Maria Lukyanenko/ article author
Identification of pests, work with insect cultures, micrograph of insects, bibliographic studies.

How and when did the Colorado potato beetle appear in Russia

Where did the Colorado potato beetle come from in Russia, there are several versions. One of them is the targeted spread of the pest by the US CIA during the Cold War between the USSR and the USA. When the Colorado potato beetle appeared in Russia, experts do not give an exact answer, but indicate the approximate years of infection of our territory.

Pest migration

The birthplace of the Colorado potato beetle is warm, sunny Mexico. For the first time, rural residents discovered a striped creature with great appetite in 1824. Initially, the insect ate tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, petunia leaves, tobacco. With the active appearance of potatoes in the fields, the Colorado moved to this crop. However, the story of the Colorado potato beetle does not end there, but only begins.

In 1959, the parasite caused enormous damage to potatoes in several states of Colorado in America. Hence the name came from. With the spread of shipping, the active trade in potatoes, the insect began to develop other continents. During the First World War, a mass appearance was discovered in France. American military bases were located in this country, where soldiers and food supplies from the United States were transported to soldiers. Migration across Europe began with the French town of Bordeaux.

The appearance of a pest in the USSR

Colorado beetle
Colorado beetle

In what year the Colorado potato beetle was brought to the territory of Russia, there is no exact information. Presumably they began to import during the Second World War - 1943-1949. Some experts call the moment of settlement the beginning of hostilities, others - the end.

In 1949, a striped insect was found in Ukraine. The arid hot summer of 1953 facilitated resettlement throughout Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Belarus. Who brought the Colorado potato beetle to Russia, many are interested in the question, since the large-scale wrecking of an insect resembles sabotage.

Interesting!

Many people want to believe in the version that the beetle in the USSR appeared due to the targeted action of the US CIA services. During the Cold War, various methods were used, methods to undermine the country's economic stability. However, experts did not find evidence for this hypothesis.

In 1975, trains with straw from the Ukrainian SSR were sent to the Southern Urals. According to one version, this is exactly how the Colorado came to the territory of our country. In the 80s, a beetle appeared in the Voronezh region and adjacent to it. A problem began to arise, which is still being solved.

Official version

Colorado beetles
Colorado beetles

The appearance of a striped insect in the Russian space is associated with the development of economic relations between the states of Europe and the USSR. This period falls on 1940. Colorado larvae with potatoes, tomatoes, eggplanttobacco.

Initially, no one paid special attention to a strange creature on root crops. Contributed to the spread of hostilities. At that time, few people paid attention to the agricultural pest in Russia, and the colorado finally adapted to the harsh climate. At the end of World War II, a real natural disaster began in the fields with potatoes.

The fight against the Colorado parasite actively conducted in modern Russia. They exterminate by physical means, chemistry, and biological means. Breeders breed varieties resistant to these pests. The current tool that will erase Colorado potato beetle from the face of the earth, until they came up with. Regardless of origin, appearance, it is necessary to fight by any means, means. Otherwise, the crop will suffer significantly.

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Comments2
  1. Nikolay

    I constantly live in the Volgograd region in the countryside. I am already 60 years old and I often remember the first time I saw a Colorado potato beetle and not just a beetle, but hundreds. And it was in 1973 in the month of October, that year the autumn was arid. One weekend, my friend and I took our potters and went into the woods. The water had already evaporated in one lake, but in the remaining moisture there were growing thickets of chakan. We noticed that it was simply teeming with the Colorado potato beetle, and we recognized it from Batanik’s textbook in the school where there were his drawings. And only after 2-3 years he began to appear on our potatoes, but only in single copies. I’m still thinking how he could get in such a quantity, probably in a container from space?

  2. Ruben

    In Siberia, I rarely heard of them before. But with the advent of the 2000s, the "fun" began. They did not know the problems.

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