STEAM AS AN ALTERNATIVE CONTROL METHOD FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF COLORADOPOTATO BEETLES

Laboratory and field experiments demonstrated that a steam and air mix ture generated by a prototype unit can critically injure over 50% of t he adult Colorado potato beetles while imparting acceptable injury to potato plants. Low pressure steam injected into a hood which covered a plant was found to be an effective means of dispersing steam into the canopy. The temperature under the hood was a better predictor of the damage to the insect and to the plant than exposure. A prototype field machine was developed based on the results from the laboratory study. From field studies, the prototype field unit was found to injure 56% of the beetles and showed good canopy penetration.