Unfortunately, the site and the plantings on it are of interest not only to summer residents, but also to insect pests, which are able to destroy a large percentage of the crop. Potato moth and how to fight it, this question has long tormented many gardeners. Everyone wants to save the harvest and the plants themselves.
What is this insect?
To know who you have to fight with, you need to read the description of the pest, it will help to destroy it in a timely manner. Having detected the presence of an insect by certain signs.
The potato moth is a small butterfly. It is very inconspicuous and dangerous, and can destroy up to 80% of the crop.
Pest characteristics:
- Scientific name: Fluorimea.
- Size – 6–8 mm in length, 12–13 mm wingspan.
- The color is inconspicuous gray, with small black dots on the wings. When the insect folds them, the dots form dark stripes.
- The antennae are long.
- The mouthparts are small.
Stages of development of fluorimea
During its short life, an insect goes through several stages:
- The butterfly lays eggs during the period of its active life. There are up to 20 eggs in one clutch. They are located on the lower leaves of the plant. The first few days they are white, then they begin to darken and become almost invisible. They develop in 5–15 days and turn into a caterpillar.
- Caterpillar stage. It is the pest at this stage of development that causes the greatest damage to crops. The length of the caterpillar after birth is 1–2 mm. The insect lives 10–48 days. During this period, she manages to molt 4 times. Reaching a length of 8–12 mm.
The color of a caterpillar directly depends on what it eats. A light shade of the body indicates that the larva feeds on tubers, a green shade indicates that it feeds mainly on leaves.
- Pupa stage. Most often it is located on plants or in crevices (if it ends up in the cellar). After overwintering, it emerges as a fully formed butterfly.
- Final stage. The insect lives for 3 weeks. During this period, it manages to lay from 50 to 200 eggs.
Potato moth survives even in winter. Only the mode must be optimal. Even at a temperature of -1 ⁰C, when the root crop freezes, the larva continues to live. The optimal temperature regime for active growth of the pest is +22–26 ⁰С. Humidity should be no more than 80%.
Fluorimea dies at temperatures of +36 and – 4, regardless of what stage of development it is at.
What harm does a butterfly cause?
In some areas the consequences of its activities are very dire. Pest control is ongoing.
The fluorimea larva causes especially great harm; it spoils the tubers, making them unsuitable for food. It affects plants, destroying leaves and stems.
The damage to the insect increases due to the fact that it continues to live and reproduce in root crops when stored in special rooms. Thereby reducing the quality of planting material. Not only potatoes suffer from them, but also other plants of the nightshade family.
How to detect a pest?
It is almost impossible to see the butterfly. The greatest activity occurs in the morning hours before dawn and in the evening.
The first thing you need to do is carefully examine the plants. The fact that a pest has infested the plantings will be shown by:
- The presence of excrement and passages on the leaves.
- The tops begin to wither and then dry out.
- Small cobwebs appear on some leaves.
- Rot develops.
- If you lightly shake the bush, butterflies will rise from it and, after flying a little, land on neighboring plants.
Examining the tubers, you can also find insect passages inside the root crop. When severely damaged, it becomes like a spongy body.
The passages of wireworms and fluorimea are similar, but there are differences. In the potato moth, they are curled into a web, but in the second pest, the passages are clean and straight.
What control methods are used in the areas?
Using certain pest control methods can help save the crop. Fluorimea is very tenacious, so you should strictly follow the recommendations:
- Correct landing. The tubers should be buried 15 cm. It is best that they are not affected by insects. Thus, their development may be limited.You can plant early potatoes; they are immune to this pest.
- Regular hilling. It is recommended to periodically hill up young tubers so that there is always a 5 cm thick layer of soil above them.
- Weeding. Timely removal of weeds will help limit the development of harmful insects.
- Watering. The rain principle of watering will destroy a large number of butterflies that are responsible for laying eggs.
- Digging. It is best to harvest potatoes immediately after the plant begins to dry out. You can do this: a week before harvest, cut and destroy all the tops.
- Cleaning. It is necessary to remove all crops from the site. And do it as quickly as possible.
- Destruction of infected parts of the plant. The procedure is extremely important. Everything needs to be collected and disposed of.
Potato moth can be controlled using biological methods, harm to potatoes will not be applied. The tubers can be safely eaten. For this, plants are treated:
- Lepidocides. Moths are irritated by the unpleasant odor of this solution.
- Dendrobacillins. The form of the drug is dry powder. Not harmful to people and animals.
- Bitoxibacillins. Treatment with its use is carried out every 10 days.
- Enterobacterins. It is applied at a time when the crop is in bloom. Or at the time of harvest.
The use of chemicals is used if biological methods do not help. Plantings are processed immediately after moths are detected. The greatest effect will be achieved after repeated spraying in one go. Afterwards, be sure to take a break between treatments for at least 2 weeks.
Preparations:
- "Arrivo".
- "Ditox."
- "Danadim."
- "Di 68" and others.
To save your harvest, you need to work a little, to do this, identify harmful insects in time and fight them.
Treatment of tubers before storage
You need to quickly remove the potatoes from the area. It takes the butterfly 2 hours to lay new eggs in the tubers. In this case, all harvested potatoes are at risk. If the insect does appear, the root crops are treated with special solutions.
Control measures during storage:
- Prepare the solution yourself at home. Need 2 drugs. Lepidocide is used to control the pest. And planriz is added to combat fungal diseases. They are combined in the volume required for the amount of potatoes being processed. They are combined in the following proportion. 100 l of water, 0.5 l of planriz, 2 l of lepidocide. Immediately after preparing the solution, the tubers are dipped into it for 5–10 minutes. Potatoes should be thoroughly dried after processing. You can eat processed root vegetables after a few days.
If you dip the tubers in the same solution in the spring before planting, this will protect them from the pest for some time.
- Another option is recommended by gardeners. For 150 liters of water, take a 1% solution of a bacterial preparation in an amount of 1 liter. Dip the tubers into it for 15–20 minutes. Such drugs are stored for several years.
It is worth remembering that it is easier to apply preventive measures than to subsequently process the crop. This applies to those who grow potato fields; for them, processing will be very labor-intensive.
