variety of ways. Not only can they themselves fly long distances, but their larvae are often accidentally transported by man-made technology.

Colorado potato beetles are excellent flyers and this is a big problem.

So, first potato pests movedfrom Mexico to the US state of Nebraska - in 1859 they first caused great damage to the local crop. After that, the insects ended up on the territory of the state of Colorado, where they got their popular name. People have already realized that the Colorado potato beetles are a great danger to agriculture and have tried to take measures against their spread. But the precautions proved ineffective because the beetles spread throughout North America. In the late 1870s, they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on cargo ships and appeared in Europe.

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The appearance of Colorado beetles in Russia

By all means available, in the 1940sColorado beetles reached the territory of the USSR. At first, potato-eating insects were seen in the Lviv region, and then they spread to the Kaliningrad, Volyn, Brest and Grodno regions. It is believed that 1975, which turned out to be very dry, contributed to the resettlement of the Colorado beetles. At this time, the Colorado potato beetles came to the territory of the Urals - they were transported in wagons loaded with straw.

Colorado potato beetles spread around the world as transportation developed

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How to deal with Colorado potato beetles

Fighting Colorado beetles is very difficult -getting rid of them completely is almost impossible. And all because each individual is able to survive up to 3 years and spend the winter, burrowing to a depth of 20-50 centimeters. In spring, the beetles come to the surface and immediately begin to mate, after which they lay eggs, from which rapidly developing larvae appear very quickly. Sometimes Colorado potato beetles do not even need to mate - if the female managed to fertilize in the fall, she lays her eggs after the winter.

Colorado potato beetles are also hardy because they have few natural enemies.

In most cases, against Colorado beetlesuse poisons. At first, this method really works, but insects quickly develop immunity to poisons, and after that they cease to act. Because of this, some people are trying alternative pest control methods. For example, strong-smelling plants like calendula, mint, dill, garlic, onions, and so on are often planted next to potatoes - Colorado potato beetles are sensitive to odors and therefore bypass such places.

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There are many ways to control pests, and with eachthere are more of them every year. Maybe you have in mind some little-known method of dealing with Colorado potato beetles? Write in the comments or our Telegram chat.