Killer Colorado potato beetle repellent: description and instructions for use

Potatoes are the most important food in life, just like bread. Farmers and gardeners put in a lot of effort to grow this crop. The Colorado potato beetle is a destructive pest of potatoes. It eats the plant's tops, leaving the crop no chance to ripen. To save the harvest, gardeners resort to insecticides. Killer is considered one such effective insecticide.Killer is a product that helps get rid of the most pesky insects – Colorado potato beetles. These pests can destroy potato crops in a matter of days. Many regions are increasingly experiencing widespread potato destruction by the Colorado potato beetle. Effective insecticides like Killer are highly effective and minimally toxic. They are easy to use and, when used correctly, are environmentally friendly. This is why they occupy a leading position in the pest control market.

Damage from the Colorado potato beetle

Few people realize how dangerous the Colorado potato beetle is to gardeners, or more precisely, to their work. From early spring, the female beetle lays a huge number of eggs on the leaves themselves. She does this quite frequently. Thus, several generations of Colorado potato beetles can emerge in a single season.

Within one to two weeks, the larvae emerge. During their development, they need to be well-fed, so they feed on the leaves on which they were, so to speak, born. After the larvae have obtained all the necessary nutrients from the upper parts of the potato shoots, they descend into the soil.

In the soil, the larva develops into an adult beetle. Thanks to its strong wings, the Colorado potato beetle can fly dozens of kilometers in search of food. The insect feeds only on the stems and leaves of the crop—the tubers themselves are not attractive to the beetles.

But due to the destruction of the tops, the tuber itself develops poorly, since all the plant’s energy goes into restoring the top, and not into forming the potato.

It's not the adult beetle that poses the greatest danger to potatoes, but its larva. This creature can destroy up to 6 square centimeters of potato tops in a day.

Features of the drug Killer

Killer is effective not only against the Colorado potato beetle. It is also suitable for protecting gardens from various mites, aphids, and whiteflies.

Killer is available in concentrated form. Before use, the product must be diluted in water in the proportions specified in the instructions.

The insecticide is intended for treating crops such as:

• potato;
• cabbage;
• tomatoes;
• eggplants;
• pepper;
• berry crops.

Killer can be used both in open ground and in greenhouses and hotbeds.

Benefits of Killer against Colorado potato beetles

Killer has several advantages over its competitors. It has earned the respect of professional and amateur gardeners for its characteristics, including:

• The killer deals with the Colorado potato beetle in a short time;
• does not wash off in rain;
• does not cause addiction in insects;
• in hot weather the effectiveness of the drug increases;
• destroys not only adult Colorado potato beetles, but also their larvae.

Active ingredients of the drug Killer

Killer against the Colorado potato beetle contains several active ingredients, thanks to which it is highly effective:

• cypermethrin (50 g per liter);
• chlorpyrifos (500 g per liter).

The active chemical, cypermethrin, consists of eight isomers, each of which has a specific harmful effect on the insect. For the Colorado potato beetle, the combination of these eight isomers is fatal.

Cypermenthrin primarily attacks the beetle's nervous system through its intestines. The parasite consumes the treated plant leaf and dies.

Cypermethrin remains weakly toxic for a month after treatment, but retains its toxic properties. As temperatures rise, these properties intensify.

Chlorpyrifos is dangerous to Colorado potato beetle larvae. The active ingredient enters the larvae through the respiratory system and paralyzes the insect. Chlorpyrifos persists in soil for up to four months!

Together, the two active ingredients are capable of killing not only the beetles but also their larvae within two days. This makes the Colorado potato beetle poison one of the most effective insecticides on the market.

Standards for treating plants with Killer

To destroy the Colorado potato beetle, Killer is used in several ways:

• Potato seed tubers are processed immediately before planting in the ground;
• Spraying of potato bushes is carried out during their growth.

If potato tubers are treated with a Killer-based solution before planting, they should be carefully moved and allowed to dry slightly after spraying. Afterward, the seed potatoes are planted in the soil in the usual manner.

If you're treating already-growing potatoes, just one treatment is sufficient. When planning your spraying, consider the timing of your potato planting.

Spray greens in the morning or evening. In strong sunlight, the product can dry out quickly, without having time to be absorbed by the leaves and stems.

If it is very windy or there is precipitation outside, then it is also worth postponing the cultivation of the beds to another day.

Consumption of the drug

When using Killer against the Colorado potato beetle, strictly follow the application rates. Never use the product in its pure form!

To treat tubers, take half a liter of water and mix it with 10 ml of the product. This amount of "poison" is enough to spray 25 kg of seed potato tubers.

Precautions when working with the drug Killer

Since any insecticide is toxic, precautions should be taken when treating plants:

• dilute the drug strictly according to the instructions;
• observe all proportions;
• Do not store Colorado potato beetle poison beyond the expiration date indicated on the ampoule;
• There is no provision for storing the preparation diluted with water; it must be diluted with water immediately before use, and the remaining portion should not be used later;
• When treating the garden with insecticide, you need to wear protective equipment: gloves, a raincoat, a mask;
• If the drug comes into contact with an open area of ​​skin, it should be washed off with running water; if the eyes or respiratory tract are affected, you should immediately consult a doctor;

Analogues of Killer

The insecticide market offers a wide selection of products designed to combat the Colorado potato beetle. These products differ only in cost, toxicity, and active ingredient concentration.

Several Killer analogues that are similar in composition and mode of action:

• "Prestige";
• "Destroy";
• "Bison";
• "Commander";
• Intavir;
• "Spark".

Reviews of Killer

Alexander, 60 years old, Astana:

"Killer has helped me deal with various garden pests. But I mainly use it to combat Colorado potato beetles. There are a lot of reviews about the product. They're mostly positive, and I agree. The beetle starts showing up in my garden as early as early spring. By summer, it starts destroying the tops of my potatoes. It's incredible to watch! It's so much work that goes into growing these crops! If it weren't for Killer, whose name speaks for itself, I wouldn't have seen my potatoes!"

Tamara, 62 years old, Moscow region:

"Even though they say Killer is one of the most powerful poisons for garden beds, I use it and am happy with it. If you dilute the mixture according to the instructions and use it in the correct proportions, it won't cause any harm to humans or animals. Furthermore, I only use gloves when treating my plants! The product comes in convenient ampoules, and the diluted liquid is enough for my entire potato garden. Killer completely kills the beetle, leaving not even the larvae behind!"

Zakhar, 47 years old, Veliky Novgorod:

"I treat my potato tubers before planting. This way, they're reliably protected against the Colorado potato beetle with Killer. It's never let me down. Lately, I've been using this insecticide on other crops. For example, I spray it on cabbage. The slugs have disappeared."

Elizaveta, 49 years old, Ryazan:

"Killer didn't help me fight the beetles that had caused my potato harvest to be good. Perhaps I didn't dilute it with water properly, or maybe the windy weather played a role—but I didn't see any benefit from the spray. The beetles continued to eat the tops just as they had been. I'll try again in calm weather."