THE POTATO BEETLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00039R000100090101-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 5, 2012
• Sequence Number: 101
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/05 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100090101-0
Si: eial Pamphlet cat the
8ioiog11aoh? l~eiche~ rce tat t Az'
Lf~rJd- atld Fore twtltschstt,&: R,a
No, 1'0
3ueon .-dition l`ar'ch 193
('first adttiorr aV t'ay 1932)
(six-rn.nth1y)
Potato b?etle (Thin secot~l dttian, dstd )arch 1935, i. virtually
a reprint of the ftra t adi tiAr~ of May 193?)
The potato beetle, one off' the worst en~nies of titrnport~~rrt rood ?tap1e,
wFs i'irot described in the w?sturn pa'ta of the United 3tatea a little
mo tt,an 1O years ado, but it b?cw~c a rrnaee only with the o~-erit~ j of
thew st~t~A tf~ vri~uitur~ when It rnt.t-i.;i1.y tip 'tfitt to tis~i At f i~tic
t.rriJ fr' ,fit
At fb'st bot~~uic ;lrct ~i' 1~~'?~cLi~t, ,~~'~K~rt~l~ lu rr~rtE~~rrr rrr-ry,
in ~AXotiy, !flu rn;sri tht; Uhirro; Ilr~riddens near the mouth Of tt;e
Thomea wuro t'ou;id L~ bu lrrtacted. Individual r~rrinlcle ware discovered in
!otterUojn, acrd in 1914 a serious ~uttjreak in 3tade, nor the lower H1be,
caused vigorous measurua for its er dication t.' be ta1(en by he Gorman
Govennnent
France was invaded in 1919, but the seriousness of the situation was of
recognized until 1922, The insect spreaa rapidly and by 1934 had covered
60 of the dg Departments nf' France,
In July, 194 a new infestation was discovered in Stade or fwnburg and
at Cuxhaven on the Cuxhaven-kamburg Itailroad right-of-way. Again it took
the most vigorous measures to stop a threatened spreading of the insect.
The oril,; way to prevent the canplete anihilation of the potato industry,
is be staying aheFd o!' the insect by preventive measures. More or icss
the carne methods are being followed in German,' and in England. Crews
of well-trained workers, such as soldiers, members of the Voluntary LobDr
Service etc., under experienced foremen do bettor work than individual
landowners could do themselves. The fields are thoroughly searched
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/05 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100090101-0
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/05 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100090101-0
for in acts which ar? piakcu by hand and dostroyed. The plant? are
teen uprooted, piled into rite 2 in deep, drenched with crude berizane,
and buried T.e cleared field is then mowed up, drenched with raw
dote?na ( g 11tero to the equnre in ter ). These fields on which Aurae
rows of plants are left standtn to serve are "oatch" plants, are kept
under constant supervision. The catch pJanto are inspected daily by
special crews in an r a 10 kur in dicuneter. Until tr+e ttma oi' the potato
ha1vest thts work is continued by inspeoting tho "catch" area daily, an
area 4 km in diam?tor every 4 days, and an area 10 ktn in d1Amotor every
1+ - 8 days. At the same time Apecial crews !o over he prirtary infectkd
area, screening the soil to catch any insect that might still be alive.
ttesults of such thorough work w~~s effective; however, precautions were
kept up for the next two years, since animals are known to have remained
alive, hidden in the soil, for at least 18 months.
It is important that landowners be well educated in tho neceseity of
these precautions and that it be impressed upon there to report the first
signs of an invasion by the beetle to the proper authorities.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/05 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100090101-0