The insect with which we want to introduce you,surely met you in life. This is the Colorado potato beetle, one of the worst enemies of the gardener and the gardener. We will analyze its characteristics, origin, livelihoods, as well as the means to combat the uninvited guest of potato plantations.
Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is the arthropod of the beetle order and the leaf beetle family. It belongs to the genus Leptinotarsa, being its sole representative.
The Latin name (Decemlineata - “ten-lane”, “ten-lane”) was given to the insect because of 10 characteristic black stripes on its wings (5 in each).
But the more familiar to the Russian man in the streetthe name appeared thanks to the state of Colorado, where in 1859 a small pest made a huge pogrom - almost all potato fields were destroyed by a bug. Also known is another version of the origin of the name. From the Mexican (Mexico - the birthplace of this insect) colorado - "color". And this is quite consistent with the motley coloring of the insect.
Colorado potato beetle is a relatively large insect.The length of an adult representative is 8-12 mm with a width of 7 mm. The shape of the calf is circular, resembling a convex drop of water. Adult insect weight 140-160 mg.
The body is brilliant.The back is yellow with black stripes, and the belly is light orange. The head is relatively wide and rounded. On it black eyes of a bean-shaped form are allocated. On the head you can also see a spot, in shape resembling an isosceles triangle. Antennae (organ of touch) is 11 segments.
The pronotum of the Colorado potato beetle is convex, covered with black specks. I must say, their shape and size depend on the individual. Stains can also make patterns.
The abdomen is divided into 7 segments.There are also spots on it in regular rows. Here are three pairs of weak legs, "equipped" with special hooks, which help to move along the stems and leaves of plants.
The insects are hard, orange or slightly yellowish. They are black stripes. The wings are webbed and well developed - the animal is capable of fairly long flights.
Leptinotarsa juncta is a false Colorado potato beetle that looks like a Colorado beetle. Lives in North America, mostly in the United States.
It can only be distinguished from Colorado.the specialist is only concerned with the orange color of the legs and the slightly different arrangement of the strips on the sheaths. But the damage to agriculture, he does about the same - loves to feast on the leaves of the nightshade.
The average lifetime is 1 year. But some individuals adapted to survive the winter season, falling into diapause. Their age can reach up to three years.
Insects survive the winter by digging into the soildepth to half a meter. They are able to withstand substrate freezing to -9 ° C. As soon as the soil warms up to +13 ° C, the insects make their way upwards - to heat, sun and food. The process of "climbing" can take them up to 2 months!
We all know what a Colorado beetle looks like. What does an insect eat? The diet of all individuals is about the same:
Insects are extremely voracious. In search of food can fly very impressive distances. But at the same time they are ready to easily endure a forced famine of up to 2 months.
Despite its exotic name, the animal is distributed almost throughout the world. The exception will be the zones of the Far North and the desert.
Beginning in 1855, beetles systematically becamecause damage to farmers of Mexico and North America. At the end of the 19th century, the beetle declared itself already in Europe, and by the middle of the last century it spread throughout the territory of almost all its central and western parts.
In the European half of the USSR, the Colorado invasion first collided in the 50s of the XX century. In the 70s the beetle got to the Urals. And at the beginning of the XXI century - to the Primorsky Territory.
Colorado beetles begin to multiply after the establishment of heat, getting to the surface. Individuals undergo a development cycle characteristic of any insect:
Consider these stages in more detail.
Why it is necessary to process land as soon as possiblefrom the Colorado potato beetle? The female insect in one summer can lay up to 1000 eggs! Masonry can be found on the bottom of the leaves of plants that insects eat.
Опишем стадию развития.The potato beetle egg has an oblong-oval shape. The length can reach 1.8 mm. Depending on the stage of development (from the 5th to the 7th day), the egg changes its color from lemon, yellow to orange, and dark-yellow. After 17 days the insect larva hatches.
As for the individual of the first stage, it can be recognized by the dark gray color. Body length 2.5 mm. It is completely covered with small hairs. The larva already eats tops, gnawing the leaf pulp from the inside.
In the second stage of development, the animal changes itsthe color is bright orange red. In size increase to 4-5 mm. At this stage, it is able to deal with the whole leafy pulp entirely, leaving only the central vein.
In the third stage, the larva becomesred and yellow, growing to 9 mm. Small hairs on her body disappear. Starting from this age, the insect is already able to move from one plant to another for fresh leaves.
And finally, the last stage of development of the larva. Here the insect increases in length to 16 mm. An individual is easy to find by its orange-yellow color. It feeds not only leaves, but also shoots.
All four stages of development of an insect pass on average in three weeks.
Note also that at this stage it is easy to confuse the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle and the harmless ladybug. Their differences are as follows:
The stage of the pupa of the Colorado potato beetle is already in the thicknesssoil at a depth of about 10 cm. The insect is painted in orange, pinkish hue. The duration of the development phase depends entirely on weather and climatic conditions. On average, it is 10-20 days. At the end of this stage, an adult insect is selected on the surface.
What is it?The color is still bright orange, the protective cover is soft. Amazingly, 3-4 hours are enough for an animal to acquire the well-known image of an adult beetle! The next 20 days the young insect eats intensively. After this period, it is already able to reproduce offspring. If this stage of development has caught the beetle in August, then it goes into hibernation, bypassing the breeding stage.
As we have already noted, an amazing feature of the insect is to go into diapause, the duration of which can be as long as three years.
With this potato pest, both the farmer and the gardener must definitely fight to ensure that they do not leave themselves and their neighbors without harvests. Today, three methods are widely used:
Consider them in more detail.
Many stop on special preparations from the Colorado potato beetle:
The fight with the beetle can be effectively carried out as follows:
A good option is to attract animals to your site that feed directly on the Colorado beetle and its larvae. These are the following individuals:
Colorado potato beetle is a pretty big deal forgardeners and farmers. Both its larvae and adults cause great damage to the crop. However, a number of effective and diverse methods of pest control are currently being used.
