Insidious and hardly noticeable pest, potato moth, likes to eat on the ground part of the plant and root crops. Being a native of South and Central America, the insect did not manage to acquire such popularity as its fellow Colorado beetle, so many farmers are not familiar with the measures to combat the exotic visitor.
Potato moth - fighting measures
The question of how to withdraw a potato moth is relevant for gardeners and truck farmers. Knowing the "enemy" in person and its features to cope with this task is an order of magnitude easier. Fluoride or potato moth is a thermophilic insect of small size with inconspicuous color. The peak of pest activity occurs at night, which makes it virtually invisible to the eyes of an inexperienced horticulturist or farmer. Infection is indicated by the appearance of the plant: the leaves and stems are mined in a number of ways, in which the excrement of the insect is left, a similar picture on tubers.
How to get rid of potato moth?
To avoid harboring such a danger as a potato moth, one must know how to combat it even at the stage of rooting, what measures should be taken if the pest still managed to settle on the top of the plant. Care should also be taken after harvesting, as insects, caught with tubers, can continue their activity in the vault
Processing of potatoes before planting from moths
Knowing how to deal with the potato moth before planting, you can prevent the pest population from multiplying and save the crop. If the risk of infection is great, preventive measures should be:
- in the planting of exceptionally healthy seed;
- in deep burial of root crops (deeper than 15 cm);
- in the transition to the cultivation of early varieties of potatoes;
- in the regular hilling of tubers;
- in the treatment of tubers before planting biological preparations.
Potato moth - measures of struggle during storage
At any stage of development, all year round fluoride can be found in the vault. The insect safely continues its life cycle in the cellar under favorable conditions. Those for potato moths are considered to be humidity of about 80% and a temperature regime in the range of +36 to -4 ° C. If the air in the room does not warm up above 3-5 ° C, the insect stops its development, but in the pupal stage, spring waits.
Potato moth and how to deal with it in the vault, is of interest to farmers and truck farmers, as having fallen into the cellar, an insect can spoil up to 80% of the crop over the winter and then migrate to the land along with the seeds. Therefore, the room itself must be treated. In order to get rid of fluoride, you can whitewash with quicklime, or use a smoke bomb. An obligatory precaution is the processing of the potato itself with special means.
Preparations from potato moths
To combat fluoride, you can use chemical and biological drugs. They are effective in relation to the Colorado beetle, fungal agents and other pests. Among the chemical preparations, gardeners use "Arrivo", " Decis ", "Sherpa", " Aktara ", "Celest Top", " Prestige ". Treatment with insecticides is carried out at the end of spring - early summer, then two weeks later repeated. In August, the population of potato moth reaches its apogee, so during this period, spraying is considered necessary, but it must be done 20 days before harvest.
Biological means are good for their safety for human health. They quickly decompose, but have time to have a harmful effect on parasites. Any remedy for potato moths of a biological nature damages the digestive tract of an insect or paralyzes it. Among the most famous drugs can be identified: Bitoksibatsillin, Kinmiks, Lepidotsid, Entobakterin.