If you have a question of your own, reach out to Safer® Brand on Facebook, and maybe we'll feature your question as an article, just like this one:
You can use row covers or ditches to protect the plants from the first generation.Safer® Brand often gets gardening and insect questions on its Facebook page. After that, most varieties grown in this area develop their own chemical, called tomatin, which controls the beetles quite well. Tomatoes are susceptible to Colorado potato beetle for a few weeks after transplanting. You may need to do so again for the third generation with eggplant. You can also dig the ditches.įor the second generation, you can use B.t. You can also use row covers on eggplant in fact they love the extra heat (be sure to remove the cover when blossoms appear). The third generation is not too bad on potatoes research has shown that later in the season, potatoes can withstand considerable defoliation with little or no loss in yield.Įggplants can be planted in early June when there is a good chance that the first generation has gone looking elsewhere. on the small larvae of the second generation and greatly reduce their numbers. If you watch carefully and find them as the eggs are hatching, you can use B.t. These methods deal pretty well with the first generation and, unless you are near a potato field, the second generation will be smaller and a bit easier to deal with. So why don=t they just fly over the ditches into the garden? They are quite weakened from their long winter=s fast and their flight muscles don=t work very well. As the beetles crawl to the garden, they fall in the ditch and can=t climb back out on the plastic surface. You can also dig a ditch about a foot deep around the garden and line it with plastic mulch. Since, most of the beetles overwinter outside of the garden, potatoes can be protected from the first generation by using a floating row cover that is carefully sealed around the edges. B.t.=s are not useful on older larvae or adults, so don=t bother using it when they are not susceptible because beetles do develop resistance to B.t. at this time can reduce the population substantially. insecticides are available that are effective on the small larval stages that are present shortly after hatching.
On other words, we don=t have to kill them all, so we don=t have to spray, spray, spray.ī.t. First of all, it is important to realize that although they can defoliate plants, a little leaf feeding is tolerable. However, there are other ways to combat Colorado potato beetles besides insecticides. The development of resistance can be delayed by not using the same material over and over, but alternating so that the insect does not get a constant diet of the same thing. The beetle population has developed resistance to each new insecticide within a few years of its introduction. Many insecticides have been used against these insect over the years, including some pretty potent mixtures. The larvae and adults have large appetites and can do considerable damage by feeding on leaves. In the spring, they work their way out of the soil and crawl on the ground looking for a suitable host plant where they feed, lay eggs and everything starts over again. They prefer to do this under tree lines if available. In the fall, adults leave the plants and crawl to the edges of the field or garden and burrow a few feet into the soil to overwinter. We typically have three generations in Massachusetts. The adults mate and lay eggs on the undersides of leaves for another generation. They have a stiff outer skeleton and hence are often referred to as hard shells. They are rather round in shape, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch long with black and cream stripes running lengthwise on the back. The adults emerge from the soils and climb back onto the plants. The larvae grow to about 3/8 inches, then burrow into the soil where they pupate. They are soft bodied and are often called soft shells. They hatch into tiny larvae which are reddish brown with small black spots.
The eggs are orange and are found in clusters on the undersides of leaves. Sometimes called potato bugs, these insect are the bane of potato and eggplant growers.
0 kommentar(er)
