May beetle larva: photo, video, description and control methods

With the onset of May warmth, the active flight of the cockchafer begins. Both the insect itself and, most importantly, its larvae destroy plants, eating leaves and gnawing roots. Is it possible to protect your garden and garden from pest invasion and how to do this effectively?

The cockchafer lives in Europe and Asia. Adults are quite large (the length of the oval body can reach 3.5 cm). The color of the beetle is black or red-brown; there may be a greenish tint on the head and back. There are small dotted lines, hairs or hair-like scales on the body. The tarsi are also covered with hairs, and the front tibiae have 2 or 3 teeth.

In the spring, insects leave their wintering grounds, and their flight lasts 1-1.5 months. At the beginning of June, females lay eggs in the soil (each - up to 70 eggs). In this case, beetles prefer mainly sandy and sandy loam soils, as well as compost heaps, since underground passages can be easily built in them.

Khrushchev larvae (also called furrow larvae) pose a great danger to gardens and vegetable gardens. They have a rather large and thick twisted body (up to 6 cm long) of white, beige, pale yellow or brown color, a rounded head and three pairs of legs. From the moment of hatching from the egg to pupation, the larvae develop over the course of 3-4 years and during this time they manage to cause serious damage to plants. At the end of summer - beginning of autumn, they turn into beetles, which remain overwintering in the soil.

This is what the cockchafer and its larva look like

Description

What does a cockchafer larva look like? The larvae grow up to 4-7 cm in length , they have a massive elongated body of a light yellow-milky color (as seen in the photo below), covered with sparse hairs, while the tail part is slightly enlarged and darker.
May beetle larva - photo:

If you visually compare the larva and the adult beetle, the former will be slightly larger than the adult in size. The wrinkled body is crowned by a rounded head, often red or yellowish in color, equipped with two brown antennae and small mandibles, which help not only grind food, but also dig the ground.

The larva is completely blind , which is due to its underground lifestyle. The larva has to navigate through its maximally developed sense of smell and touch.

In the front part of the body there are 6 grasping legs. On the sides in one row you can see small brown marks , like eyes. In a calm, lying state, the body of the larva takes on a C-shape.

Stages of development

Like any insect belonging to the arthropod family, Khrushchev reproduces sexually. The appearance of an adult individual refers to a variant of indirect development with complete transformation. The beetle will go through the stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult during its life. The duration of one generation is five years.

It is determined by climatic conditions and the amount of food. During this period, the following stages of development successively occur:

1. Laying eggs. Burying herself in the ground, the female lays about 70 large eggs in mid-June. After this, her life ends. Males die even earlier.
2. Appearance of the larva. They emerge from eggs at the end of summer completely different from the adult insect, neither in appearance nor in their mode of existence. The habitat of the larvae is the soil at different depths. This is due to age and time of year. For three years, they skillfully feed on the roots of grass, shrubs, and young fruit trees.
3. Having lived three winters underground, having greatly increased their size, in the spring, going deeper into the ground, they take off their cover and turn into a pupa. Her appearance becomes similar to an adult Khrushchev. A strong chitinous cover appears, yet without coloration. She can't move. Nutrition occurs due to substances located under the chitinous dome. Only in the fall does the protective skin of the pupa crack and a beetle appears, hibernating underground and only the next year flying out into the wild. At this time, the color of its chitinous back is formed. A reddish tint is more common in insects living in places with little shade and in northern regions. In southern places, with dense vegetation, black cockchafers often live. The Western Khrushchev has a black chest under a brown, chitinous back. In April and early May, whole hordes of young, strong pests can attack almost any useful plant.

How to distinguish from a mole cricket?

How to distinguish a cockchafer larva from a mole cricket larva? The larva of the May beetle can only be confused with the bronze caterpillar and some other larvae. The second stage of mole cricket development after the egg resembles a smaller copy of the adult individual. Only the imago is much darker, and also has wings. The light-colored insect does not exceed 3 cm in size and looks very similar to a small mole cricket (see photo below).

It is necessary to remember the external characteristics of the cockchafer caterpillar so as not to confuse it with other, not at all dangerous larvae . For example, the bronze larva does not damage rhizomes, but enriches the soil with waste products, and is practically harmless . They can be distinguished by the color of the dots on their sides, small head and short light brown legs.

The larva of the May beetle and the mole cricket: what is the difference? Photo of mole cricket larvae:

What does it eat?

What do cockchafer larvae eat? If the imago individual has a relatively modest set of dishes, then the larva of the cockchafer is famous for its greater gluttony . Thanks to their strong jaws, the larvae eat solid plant food, sometimes chewing even the strongest roots of old trees.

At the beginning of its development, boroznyk feeds mainly on small rhizomes of plants and trees (cherry, larch, birch, spruce, oak, cedar, etc.), as well as plant humus.

With the onset of cold weather, the larva tends to move deeper underground (up to a meter) to wait out the cold, and by spring it rises again closer to the surface. There she will feast on the roots of bushes (black currant) and other plants, including vegetables .

Having reached 2 years, the larva begins to consume tree roots, bulbs, potato tubers, turnips , etc.

The fact that furrows were operating in the plantings can be understood by taking a closer look at the potato fruits - the tubers will be eaten away in a special way , and uneven edges will form around small voids. In the center of the seedling bushes, the leaves and stems will look lifeless and limp - this is a sure sign that larvae have infested under the roots.

What crops does the pest affect?

What the cockchafer larva eats depends on its age:

• The larva of the first year of life can feed on humus (humus) - a mixture of organic substances contained in the soil. Overgrown furrows destroy the roots of herbaceous ground cover plants.
• Overwintered larvae eat everything that comes their way - dead and living roots of various plants, root vegetables. In general, the larvae gnaw the roots of those plants whose green shoots, buds and leaves are preferred by adult pests. From forest flora: oak;
• hazel;
• honeysuckle;
• Rowan;
• alder;
• acacia;
• elm;
• birch;
• maple;
• rose hip.

Eating roots

Among the gardening plants, furrow-growers enjoy the following:

• strawberry;
• strawberries;
• potato;
• Apple tree;
• grape;
• plum;
• beet;
• corn;
• sunflower;
• currant;
• gooseberry.

Both adult insects and larvae prefer coniferous plants:

• pine;
• junipers;
• spruce;
• cedar.

The tender roots of seedlings of flower and garden crops suffer from voracious larvae.

On a note! One grown larva can completely destroy the root system of a two-year-old pine seedling in one day.

Reasons for the appearance of the pest on the site

Paradoxically, cockchafers primarily threaten well-groomed and cultivated areas. They prefer light soils, such as sandy soils, and are much less likely to appear in areas with heavy clay soils. It is easier for females to lay eggs in loose soil, and it is more convenient for larvae to exist in it.

Humidity and temperature are important for larvae. Thus, the close occurrence of groundwater or high soil moisture has a detrimental effect on insects. They also do not tolerate high temperatures well. If the thermometer shows more than +25⁰С, the insects go deeper into the ground.

Mole cricket larvae: what are their features

Mole cricket larvae begin active life with the arrival of real spring warmth. They overwinter, buried to a depth of about 2 meters or in dung heaps. The closer it gets warm, the higher the larvae rise to the surface of the earth. At a ground temperature of about +12 degrees, they already feel very comfortable.

In the month of May, the process of laying eggs begins. It is characterized by the fact that sexually mature individuals emerge from their hiding places at night to the surface of the earth and go in search of sexual partners. After mating, the female is busy making a nest for herself. At a depth of about 5 centimeters below the surface of the soil, it digs many underground passages. The main nest is located at a depth of no more than 20 cm.

The female lays at least 400 eggs, which ensures the necessary level of survival of the species. The development of eggs and the birth of mole cricket larvae occur under certain conditions. This requires high humidity, high temperature and air access.

Signs of plant infection

Adult beetles eat the foliage of trees and shrubs. To a lesser extent, they can eat the ovaries, buds and flowers of plants. The larvae are more voracious, but they are limited in movement, so they feed mainly on the roots of plants, which are easiest for them to reach.

The main symptom of infection is the presence of larvae or a clutch of eggs in the soil (caterpillars can also be on the lower part of the stem). But there are other signs that voracious pests are operating in the area:

• growth slows down;
• plants (especially young ones) begin to wither and are easy to remove from the ground;
• There are either no flowers and fruits at all, or much less than usual.

Sometimes the stems of affected plants darken and dry out.

Khrushchev worms

Every person knows for sure what beetle larvae look like. They are white in color and quite large in size. They curl into a half ring, are quite noticeable and can be found anywhere. Most often they are observed in vegetable gardens and orchards.

Description

Very thick, white chafer larvae take on a crescent shape .
They are covered with fine hairs and look like tiny worms. A year later, they grow up to 5 cm. Closer to the head, the insect larva has three pairs of legs, and the head itself is round. It has brown jaws. The larvae emerge from eggs, which the beetle lays in the soil several times per season. A female beetle can lay up to 70 eggs at a time. Their habitat is soil, but quite often they get out onto its surface. The insect remains in the larval stage for 3 years, after which it begins to degenerate into a pupa.

In the first year of life, they do not cause much harm to the crop due to their small size. Initially almost invisible, they feed on humus. After a certain period of time, they feast on the remains of plants, but if they do not have enough such food, they can profit from young roots.

As they grow older, the larvae's need for food increases and so does their variety. In the second year of life, future cockchafers feed on larger roots. It happens that they can treat themselves to potato tubers or other root vegetables.

At the age of two years they are already causing enormous damage. Plants die, and as for root crops, they rot. The plant begins to wither without any reason, growth stops, even if all care rules are followed.

How to get rid of it?

When digging up the soil, it is necessary to destroy as many larvae as possible . It is better to do this in early May. At this time, the dug up soil will disrupt the pupation process and they will die. If the summer is hot and there is little rain, then the larvae lie deep in the soil, and this method no longer works.

A solution of potassium permanganate (5 g per 1 liter of water) or a solution of table salt (2 tablespoons) and ammonia will save you. For a bucket of water, take 2 tbsp. l. medications. During the flowering period, such a solution can be used for prevention.

The cockchafer feels good in the air. We make a trap for him out of light. We hang the light bulbs and attach a container of water under each one. Add a few drops of kerosene to the water. The insects will fly towards the light and fall into the water trap. Starlings can be used as assistants. Hang a birdhouse on your site and don’t worry about your harvest . Scientists have proven that one family of birds kills at least 8 thousand pests and their larvae.

Damage from cockchafer larvae

The greatest danger to the crop is not the beetles themselves, but their larvae. Adults located on the surface are easy to see and their activities can be stopped in time. They live underground, so at first the damage they cause to plants is unnoticeable. Moreover, in just a day, one three-year-old insect can destroy the roots of a young seedling.

The diet of larvae is very diverse and includes many crops:

• roots of trees of various coniferous and deciduous species, shrubs;
• strawberries and wild strawberries;
• seedlings of various vegetables, potatoes and corn;
• herbaceous plants.

Interesting facts about May Khrushchev

Hairy cockchafer.

A few facts about the cockchafer:

• the insect is capable of flying, although it does not have enough lift coefficient - scientists believe that flight is impossible with such indicators;
• the beetle is distinguished by its determination - it moves towards its goal, not paying attention to obstacles;
• Thanks to their extraordinary appetite, the larvae can eat pine roots within 24 hours.

Ways to fight

Fortunately, there are several methods available to eliminate these pests. The marbled beetle has long been an annoyance to farmers; they fought its larvae with folk remedies. It should be said that these methods of combating Khrushchev still give good results today.

With the development of science, chemical agents appeared. In recent years, biologically active preparations have been invented that make it possible to destroy cockchafer larvae without causing any harm to plants. If there are too many insects on the site, then in this case it is necessary to take comprehensive measures.

It is important to know that it is best to combat dangerous cockchafer larvae with the onset of warm weather, when they are very close to the soil surface.

Folk methods of struggle

How to cultivate the land to avoid unpleasant insects? The most effective methods are:

• Bleach solution. To prepare the product, you need to dilute 100 grams of water in a bucket. bleach and treat the soil around berry bushes or between rows of garden plants with this liquid. Of course, this method cannot be called environmentally friendly, but with such a low concentration of chlorine, the negative impact on the soil will be minimal. It is important not to pour the solution closer than 10 cm from the roots.
• An infusion of onion peels with iodine is absolutely harmless to the plant world, but it successfully removes dangerous insects from the area. The preparation is very simple. You need to fill a bucket with onion peels about a third and fill it with water to its full capacity. The product should be infused for five days. To avoid water evaporation, it is better to place the bucket in a dark place and cover it with a lid. After this period has expired, the infusion is filtered and squeezed. Before use, it must be diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio. Water the soil with this liquid.
• A manganese solution is very helpful in saving potatoes from May beetle larvae. There is no need to do too much concentration; it should have a light pink color. The lower part of the potato bushes is sprayed with this liquid.
• A solution of ammonia or ammonia protects strawberries well. To prepare the product, you need to add only 15 ml of ammonia or ammonia to a bucket of water. It is better to use ammonia, as gardeners write in reviews, together with watering.

Fruit trees can be successfully protected from chafer larvae by planting some white clover around them. This plant actively releases nitrogen into the soil, which the larvae cannot tolerate.

What else are they afraid of?

It has long been noted that where elderberries, lupines, turnips or turnips grow, the larvae of the cockchafer do not live. These plants can be planted around the vegetable garden.

Another good tip. When digging up your site, do not be lazy to manually collect the larvae and destroy them. You will definitely come across them, because they are found at a maximum depth of 1 m.

How to collect larvae by hand

This method of eliminating insects is labor-intensive and requires a significant amount of time. It should be used in the summer, when the larvae are closest to the surface.

You should manually dig up the entire area to a depth of at least 10 cm and collect any pests found. The disadvantage of this method is that it does not guarantee the destruction of all larvae.

Sodding the area

In this case, we are talking about saturating the soil with nitrogen in a natural way. To do this, it is necessary to plant white clover in the area where the cockchafer larvae have settled. Special bacteria live on the root system of this grass. They saturate the soil with nitrogen by absorbing it from the air. The gas is transferred to other plants.

Khrushchev larvae do not survive in soil saturated with nitrogen. This gas is also harmful to some types of weeds. This method allows you to effectively and safely eliminate pests.

Preventing the appearance of larvae

Preventive measures against beetleworm larvae should be taken twice a year, namely in spring and autumn. For this, the folk methods discussed above are the best suited.

Mulching the soil is an excellent preventative measure. In early spring, even before the weather warms up, you need to sprinkle a layer of sawdust, shavings or regular straw on the area. This prevents female cockchafers from penetrating the soil to lay eggs.

To protect fruit trees from adult cockchafers, you can use simple traps made from plastic bottles. To do this, the bottom part of the bottle is cut off by a third, and the cork remains in the screwed position. Traps need to be hung on the branches and a little kvass or sour jam should be poured into them, yeast should be added and slightly diluted with water. June Khrushchev loves this smell very much, but after trying this drink, it immediately dies. All you have to do is periodically shake out the dead beetles from the traps.

Chemicals

Such anti-khrushchev drugs can only be used if absolutely necessary. Each package of insecticides must contain instructions for use. It must be strictly observed. There are a lot of chemical poisons for protecting plants from pests. Below we provide a small list of the most effective of them.

1. “Zemlin” is produced on the basis of diazinon and is intended to poison pests living specifically in the soil.
2. "Bazudin" has similar properties, but lasts much longer than "Zemlin".
3. “Pochin” is produced in the form of small granules that can be used when digging the soil. The drug is also produced on the basis of diazinon.
4. "Aktara".
   This insecticide is one of the most popular among gardeners, like Vallar. It can be used both for spraying plants and for applying to the soil. The poisonous substance in it is thiamethoxam.
5. "Antikhrushch" has a contact and systemic effect on pests living in the soil.
6. “Prestige”, “Gromoboy”, “Gromoboy-2”, “Medvedox”. These drugs have virtually the same properties. The difference in name is explained by the commercial interests of the manufacturers. The degree of impact on pests is the same for all of these products. They are introduced into the soil long before planting.

Review of effective insecticides:

• "Antikhrushch" is diluted according to the instructions, 100 ml per 10 liters. water. The solution is poured under each bush at the rate of 30-50 ml. The effect lasts up to 45 days, but for early ripening crops, a similar drug is used only after harvesting.
• "Aktara" also has a long-lasting effect (from 40 to 100 days), so it is used in mid-summer. Not suitable for remontant varieties of strawberries or raspberries. The method of application includes treating the roots of plants before planting, as well as spilling the soil.
• "Karbofos" is usually used to process potatoes. The validity period of the drug allows it to be used during planting (not for early varieties), and it provides a complex effect against different types of garden parasites.

Bacteriological preparations are popular. Insecticides such as “Nemabakt” or “Antonem-F” contain nematode bacteria that settle in the body of the worm and lead to its death. They are not dangerous for plants, animals or humans; use is carried out according to the instructions for the specific drug.

Traps

To prevent larvae from appearing in the garden, it is important not to create favorable conditions for the existence of adult individuals. They can be caught using special traps.

To make a light trap, you will need a wide jar, at the bottom of which you need to pour sweet syrup from diluted jam or honey. A cone made of rolled paper or a cut plastic bottle should be placed in the neck. A light source must be suspended above the resulting funnel.

Trap against cockchafer: 1 - light source, 2 - funnel, 3 - glass jar

The prepared structure must be taken out into the garden overnight. Attracted by the light and sweet aroma, insects will climb inside the jar and will not be able to get out. In the morning they should be collected and destroyed.

It is much easier to make a trap from newspapers or paper sheets. They should be smeared with some sweet and sticky substance and placed between strawberry rows or hung on trees. Pests attracted by the sweet smell will get stuck in the sticky mass.

In the mornings, when the air temperature does not rise above +15 degrees, cockchafers are inactive. At this time, they can simply be shaken off trees and bushes, collected by hand and fed to animals.

Biologically active methods

The best biological preparation for the destruction of beetle larvae is Nemabact. It goes on sale in the form of an aqueous suspension containing nematode bacteria. They are deadly to larvae. The uniqueness of the drug is that the nematodes remain alive for two years after applying the drug to the soil. No plant protection product has a longer lasting effect.

Nemabact only affects insects and does not cause any harm to the environment. It is not dangerous for people, animals, or plants.

Natural enemies

You can entrust the collection to “professionals” - to attract natural enemies to the site: starlings, rooks and other birds. Despite its effectiveness, this method is fraught with unpleasant consequences - damage to the harvest of fruit trees, because many birds are not averse to profiting from ripe berries and fruits.

Hedgehogs also love to eat garden pests.

In summer cottages and suburban “haciendas”, many gardeners specifically attract these helpers.

Chemical and mechanical methods of pest control

You can protect your site from the Maybug invasion in the following ways:

• mulching the soil with crushed tree bark, chopped straw or wood shavings and sawdust, which makes it difficult for insects to penetrate the soil to lay eggs;

  Mulching the soil with straw

• aromatic repellent of the pest - it does not tolerate the smells of elderberry, lupine, representatives of the cruciferous family, turnip, mustard, wormwood, turnip, etc.

• watering the soil with a decoction of onion peels, which must be infused for at least 5 days, after which it should be diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio;

  Decoction of onion peel

• preventive watering of the leaves of plants such as strawberries and wild strawberries with a solution of ammonia;
• liming of the soil, which should be done no earlier than a month and a half before planting crops;

  Limed crop area

• fencing beds with vegetation with grooves 30-40 cm deep, which must be shed with a 0.75% karbofos solution;
• chlorination of the soil, carried out by flooding the area with water with chlorine additives diluted in it;
• use of chlorine-containing fertilizers.

Mechanical methods of combating the cockchafer include regularly digging and cultivating the soil on the site, followed by collecting larvae and adults. Increased control over areas where there is the highest probability of pest occurrence is also necessary - from forest plantations, abandoned land, etc.

Soil cultivation with a walk-behind tractor

Remember that if you do not declare war on the cockchafer in time, then very soon there will be nothing left on your site that requires your protection and care. Therefore, when a pest is detected on the territory, you should immediately begin taking measures to combat its development and further spread. And most importantly, know: methods of repelling and destroying the cockchafer work only in combination, so all actions in this direction, as well as their consequences, need to be carefully thought through.

Saving strawberries from the cockchafer

Khrushchev larvae most often cause damage specifically in strawberry plantings. The vegetation cycle of this plant is approximately 4-5 years, during which the soil is not completely dug up, so the risk of pests is very high. Voracious worms destroy plantings very quickly.

The main sign of damage is the death of several plants for no apparent reason. The bushes begin to wither and dry out, and when digging, you can discover the absence or damage of the roots, or the culprit itself - a large white larva of a curved shape.

To prevent the crop from being damaged, you can use the following recipes.

Effective ways to protect strawberries from beetleworm:

• Plant plants that repel cockchafers between the rows. These are fragrant marigolds, white clover, cabbage, radishes (radishes) or onions.
• Mulching the soil in the beds repels females, preventing them from laying eggs. For this, sawdust from coniferous trees, straw or dry pine needles are used.
• Periodically, plantings can be sprayed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, as well as an infusion of onion peels.
• Change the planting site when updating the crop. It is better to allocate a different place for strawberries each time, carefully digging and treating the planting site with insecticides. Until the period of fruiting of young plants, there will be no trace of chemical compounds left, and the soil will be disinfected from larvae and eggs for at least a year.
• Prepared solutions of insecticides can be spilled between the rows, providing protection from pests, and folk recipes can be used directly on the beds themselves.

When planning to transplant bushes, be sure to check the soil; usually the larvae are located at a depth of 30-40 cm from the surface. Digging allows you to get rid of the bulk of the larvae, and the methodical destruction of adult beetles in the spring prevents the appearance of new insects.

Biology

Before you start fighting cockchafer larvae on strawberries, you need to carefully study the enemy, otherwise the planned event may not bring the desired effect.

Classification

The May beetle or chafer is a genus of insects from the order Coleoptera lamelatiidae. They are quite large representatives of beetles, reaching a length of more than three centimeters.

Their habitat is the countries of Europe and Asia, where beetles are dangerous pests of agricultural crops. Very often they appear in gardens and personal plots.

Description

The May Khrushchev is a fairly large insect, its length exceeds three centimeters. On its black head there is a pair of plate-like antennae, which, when closely approached, can even cause a slight short-term horror.

The body is covered by hard elytra, colored brown or brown with veins, under which there is a pair of strong wings. Many people caught cockchafers as children and know how well they can fly.

Nutrition

The cockchafer's diet is exclusively plant-based. If adult insects eat the leaves of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, in general, not presenting a big problem for owners of summer cottages, then the larvae are a real scourge for agriculture. The fact is that they live under the soil layer and feed on plant roots there.

Despite the fact that strawberries are not among their preferences, it is damage to the roots of this plant that brings the most grief to our gardeners.

Reproduction and lifestyle

May beetles appear, as their name suggests, in May, at which time the leaves on the birch tree are just beginning to bloom, which these pests happily snack on. At the same time, the beetles fly – the process of their reproduction.

Soon after mating, females lay extensive ovipositions in the soil, sometimes containing up to seventy eggs. Soon after this, adult insects, having completed their assigned mission, die.

The eggs soon, from 15 to 30 days depending on the soil temperature, hatch into larvae, which in the first year look like tiny maggots. They do not cause any harm, since they feed mainly on plant debris.

The larvae of the cockchafer of the second and third years of life on strawberries pose the greatest danger. They develop rapidly, consuming large amounts of food, most often the roots of various plants. Moreover, the more tender and fluffy the roots, the more willingly the beetle larvae attack them.

How to protect potatoes from Khrushchev

Potato tubers are often affected by this pest. Severe contamination of the soil can lead to the complete destruction of the crop; in addition, the potatoes will not be stored, so all summer work will be wasted. Simple methods of combating the cockchafer will help prevent this.

How to get rid of larvae in potato beds:

• Combine annual digging of the soil with the selection of larvae.
• Plant beetle repellent plants between the rows.
• Pour a little dry mustard into each well.
• Plant green manure plants in the garden beds in the fall.
• Use chemicals for severe lesions.

The fight against cockchafers must be carried out methodically, using all possible methods. You should not assume that the absence of larvae last year will protect the crop for a long time, because new pests will not keep you waiting.

Prevention measures

To prevent the appearance of the cockchafer and its larvae in your garden plot, the following preventive measures should be taken:

• regularly dig the soil deeply and then mulch it;
• in the spring months, a layer of crushed tree bark, straw or shavings should be laid on top of the soil - they will prevent female cockchafers from laying eggs;
• make grooves between crops in the garden, spilling them with karbofos solution;
• plant flowers of the cruciferous family, marigolds and lupins near plants, the smell of which always repels beetles and beetles;
• planting fodder turnips around the perimeter of the bed, burying cabbage leaves and green mustard shoots are folk techniques that help repel beetles;
• those who breed poultry can use the found larvae for feeding.

The cockchafer is one of the most dangerous pests of gardens and vegetable gardens. Only an integrated approach will help get rid of adult beetles and their larvae, which involves the use of both chemicals for treating garden crops and traditional methods of controlling and preventing the proliferation of pests.

Ways to combat adult May beetles

The most commonly used methods are:

1. Mechanically shaking off insects in the morning. Now they are not active and are in a state of sleep. They can be caught directly from the branches of low bushes and trees.
2. Planting lupine. The real poison for them is lupine. May beetles avoid areas with this plant.
3. Using bright light. Special traps are a shallow container in which a small light source is placed. The walls are covered with a sticky liquid. In the evening the trap is placed in the garden. In addition to beetles, other pests also get into it. You can cover the newspaper with sticky fly tape and place it in a place where beetles accumulate. They quickly detect the trap and stick to its surface.
4. Chemical methods. The drugs Antikhrushch, Aktara, Zemlin, Bazudin are not effective; they are used with extreme caution in gardens and vegetable gardens of industrial plantations.
5. Biological methods. New drugs such as Nemabact make it possible to destroy the beetle in the larval phase. It consists of a nematode worm that lives in the soil and feeds on larvae. The drug is harmless to people and animals.

Chemicals

The most effective, but unsafe method of dealing with cockchafer larvae is the use of special chemicals. These preparations are used to treat the root system of seedlings and other planting material (bulbs, tubers, etc.). Their action is based on the penetration of poison into the intestines of insects through the underground parts of plants.

Agents against larvae

Preparations for cockchafer larvae and their effect:

• Antichrusch is a concentrated suspension containing imidacloprid and bifenthrin, which, once ingested by pests, has a negative effect on their nervous system, and is used when watering the soil around plants;
• Zemlin - acts through the digestion and intestines of insects and larvae with the help of the active substance diazinon;
• Aktara - the prepared solution is poured under the roots of plants to destroy the larvae;
• Pochin - added to the ground when sowing garden crops to poison underground pests;
• Nurell-D - the solution must be poured under the root, it is used for adult plants (shrubs and trees), penetrating with moisture into the root system, and then the poison enters the body of the larvae with food;
• Bazudin - added to the soil during planting, the granules contain diazinon, kills pests by contact-intestinal method after the poison enters through the roots and green parts of plants; however, poison should not be allowed to enter water bodies;
• Vallar - granules containing diazinon, dissolved in water intended for irrigation; the toxic substance penetrates the roots and cells of the plant and, after being eaten by the larvae, poisons them; You can also make a solution and dip the roots of the plants before planting.

If you take precautions and follow the recommendations specified in the instructions, all of the listed chemicals are not dangerous for plants, but they allow you to get rid of larvae living underground in your dacha or garden.

Tips and tricks

The main simple but useful recommendations include the following tips, known from the experience of site owners:

• Along the borders of the site, plant perennial bushes of decorative lupine as beautiful flowering flower beds.
• Annually plant marigolds, nasturtium, calendula or other repellent plants along the edges of vegetable beds.
• Use low-growing marigolds as green manure plants. In the fall, bury them in the ground in the planned bed.
• Use white clover in the trunks of fruit trees. This will destroy the larvae, reduce the growth of weeds and add essential microelements obtained naturally to the soil.
• Treat the row spacing with a 70% karbofos solution.
• Water the plantings with a weak solution of ammonia at the rate of half a tablespoon per bucket of water.

Everything that is created by nature is not only harmful, but also necessary. So is this beetle. Traditional healers use it in recipes for certain diseases. Fishermen will not refuse tasty bait when fishing for chub. Numerous amphibians and birds use it as a high-calorie food.

Sources

• https://rusfermer.net/ogorod/vrediteli/majskij-zhuk/lichinki/opisanie.html
• https://obnaruzhil.ru/zhuk/lichinki-majskogo.html
• https://WikiParazit.ru/zhuki/otlichiya-lichinok-mayskogo-zhuka-i-medvedki.html
• https://vusadebke.com/boryba-s-vreditelyami/vrediteli/lichinka-mayskogo.html
• https://sovusadba.ru/vrediteli-i-bolezni/kak-vyglyadit-lichinka-majskogo-zhuka-na-foto-i-po-opisaniyu.html
• https://bezbukashek.ru/drugie/lichinki-majskogo-zhuka-kak-s-nimi-borotsja-7-luchshih-metodov

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Biological products

Proven biological products are also available for sale in specialized stores, which are completely safe for plants and people, but allow you to get rid of beetles and their larvae in the garden.

Nemabakt for the fight against Khrushchev

The drug Nemabact was created using nematode worms, which, after being introduced into the soil, actively attack the larvae of the cockchafer. After just 1-3 days, their number will become much smaller, and then it will allow you to get rid of them forever. Worms introduced into the soil maintain balance for 2 years.

It is used when watering the soil (morning and evening), it must first be diluted in a ratio of 1:100, the optimal air temperature should be from +10 to +26°C with high humidity.

Nematodes are stored in a special biosoil called Bioshield. 5 liters of prepared soil with nematodes are designed to treat 15 square meters. m of land in the garden. You can buy such a drug only in specialized stores and must store it only under certain conditions specified in the instructions.

On a note!

Scientists have discovered an interesting feature of beetles - they cannot tolerate high levels of nitrogen in the soil. Therefore, for prevention purposes, you can use planting white clover in the garden and in the garden in tree trunks. In its root system there are special bacteria that can absorb nitrogen from the air and then accumulate it in the ground. Thus, the concentration of nitrogen in the soil increases.

Cabbage worms

The mole cricket is one of the serious pests in planting areas. Among the people it was nicknamed “earth cancer”. It received this name because of the elastic front back. It looks like the shell of a common crayfish. She flies and swims beautifully in the water. Confidently makes earthen passages and quickly moves along its surface. It crawls out only when night falls.

The mole cricket larva is unpretentious in food . Consumes eggplant roots, onions, cucumber leaves and sometimes the vegetables themselves, cabbage, and potato tubers. She prefers to live in soil where there is a good supply of sunlight. Therefore, if any plant interferes with the penetration of sunlight and restricts its burrow, it faces complete destruction. After all, the insect's burrow is very small - the size is no larger than a chicken egg, and its depth is 10-15 cm.

How to get rid of an insect?

First, let's study the insect itself and understand who we have to deal with. The pest lives throughout the European part of Russia. Lovers of moist, loose soil are located near rivers, where the soil is damper. In the garden, her favorite place will be manure, cabbage plantings or compost heaps.

If after the rain, around the end of May and the beginning of the first summer month, you notice the appearance of dug up wavy patches of earth in the area or plants cut off at the base, or the exit on the surface looks like a small hole, then you are at the mercy of a pest.

The mole cricket visits the clutch of eggs, which are the size of a pea, quite often , making sure that everything is in order with the offspring.

Pest Control

1. The consequences of pests in your garden are enormous. When the entire harvest is harvested, it is better to do this in early spring, loosen the soil, or better yet, dig it as deep as possible. This way you will disturb the underground possessions of the mole cricket and destroy its egg clutches. Holes in the garden are unique structures with a large number of passages and exits.
2. Plant specific plants where the pest lives. The mole cricket is frightened by the smell of marigold. For her, it is harsh and has poisonous pollen. Also, the infected area can be planted with lupins, which are considered perennial. After this, next to these flowers, which will bloom for many years, other weeds will no longer grow, and the larvae will have to feed on their roots, which are poisonous to the future generation of beetles.
3. A good way to water an area is to use a special infusion of onion peels (for 10 liters of warm water, take 1 kg of onion peels, leave for 5 days) or their waste. An infusion of chicken manure diluted with water 1:3 will also help you. You can water the plants generously or spray them daily. Irrigation will allow it to be evenly distributed throughout the plant. And if you combine these two methods together, the effect will be significant.
4. Adults are caught by luring the insect to the smell of vegetable oil. Pour a couple of drops of oil into the mole cricket's hole, wait a little and pour a glass of water. This will give a characteristic odor that the insect senses from a long distance. The individual will crawl and die.

Description

From May to July, the mating season of insects ends , it is after this that the mole cricket begins to lay eggs in its nest. At a time there are from 50 to 500 eggs of future insects. From the outside they look like millet grains. Dark brown, 3.5 mm in length.

If the habitat is favorable, then after 9-18 days the first larvae will begin to emerge from the eggs. The food for which, at the initial stage of life, will be the remains of the shell and salivary secretions of the mother on the walls of the nest.

After a few days, they will turn into a nymph, which in appearance is similar to a full-fledged mole cricket. Transformation into a full-fledged individual undergoes a dangerous, lengthy process . Not everyone can cope with it. The weak have the risk of death.

Their full maturation occurs only after a year. From the moment of birth until the fourth stage of growth, the mole cricket larva grows from 15 to 33 mm. The diet includes earthworms and small insects, or plant fruits left over from the fall.

The photo shows what a mole cricket and its larvae look like, and you can also see the appearance of the cockchafer and its worms.

May beetle worms: