Potatoes can easily be called the most popular vegetable among Russians. Demand for tubers is high all year round, therefore, breeders have developed many varieties. Unfortunately, potato fruits appeal to not only humans, but also insect pests. Every agronomist, breeder, and even just a gardener who respects his work should know at least minimal ways fight against such insects.
Main potato pests
The life cycle of each insect is unique, which means that everyone destroys the crop in different ways. To combat pests as effectively as possible, you need to determine what kind of insect you have to deal with and select correct method.
Not invented yet universal remedy for controlling potato pests. Each insect requires a specific approach. Listed below are the main potato pests with photos, their descriptions, as well as methods of combating them.
Colorado beetle
Adult beetles are about a centimeter long, have an orange head and a light yellow body with black stripes. They overwinter in the soil and appear in late spring at about the same time as the first potato shoots hatch, which the beetles eat. They lay small orange eggs on inside leaves.
Young larvae are red with black heads. In warm weather, the development of the pest larvae occurs in just 10 days. In regions with long, hot summers, potato beetles may have two or more generations each year.
For potato beds, Colorado potato beetles are a real problem, because they can leave the bush without leaves. Potato plants usually survive bush infestations early in the season. But damage is serious if it occurs while potato tubers are actively growing, usually right after flowering.
Colorado potato beetles also feed on any plant related to potatoes, including peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. If this pest is detected on the site, it is necessary to immediately begin combating it. Attempts to get rid of insects must be continued until they are en masse lying upside down.
They are small and shiny beetles, but with large hind limbs. They lay their eggs at the base of plant stems in early summer, after a feeding period. The larvae feed on the roots, and the adult beetles feed on the foliage, producing chips.
Potato flea beetle usually does not cause fatal damage to potato plants because the leaves are too large for it to attack. The real danger is that these insects can spread bacterial diseases from plant to plant.
People call them darts - these are the larvae of click beetles. They are a problem in many vegetable gardens, especially those that have recently been covered with grass. Wireworms grow up to 25 mm in length and have a thin body of a yellowish-brown color.
Pests feed on seedlings, roots and the base of stems. The affected roots of the infected plant cease to perform their functions normally, but the main damage occurs to the tubers, in which they gnaw through many tunnels. The larval stage can take up to four years before the larvae pupate and develop into adult click beetles.
Wireworms cause greatest harm in recently tilled, grass-free soil, but become less numerous with regular cultivation because adult beetles prefer to lay eggs in grassy soil.
This potato pest is similar to an aphid or moth. It feeds on plant sap, which means it spoils potato tops. In the place where the leafhopper begins to gnaw on the leaf, damage is formed, and over time the tissues die. The leafhopper itself is not capable of causing much harm to the plant, but bacteria and harmful spores penetrate into the plant through the areas damaged by it, which can cause disease in the potato bush. And the insect itself is a carrier of diseases.
Outwardly, this pest looks like an ordinary house moth, but its target is a potato bush. Most often, the female insect lays eggs on potato leaves. When the larvae emerge, they fall to the ground and burrow into it until they reach the potato tuber. The larvae most often bite into the tuber through the “eyes.”
The maturation time for the potato moth population ranges from 17 to 125 days, depending on temperature. This means that in a hot year several populations can change, which makes this insect a dangerous potato pest.
The potato bollworm is another insect that causes most of its damage during the caterpillar stage. They emerge in mid to late spring and initially feed on the leaves of wild grasses. Further, they are already under threat cultivated plants, including potatoes.
The larva eats through the stem of the plant and eats away the core. Often the caterpillar damages potato tubers. Damaged areas of healthy plant pulp become covered with mucus and begin to rot.
Potato nematodes
The potato nematode is a serious potato pest and is subject to strict quarantine and regulatory procedures wherever it is found. Nematodes can lay eggs twice a year (up to 1200 eggs). When a bush is infected with nematodes, the potato tops wither and the lower leaves turn yellow.
The following types of nematodes are distinguished:
- golden;
- stem;
- gallic.
Root-knot nematode
How to deal with potato pests
Potato pests and their control are a pressing problem for almost all gardeners. Effective measures to combat garden pests exist, and they can be used. After planting potato bushes, you need to constantly monitor, and as soon as traces of the presence of one of the pests are noticed, take the necessary measures to stop the spread.
Chemicals
To get rid of the Colorado potato beetle, it is best to use insecticides (Sonnet, Apache, Confidor, Aktara, Mospilan). The products must be applied at least three times. Stop processing at least 20 days before harvesting potatoes.
These same drugs are well suited for getting rid of potato moths. Against wireworms, it is better to apply Bazudin to the holes when planting potatoes. Chemicals It is advisable to use if other methods do not produce results.
Folk remedies
TO traditional methods The fight against the Colorado potato beetle includes mechanical collection and destruction of all insects, spraying potato bushes with infusions of celandine and basil. Poplar branches with leaves are also stuck between the rows of potatoes, in this case the beetle will not lay eggs.
Against wireworms, they use the method of catching the pest using bait in the form of potatoes buried in the ground before planting the seed tubers. Treatment of the soil with urea or irrigation with chicken droppings will help repel the nematode. It is useful to alternate crops by plot of land, and treat the affected fruits with lime. Successful methods of preventing the appearance of beetles also include watering small areas with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Agrotechnical techniques
If agrotechnical methods for protecting potatoes are followed, the chances of pests or diseases appearing, although not reduced to zero, are minimized. Such techniques include:
- crop rotation, that is, alternating crops when growing them;
- adding crops to potato beds that repel insect pests;
- applying fertilizers to the soil;
- destruction of weeds and plant debris;
- correct timing and sowing methods;
- use of resistant varieties;
- proper irrigation.
When planning a site long-term, it is worth paying attention to agrotechnical practices. This will avoid many problems even further. early stage. Folk remedies are easy to use. Chemicals should only be used if others do not bring the desired result.
The Colorado potato beetle is one of the most dangerous potato pests. By eating leaves and damaging potato tubers, beetles and larvae cause enormous harm to the future harvest. Hot weather favors the development of these pests. It is not recommended to grow potatoes long time in one place - this leads to the accumulation of pests.
Fighting the Colorado potato beetle. When seedlings appear, carefully inspect not only the crops, but also the soil. Collect emerging beetles and larvae in jars with diesel fuel or a saturated salt solution. Use pesticides only in case of massive pest infestation; the last spraying should be carried out 30 days before harvesting potatoes. To protect against beetles with plant repellents, use sowing calendula between the rows; beetles do not tolerate this smell.
To spray potato bushes, you can use a concentrated solution of wormwood. To do this, fill 1/3 of the bucket with crushed wormwood stems, pour boiling water over it and leave for three days. Another method is to boil the stems of celandine for 15 minutes, and then treat the potatoes with the resulting decoction, having previously diluted it in a ratio of 1/20.
The mole cricket is an insect that is widespread and widespread. Both larvae and adult insects cause harm by gnawing the stems and roots of plants. In the spring, at the beginning of May, the mole cricket digs a hole in the soil and makes a hole for itself, in which it lays up to 500 eggs. After two weeks, the offspring hatch.
Fighting a mole cricket. The smell of oak chrysanthemums scares away the mole cricket, so dig up chrysanthemum sprouts along with the seedlings. Inspect the soil regularly in the spring; when characteristic emissions of soil from the mole cricket's digging appear on the surface, try to dig a mole cricket's hole in this place, although it is located quite deep. The mole cricket regularly makes passages to ventilate the laid eggs, so regular deep loosening destroys these passages.
Another way is to pour a solution of washing powder into the mole cricket’s passages, 4 spoons per 10 liters of water. The mole cricket will crawl to the surface and here it can be collected and destroyed, and those who do not crawl out will die inside their passages. You can also mix crushed eggshells With vegetable oil and push this mixture into the bear’s passages.
The potato nematode is a very dangerous pest. Its size is less than 1 mm., class - roundworms. Affects potato tubers and roots. Because of this, the plant lags behind in development, the leaf turns yellow and wrinkles, and the tubers are very small or there are none at all.
Measures to combat potato nematode. Basically, the fight against this pest comes down to taking measures to prevent the spread of infection in the area. Therefore, the affected plants are dug up with a clod of earth and burned in a fire over high heat. After harvesting the potato crop, it must be thoroughly washed, and all garden tools must also be cleaned with formaldehyde. To clean the infected area, it is necessary to sow winter rye on it; it releases collins into the soil - substances that destroy the nematode.
A good repellent against nematodes are marigolds, which can be planted by sowing them into potato beds. And yet, there are now quite a few varieties of potatoes that are resistant to nematodes, for example: Almaz, Red Scarlet, Rosara and others. In the cells of such potato varieties, substances are formed that have a detrimental effect on the pest. True, after 3-4 years, nematodes can adapt to such conditions, so it is better to alternate areas and clean them with the help of winter rye crops.
Wireworm or click beetle - the larva of the click beetle lives in the ground, damaging the roots and base of the stem. Particular harm is caused to the tuber. The tubifex gnaws the tuber and makes moves, which can lead to its rotting.
Fighting wireworms. The wireworm loves acidic and damp soil, so regular liming will repel the pest. You can do this by scattering ground eggshells around the area. To collect beetles, you can make small depressions in the garden and fill them with rotted grass, hay, water and cover them with boards. Such places will attract the attention of beetle larvae in search of food. All that remains is to collect and burn them regularly.
Legumes are also a good protection for potato plants from wireworms. Therefore, you can plant beans, peas and broad beans, alternating them between rows of potatoes. And of course the best way The fight against wireworms is to alternate crops in the vegetable plot, as well as deep digging of the soil so that all the larvae end up on top and die from frost.
A significant decrease in potato yield occurs due to plant damage by insect pests.
Not only the quantity of the crop, but also its safety and quality depends on the correctly chosen measures aimed at combating them.
Description of the insect
Anyone who grows potatoes is familiar with this dangerous pest. The beetle, 8–12 mm long, brown-yellow in color with black longitudinal stripes, roughly eats the leaves and stems of potatoes, sometimes leaving only short shoots from the bush. The larvae are especially voracious - orange-red, with a black head and black stripes on the sides. During the period of maturation, a colony of several dozen “babies” on one bush can reduce the yield by 50%, or even completely destroy the plant.
The most favorable period is the period of budding and flowering, when tubers begin to form. The mass emergence of larvae occurs precisely at this time.
Control measures
- Three-time treatment of crops with systemic chemicals (Commander, Sonet, Iskra DE, Mospilan, etc.). The last treatment with pesticides should be carried out no later than 20 days before digging up the tubers.
- Spraying with preparations of fungal or bacterial origin (Fitoverm, Agrovertin, Boverin, etc.). These products are especially effective against young larvae. The effect of biological agents increases and is maximally manifested on the 5th–7th day. Processing of plantations should be carried out as new larvae appear.
Folk remedies in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, although safe, are not as effective as chemicals. Nevertheless, gardeners also use them to save the harvest:
- manual collection of adult beetles and larvae, as well as destruction of eggs;
- spraying the bushes with strong infusions of basil, mint, tansy, black currant leaves, poplar when the first shoots appear. Such treatments must be carried out a couple more times per season;
- joint planting of potatoes with crops that repel female beetles: coriander, beans, bush beans;
- planting several home-grown bushes before the main sowing of the plantation for concentration large quantity larvae on older plants. This method will make it easy to collect pests and allow the main bushes to enter the tuberization stage without loss.
Wireworms are larvae that have a cylindrical 
a rigid, segmented body resembling a piece of wire. The larvae live in the soil for 3–4 years, and the development of one generation of click beetle lasts up to five years.
Wireworms are especially active when there is a lack of moisture in the soil. They live in the zone of tubers and roots, damaging them with numerous tunnels, thereby reducing the seed and commercial qualities of potatoes. Root crops affected by wireworms become more sensitive to fungal and bacterial infections.
In the fight against wireworms, the following are important:
- deep plowing or digging up the soil in spring and autumn. Since the larvae, once in the upper layers of the soil, die in winter;
- weed control;
- the use of natural baits - pieces of potatoes, beets or carrots, which are placed in the soil between rows at a distance of 10 cm from each other. After a few days, the bait is removed from the soil and the larvae are destroyed. If necessary, repeat the procedure with a new portion of root vegetables;
- the use of insecticides, such as Hurricane Forte VR, FORS.
Description
Insects are found everywhere, but the most favorable conditions for their development are isolated shaded and moist areas. Heavy rainfall in early summer can contribute to an increase in the number of these pests.For the winter, cutworms lay eggs behind the leaf sheaths of wild cereals, e.g. 
creeping wheatgrass. At the end of April, the hatched caterpillars migrate to the potato plantings. Over the course of two months, the caterpillars develop, during which they cause the main damage to the potatoes, gnawing holes just above the root collar and making a move inside the stem, going down and penetrating into neighboring plants.
Damaged plants quickly wither and dry out, and when high humidity- rot.
The larvae of gnawing cutworms destroy leaves and stems, making holes in them. They eat away the cavities in the tubers, leaving a peel around the edges.
How to deal with a pest
The fight against cutworms includes several methods that should preferably be used in combination:
- Destruction of weeds on the plantation, the main reserves of potato armyworm populations.
- Using pheromone traps to reduce the number of butterflies that can lay eggs for the winter.
- Impact of insecticides on the larvae located on cereal weeds and on the caterpillars that have moved onto the stems. For these purposes, you can use Decis, Tsimbush and other drugs.
Description
- a moth of a dirty gray color with dark spots along the rear edges of the wings. And the damage is caused by the yellowish-pink or gray-green caterpillars of these butterflies. More often they penetrate into leaves, but do not disdain both stems and tubers.
At the beginning of spring, there are few larvae; they feed on young and succulent seedlings, and later move on to stems and leaves. The peculiarity of this pest is that it spoils potatoes after harvesting - during the storage period of the vegetable.
Control measures
Successful fight against potato moth will be successful if the following conditions are met: 
- For planting, take proven seed material. Potential larvae can be destroyed by heating the tubers at a temperature of 40 °C for several hours;
- constantly monitor potato planting and storage conditions;
- when sowing, maintain a planting depth of at least 15 cm;
- hill up bushes repeatedly;
- carry out deep tillage before winter;
- actively fight weeds;
- Before storing potatoes, treat them with a solution of methyl bromide.
To destroy butterflies and caterpillars, biochemical insecticides are used: Bitoxibacillin, Entobacterin, Dendrobacillin, Lepidocide. They are used to treat bushes before the ovaries appear, thereby reducing the fertility of females and delaying the development of the moths themselves.
Potato nematode
Description
Dealing with nematodes is not easy. To get rid of these helminths, the following methods are used: 
- Before planting potatoes, the soil is treated with urea, after harvesting - with lime;
- after planting the seeds, liquid chicken manure is added to the soil, the solution of which can destroy up to 90% of the larvae;
- to feed plants, use solutions of mullein, chicken droppings, and liquid manure;
carry out careful monitoring of tubers before planting; - alternate crops on the plantation with potatoes returning to their original location after 3–4 years;
- They dig up infected bushes and disinfect them with bleach in a specially designated pit.
- in case of excessive nematode damage, treat the soil with the drug Bazudin, which is effective not only against helminths, but also against wireworms.
Aphid
Aphids cause enormous damage to agricultural crops, including potato fields. Numerous species of these microscopic sucking insects are found everywhere.
Known potato pests are:
- peach green aphid;
- large potato aphid;
- common potato aphid, etc.
Aphids of any species have wings, which ensure propagation and change of host, and 
wingless individuals responsible for mass reproduction. And the species themselves differ from each other in some nuances of morphology. For example, the peach aphid overwinters on the primary host (peach), while the common and larger aphids do not have a primary host, so the females have to wait out the cold in greenhouses, on plants (in storage) and plant debris. Aphids develop in warm, sunny, but humid weather conditions (up to 15 generations can appear per year). Insects live in numerous colonies on shoots and the underside of leaves and feed on plant juices.
The harmfulness of all types of aphids lies in the release of toxins by insects that cause morphological changes in leaves and tubers. Damaged leaves curl, dry out, bushes wither, and productivity decreases.
In addition, sucking insects carry more than 50 dangerous viral potato diseases that affect the quantity and quality of the crop.
How to deal with aphids
Conclusion
If signs of wilting of bushes are detected, the cause of the plant’s illness should be identified and the necessary means for its rehabilitation should be applied.Currently offered chemical and biological drugs wide spectrum of action, simultaneously destroying many species of insects on different stages their development. When using chemicals, remember that often pests quickly adapt to the active substance of the drug and do not die under its influence.
The most dangerous pests for potatoes, are Colorado potato beetles. These are bugs that eat potato leaves, and without leaves the potato itself does not grow. The fastest and effective method– this is chemistry, especially “Prestige”. But it is so poisonous that you can poison yourself. So, in order to have less chemicals in our lives, we treat potatoes with tinctures of wormwood and various infusions of herbs that have a strong smell.
Each individual type of pest spoils various components of potato tubers and leads a different lifestyle. For effective fight with an uninvited guest, it is necessary to identify the type of pest and use the necessary means.
Find out how to prepare the most effective one at home, as well as which one is better to choose in the store.
It has a yellow-brown color, body length does not exceed one centimeter. Longitudinal stripes are visible on the chitin; the appearance of the pest is familiar to all gardeners. Adults and larvae completely destroy leaves and potato fruits. When a beetle appears in a garden, the yield decreases by 60%.
There are several ways to deal with the beetle:
- the use of systemic chemicals (Sonnet, Commander, ). Apply at least three times to get the desired result. Carry out the last treatment no later than twenty days before harvest;
- spraying potato tubers with preparations of bacterial/fungal origin (allowed to use, Boverin). Remedies are very effective against harmful larvae that do not have a protective chitinous layer. The peak of the positive effect of the products occurs on the 7th day after spraying. If necessary, repeat use of the products.
Additionally, you can spray the potato bushes with strong infusions of tansy, peppermint, and black currant.
Advice! Mechanical removal of adults and larvae of the Colorado potato beetle will help increase the chances of successful control.
Wireworm and false wireworm
The female nematode has a round body shape, the male resembles a worm. Females are initially white in color, then darken to a brown tint. After fertilization, one female can lay several thousand eggs. After some time, they die, turn into cysts, and then remain in the soil. In spring they begin to actively feed on potatoes. The lifespan of cysts is up to ten years, so it is quite difficult to overcome nematodes.
It is very difficult to cope with nematodes, they will help you get the desired result useful recommendations experienced gardeners:
- Before planting potatoes, treat the soil with urea; after harvesting, it is recommended to use lime;
- chicken droppings, which are used to irrigate the soil abundantly, can destroy almost 90% of harmful larvae;
- alternate crops on the plot of land, growing potatoes every three years;
- in a specially designated place, treat the dug up bushes with bleach;
- severe damage by nematodes requires the use of a drug called Bazudin, which even copes well with wireworms.
Garden moth
The pest is a small butterfly that lays larvae. Moths harm not only potatoes, but also tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Adults do not cause significant damage to the crop; the main damage is caused by the larvae. Immediately after birth, they actively feed on tubers and stems and are able to gnaw through the peel.
They eat away many holes in the foliage and pollute them with waste from their vital activity. After such sabotage, the plant stem weakens and the potatoes slowly die. The absence of therapeutic measures will lead to crop loss over a sufficiently large area.
- choose for landing quality material, seeds can be heated to 40 degrees to prevent infection of the future harvest;
- at each stage of planting, check the quality of the potatoes and their storage conditions;
- Before the winter period, carry out deep soil treatment;
- Before planting seeds in the soil, treat it with a strong solution of methyl bromide.
Scoop
They are small moths, body color ranges from brown to gray. Insects are unpretentious, quickly adapt to environmental conditions, and are resistant to poisons. The fight against armyworms must be comprehensive and include many aspects. The most dangerous larvae for potatoes are: they penetrate root crops and actively feed on them, leading to the death of the plant.
This insect needs to be dealt with in a complex manner:
- regularly destroy weeds that contribute to an increase in the potato armyworm population;
- use pheromone traps aimed at killing adults to prevent laying eggs for the winter;
- use insecticides; spraying with them will help destroy existing caterpillars. To do this, you need to purchase Decis, Tsimbush.
Cicadas
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Potato flea beetle
There are many varieties distributed throughout the world. Adult beetles, reaching three millimeters, actively feed on potato tops. Thin larvae have three pairs of legs and develop in the root system of potatoes. At favorable conditions cause damage to large quantities of potato crops.
Infection of tubers is favored by hot weather or late boarding. You can spot the pest in potatoes by specific marks on the leaves.
You can deal with flea beetles using the same methods as with leafhoppers; also use glue bait traps. For small gardens, you can use a mixture of chamomile decoction, ash, and tobacco dust in equal proportions.
It is quite possible to prevent infection of potato plants by various pests by following useful recommendations:
- adhere to the rules of crop rotation (do not plant one crop in the same place every year, take a break for at least three years);
- buy the seed product only in trusted stores, warm it up at a temperature of 40 degrees before sowing;
- Inspect potato plantings regularly; if pests are found, immediately begin exterminating them.
From the following video you can learn more about potato pests and the rules for combating them:
