Colorado Beetle in England during the War

Abstract

THAT the freedom of the potato crop in England from the ravages of the Colorado beetle during the War was due not to good fortune but to the vigilance of the Ministry of Agriculture is evident from an article (Agriculture, 52, p. 210) describing the infestations that have occurred in various parts of the country in recent years. Since the outbreak at Tilbury in 1933 (which was only the second recorded in Great Britain) a close watch had been kept on potato crops, particularly in coastal areas. During 1936–39 a few beetles were reported in soils along the south-east coast and on ships in port, and, when military traffic across the Channel started, the precautionary measures were intensified. In 1941, however, beetles were discovered at six separate localities in the west of England, three of them being on inland farms in Devonshire. The special methods adopted for exterminating the pest were increased publicity and inspection, precautionary spraying of crops within a five-mile radius of an outbreak, and the restriction of potato growing to fields which had carried the same crop in the previous year. Approximately 30,000 acres of potatoes were inspected, beetles being discovered at five localities in the south-west counties in 1942. One further outbreak occurred in Wiltshire in the following year, and since then no infestations have been reported, though a few beetles were discovered on vessels and aeroplanes of cross-Channel services. The pest has evidently not yet established itself in Great Britain; but growers are asked to keep a constant watch and notify the Ministry at once of any circumstances which arouse suspicion that the beetle may be present. Unauthorized spraying is strongly discouraged as it may cause the beetles to spread.