May beetle - benefits and harm for humans

The non-disgusting, cute cockchafer can be heard from afar by making a loud buzzing sound in the canopy of trees or near glowing street lamps. Its interesting appearance thanks to its beautiful and slightly funny antennae brushes attracts the attention of children and adults. But if we are talking about his activities, then all the positive emotions from meeting him immediately disappear. The harm and benefits of the cockchafer become subjects of debate between naturalists and gardeners.

Lacewing.

They eat the leaves of almost all deciduous trees and shrubs (oak, birch, poplar, maple, willow, and fruit trees - pear, apple, plum), and do not even refuse pine and larch.
In everything good there is bad and in everything bad there is good. The main thing is to present it properly. !
they have a lot of protein, tear off the wings before frying and enjoy your meal!
Life underground
Chafer beetles are one of the first heralds of spring. As soon as the sun warms the ground in the fields and meadows, the beetle crawls out of it after winter sleep and, spreading its wings, sets off in flight. The purpose of its flight is to search for food, because during hibernation the beetle does not feed on anything.
Small hairs or hair-like scales grow throughout the body. Their length varies depending on the parts of the body. For example, the hairs on the chest are yellow, long and dense. And on the abdomen there are hairs, both short and long, growing sparsely.

Description of the insect

We all know what a cockchafer looks like since childhood.
Some saw them live, and others saw them in pictures for the fairy tale “Thumbelina.” The body of the beetle is barrel-shaped, black or brown-brown, elongated at the rear. The length reaches 3.5 - 4 cm. It is distinguished from other insects by antennae with long bristles.

The larva of the cockchafer, also known as the furrow beetle, has a thick white body, bent in the middle, three pairs of legs and a large brown head.

The beetle's pupa is more similar to the adult, but with shorter wings.

May beetle diet

What the cockchafer eats depends on its habitat. The habitat of this representative of the order Coleoptera occupies a vast territory. The May Khrushchev can be found in central Russia from the Leningrad region to Western Siberia and the Altai Territory, as well as on the Crimean Peninsula, the Caucasus, and European countries. And wherever he lives, he has an excellent appetite.

Adult cockchafers readily eat the foliage and needles of trees such as:

maple;
pine;
spruce;
Linden;
birch;
alder;
cherry;
plum;
honeysuckle;
grape;
rosehip and many others.

Diet of the cockchafer
Such a wide diet allows the chafer to feel at ease in any region. Close relatives of the May beetle are the June beetle and the bronze beetle, which many mistakenly call the green May beetle. All these representatives of the same family in nature feed on the same plants and cause irreparable harm to the fauna.

External structure

Head

The mouth and sensory organs are placed on it. The mouth consists of jaws and lips - above and below. On the lower ones there are organs of taste and touch in the form of small palps. At the top of the head on the sides are the eyes, which have a complex facet structure.

Above them are antennae ending with 7 plates. The latter are the organs of smell. The entire head is pressed into the prothorax, causing it to tilt downward and not rotate laterally .

Breast

Divided into 3 sections - rear, middle and front. Each has a pair of legs (6 in total), and there are wings . On the dorsal side, the chest is hidden behind the elytra . They protect the soft covers of the back and thin hind wings from damage.

The front wings are much stiffer, so they do not require protection. With its feet, the cockchafer excels at clinging to branches and shoots and them well

The legs are not designed for dexterous walking on flat surfaces, so in such places the beetle moves slowly and awkwardly .

Abdomen

It has a fixed connection to the chest and includes 8 segments. From the back on the sides of the abdomen there are respiratory openings .

External structure of the May Khrushchev - photo:

Living spring medicine

May beetles do not reproduce as quickly as Colorado beetles, but they can also cause damage to forest plantations.

May beetles with great appetite eat leaves, buds and ovaries of trees, which causes photosynthesis to decrease, the plant to weaken and may even die.

The larvae of the cockchafer feed on the roots of trees and shrubs, which can also cause them irreparable harm with serious consequences. In addition, even through slightly damaged roots, pathogenic microbes can penetrate into the tree.

However, there are some benefits from cockchafers. True, official medicine does not use them, but village healers learned to make infusions, tinctures and other drugs from them much earlier than from Colorado beetles.

No one has studied the chemical composition and healing properties of cockchafers, but if you consider that they feed on fresh, green leaves, flowers and shoots of trees and shrubs, we can conclude that their tissues accumulate many useful and unique substances, which are used in traditional medicine .

To prepare infusions, tinctures and other potions, beetles are collected manually - for this, a blanket or sheet is spread under the tree, and the beetles are shaken off the branches. Next, the raw materials are used for their own purposes.

Since cockchafers are collected only during active flight - 1-2 months a year, the raw materials can be prepared for future use - dried in the oven at a temperature of 50-60 degrees and ground in a coffee grinder.

Recipe 1.

Folk remedy for radiculitis from the cockchafer. Collect and dry the cockchafers, replace the dough with rye flour and add beetle powder. You will need a little dough - for 1 flatbread.

The cake will need to be applied to the sore spot on the back, covered with cellophane and a warm cloth. After 40 minutes, remove the cake. Heat the vegetable oil in a steam bath in advance.

When you remove the cake, you will see that many small blisters have formed underneath. Pierce them with a needle or pin, remembering to soak the “tool” in oil before each puncture. The following procedure can be done after the code at the site of the blisters has dried and healed. Sometimes 1-2 such procedures are enough to cure radiculitis.

Recipe 2.

May beetle against pulmonary tuberculosis. To prepare the medicine, you need to collect the beetles early in the morning, before sunrise; you will need 1 glass of them. You need to crush the beetles with your hands or a wooden masher, and then add 1 cup of rye flour to the pulp and make a flat cake. The cake needs to be placed on the right side of the back and tied with a scarf or handkerchief so that it does not fall off - this procedure is done all night.

In the morning, remove the cake - under it there should be a large blister with a lot of pus. There is no need to pierce it - the pus will drain out on its own. To cure pulmonary tuberculosis, 1 procedure is enough.

Recipe 3.

Alcohol tincture of chafers for uterine cancer. Take 24 cockchafers, dry them in the shade, crush them, put them in a glass jar and pour 500 ml of vodka. Leave in the sun for 7 days, then strain.

You need to drink 1 tbsp of tincture. in the morning on an empty stomach. At the same time as taking the tincture, you need to douche with a decoction of celandine.

Recipe 4.

Alcohol tincture of cockchafers for rheumatism. Collect ½ half-liter jar of Maybugs, fill with vodka to the brim. Place the jar in a dark place for 10 days. Then strain and use for rubbing.

With a tincture of beetles, you can treat abscesses, boils, fistulas, corns, old wounds, irritations and rashes on the skin, and ulcers.

Recipe 5.

Wounds from dog bites, including rabid ones, should be sprinkled with dried, crushed chafer powder. At the same time, you need to drink a decoction of yarrow. A person bitten by a rabid dog was given powder from 1 dried May beetle, which must be washed down with bread kvass.

Recipe 6.

Honey infused with chafers is used to heal wounds, burns and ulcers.

Video addition:

Internal structure

Respiratory system

It is made up of many tubes with branches (tracheas). They deliver air entering the body through the spiracles to other systems.

Digestive system

The upper jaws bite off parts of the leaves, and the lower jaws grind them. The food then passes into the esophagus and from there into the stomach . It is equipped with teeth made of chitin to grind food. The remainder of the digestion process occurs in the intestines , and processed food is excreted through the anus.

Excretory system

A bunch of tubes closed at the top, the bases extend into the intestines. Their task is to filter metabolic products and convert them into crystalline substances.

Circulatory system

Blood does not take part in respiration; it only carries nutrients to the organs, carrying excretory products away from them. Moves due to the functioning of the heart.

Nervous system

Primitive, contains a peripharyngeal ring and an abdominal chain. The brain is a collection of nerve cells fused together.

Reproductive system

How does the cockchafer reproduce? The female has a pair of ovaries , which connect to form an oviduct. It brings the eggs formed in the ovaries out after maturation. To receive the seed there is a special reservoir - seminal receptacle .

The male has testes , they pass into the vas deferens and connect into a single canal for ejaculation.

insect eggs

What do cockchafer eggs look like? May beetle egg - photo:

Compared to the eggs of other insects, they are quite large - their length is 3 mm, width 2 mm. The color is dirty white, the shape is oval, widened on the sides.

The egg goes through a development cycle of about 30 days . The presence of unfavorable conditions extends it to 45-50 days. Eggs tend to gradually harden , beginning development under soft covers.

Harm of the cockchafer

The question of the dangers and benefits of the cockchafer is in the first place for people whose activities are related to agriculture. May beetle is another name for a beetle that belongs to the Coleoptera insects. They are excellent fliers and can fly 20 km or more. This mobility provides the beetle with a wide choice of food. The favorite delicacy of an adult insect is the young leaves of trees and shrubs, their inflorescences and even needles.

When wondering whether cockchafers are poisonous, you can safely answer in the negative. The only advantage of this pest is that it does not have the ability to sting or release toxic substances.

Those who do not know whether the cockchafer is dangerous for humans may find its large size and roar during flight terrifying. The insects themselves are not predators; they are attracted to plant foods. The life cycle of an adult lasts only 1.5 - 2 months. The main damage is caused by its larva.

Chafer

Adult nutrition

The mass appearance of the May beetle in the form of an adult individual - imago, is timed to coincide with the beginning of flowering and the appearance of young foliage on the trees. In May, the beetle crawls out of the soil after pupation and immediately begins to eat. In the eastern and northern regions of our country, the main delicacies for Khrushchev are:

young foliage of aspen, poplar, linden, maple;
birch and alder catkins;
needles of larch, spruce, pine;
inflorescences of apple, cherry, plum trees.

Western beetleworm is characterized by attacks on plants growing in the southern regions of Europe: grapes, walnuts, hazelnuts, oak, chestnut, beech, acacia and others. For summer residents, it is well known why the cockchafer is harmful to the garden. Gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes can attract insects as another source of food. After a thorough meal and mating, female beetles lay eggs in the soil, from which a new stage of the insect, the larva, emerges after a few days.

Harm to the larvae

The inconspicuous light yellow worm is harmless in the first months of its existence. It still has underdeveloped jaws, and it can eat humus, humus, and small grass roots. The real harm to the cockchafer larva becomes noticeable in the second year of its life. After a successful winter in the deeper layers of the soil, the caterpillar moults and becomes larger. Its jaws can handle the roots of garden crops, such as:

Being in the larval stage, the beetle is especially dangerous in the garden. Considering the large number of caterpillars, you can imagine the damage they can cause. In the third year of their life, they molt again and become even more voracious. Now they are tough on the roots of young trees.

Chafer

One May beetle larva, in its 3rd year of life, can destroy the roots of a two-year-old tree in one day.

Having successfully overwintered the next winter, in the fourth or fifth year of its life the larva pupates and degenerates into an adult insect by the next spring. Such a long life cycle of the beetle makes it one of the most dangerous pests of nature.

Description of the insect

May beetles are not so secretive; you will definitely immediately notice them on your territory. These are medium dark beetles, 4 centimeters on average. Due to their dark color (the color can vary from brown to dark red), you will notice them on the site. Beetles reproduce and spread in late spring. Fruit-bearing plants become a haven for such beetles, or rather for breeding and laying eggs; there are all the conditions under which the female can safely leave her clutch.

Chafer

What's really scary is that one female cockchafer can produce over 60 beetles, that is, lay that many eggs. The larvae develop in the soil; the stage can last about 4 years. You can already understand that it is the larvae that harm the site, since while they live in the soil, they will need to eat, and they get everything they need for development by eating the roots of the plant. The beetles live in the ground, and you can see them in the garden in May, at which time they come out.

May beetle larva

Traditional methods of combating the cockchafer and its larvae

The cockchafer and its larvae are long-standing enemies of all gardeners. Therefore, today gardeners have come up with a large number of ways to get rid of these pests using improvised means.

1. The easiest way is to collect pests manually. Of course, it can be applied exclusively to adult beetles, because collecting the larvae by hand will be very, very problematic. If a gardener discovers that some low-growing bushes and trees have been attacked by the cockchafer, he can collect the insects with his hands, after wearing thick gloves. It is better to collect beetles in a tall three-liter jar. When all visible beetles have been collected, they must be doused with boiling water and then disposed of.

Tall plantings should be cleared of beetles in a slightly different way. Thick plastic film should be spread under trees and bushes where uninvited guests live. In the early morning, when the beetles are still sleeping, the plantings should be shaken as hard as they can so that the insects fall on the spread film. Then the cockchafers also need to be doused with boiling water and disposed of.

2. If the gardener cannot collect the larvae at a time when they are already actively damaging the garden, then he should take care of this in advance

During the spring preparation period, when summer residents are digging up their garden plot, they should be careful and pay attention to the presence of white larvae resembling worms in the soil. If any are found, they should be collected manually and disposed of.

3. Moles, as well as hedgehogs, are not averse to eating the larvae of the cockchafer. Therefore, if a summer resident finds mole passages on his site, he should not fill them up. These mammals will help gardeners in the fight against the May pest.

4. Many gardeners strive to destroy beetles during their active breeding period. It is known that males are very fond of bright light. This fact can be used to catch males and prevent beetles from flooding the garden with larvae. This is quite simple to do: you need to stretch a sheet between two poles or trees, and install a fluorescent lamp behind it and turn it on. The bright light will attract males, and they will fly from different parts of the garden into a kind of trap. When there are quite a lot of insects, the sheet is rolled up into a ball and then set on fire.

5. The faithful enemies of adult cockchafers are starlings. These birds are not averse to eating insects. But to attract birds to your site, you need to install birdhouses.

6. An excellent way to combat May beetle larvae is to use onion solution. You can prepare it using only vegetable peels. To do this, fill the bucket a third with husks and then fill it with water. Infuse the solution for five to seven days. Onion solution should be sold throughout the growing season. The best option is to use the infusion at a time when the soil has already warmed up quite well and the larvae are located at a fairly close distance to the surface of the earth.

The cockchafer is an insidious insect, but it is not capable of causing enormous damage to the garden and vegetable garden, as its larvae can do. Therefore, in the fight against Khrushchev, one should not forget about preventive measures, namely:

1. Don’t forget to add a thick layer of mulch. Wood shavings, crushed bark or chopped straw can be used as mulch.

2. Do not forget to add white (chlorine-containing substance) during the autumn digging of the garden.

3. We should not forget that the cockchafer can suddenly appear in any garden. Therefore, it is better to always be on guard in order to repel the May Khrushchev at the right time!

Date: 06/28/2015.

Ways to combat cockchafer larvae

Every year new species appear that quickly become accustomed to the chemicals offered for control. It is possible to reduce losses from their actions to minimal values only by using all known methods and advice. The difficulty of controlling the pest is due to the lack of an effective drug that kills it and the inability to treat large areas with existing means.

Therefore, different methods of control are used at different stages of insect development.

Collection of larvae by hand. They can only be discovered for destruction when digging up the soil.

It is important to know that in open places pupation occurs in earth layers at a depth of up to 1 m. In spring they move to the layer where the maximum number of roots is located

As soon as the soil begins to dry out, the larvae go deeper. It is difficult to get into the soil layers at great depths, so it is impossible to completely get rid of the pest in this way. Sodding of the soil. Using information about intolerance to high nitrogen content in the soil, experts recommend creating dense lawns from plants capable of accumulating nitrogen in their root system. These include white clover. Its roots contain bacteria that absorb nitrogen, which is used for protein synthesis. Such soil becomes unpalatable for the larvae. It’s just that spring fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers does not have such an effect. Attracting animals and birds. Birds provide great assistance in destroying adult beetles. This is the primary delicacy for rooks. Starlings find larvae for their chicks. Birdhouses are built to attract birds. Hedgehogs love to eat larvae and beetles. Therefore, if the owner manages to lure them, leaving, for example, food on his site, they can destroy the beetle almost completely.

What does the cockchafer and its larvae look like?

The length does not exceed 3 cm, the body is elongated. Elytrae of the insect pest are usually brown in color. There are many short villi along the entire length of the body. Sexual dimorphism of pests is represented in the formation on the antennae. The wings are poorly developed, however, it flies quite well. When flying it makes a loud noise. The movement speed is quite high for its size.

Harm to fruit crops is caused not only by mature individuals, but also by undergrown plants. A typical popular name for underdeveloped insects that have not undergone morphological changes is Khrushchev. They are similar in appearance to a regular caterpillar, with 3 pairs of legs on the front of the body. Khrushchev is characterized by the following features:

The head is red, small in size, round in shape. It has quite powerful jaws, thanks to the properties of which the beetle eats up root crops;
the back of the body is dark, often brown. This property is ensured by large deposition of feces in the intestines.

Description of the insect

The larva of the cockchafer, also known as the furrow beetle, has a thick white body, bent in the middle, three pairs of legs and a large brown head.

The beetle's pupa is more similar to the adult, but with shorter wings.

What crops does the cockchafer damage?

Adult chafers appear in early May when warm weather sets in. During this period, they cause harm by feeding on young leaves and flowers of all garden, park and forest plants. Cold weather causes imago torpor and even death when spring frosts return. Adults are most harmed in the spring when they emerge from the pupa. The main concern of an adult insect is to leave offspring. For 1-2 months a year, adult female cockchafers feed intensively and lay eggs.

4-6 weeks after the imago emerges, the next generation of larvae hatches from the eggs, and the larvae of previous years of hatching are activated. They live in the soil for up to 4 years, going through 6 stages of maturation. They constantly migrate in the vertical soil horizon. In winter they go to the lower horizons up to 50 cm, and in spring they return to the root layer with the soil warming up to +10..+15°C. The larvae of the May beetle throughout the entire period of their life, except for the pupal stage and the period of hibernation, constantly gnaw on everything that is in the soil. Unlike adult May beetles, they gnaw at the roots of weeds, vegetable and garden plants, mature garden and forest trees, berry beds, shrubs and other types of plants. The larvae gnaw the roots of strawberries/strawberries, black and other types of currants. Especially a lot of them gather at the roots of apple and cherry trees. In parks and forest edges, cockchafer larvae settle at the roots of aspen, birch, cedar, spruce and other plants. Observations have established that a 3-year-old larva is capable of destroying the root system of a 2-year-old pine in 1 day, and a 2-year-old larva will feed on the roots of the tree for a whole week. There is currently a 10-year hiatus in flight. New cockchafer larvae hatch from the laid eggs, previously born ones grow up, and the larvae reproduce intensively in soil conditions.

May beetle larva. a-evans

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