✅ What birds eat May bugs. What do cockchafers eat and who eats them: facts, description, methods of control, larvae, video

May beetles have been familiar to us since childhood. The first Khrushchev marks the beginning of summer and warm evenings; it attracts the attention of others with its large size and interesting noise. The children love to watch and take care of insects.

Children catch a bug, put it in a jar or box, and bring it home. At this point the question arises, what do cockchafers eat at home and are they dangerous? What to feed him so that he can live longer and delight him with a cheerful buzz. Let's also consider what harm is caused by Khrushchev.

What do cockchafers eat?

Almost every person living in central Russia or in its European part has at least once encountered such a phenomenon as an invasion of cockchafers.
Usually for children this event is of an entertaining nature. Large and loudly buzzing insects tend to fly around street lamps at dusk. Knocking on the glass and getting burned, they fall down and fall into the hands of young naturalists. But few people have thought about what cockchafers eat. In addition to being fun for children, these insects are pests of tree crowns. Sometimes their invasion leaves behind serious and irreparable consequences. Trees lose part of their crown, causing photosynthesis processes to be disrupted and the plant cannot receive adequate nutrition. This factor leads to a decrease in yield or even the death of a flora representative.

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.

Signs of plant infection

Adult cockchafers in the area damage the above-ground parts of plants, this is very easy to notice: the leaves become full of holes and limp. Damage to the buds prevents flowers and fruits from developing. Leaves lose their ability to photosynthesize and fall off.

The beetle larvae in the ground spoil the tree, gradually destroying its root system. Leaves and shoots lose their elasticity and fall off. The plant can be easily removed from the soil.

Harmful microorganisms enter the plant through damaged roots.

The young plant quickly dies, and the adult plant slows down the growth and formation of ovaries and fruits.

Nutrition of larvae

The cockchafer in the adult stage is not as dangerous as its larva. It appears in the ground where the female Khrushchev lays eggs at the beginning of summer. In soft, loose soil, the cockchafer larva feeds on underground parts of plants. In the first summer of its life, the caterpillar likes to feast on the soft and thin roots of grasses and grain crops. With the onset of cold weather, the larva burrows deep into the ground, where it overwinters.

The damage caused by one individual in the larval stage is a perennial eating of roots, which makes chafers the most dangerous insects for representatives of the flora.

During the second summer, the pest also lives in the ground, but can already feed on the more powerful roots of shrubs and even trees. Most often, pine and aspen trees suffer from underground inhabitants. The trees begin to wither and weaken. And the larva becomes bigger and more voracious. Some individuals can exceed 5 cm in length.

So, 5 advantages of eating insects

Insects grow and reproduce quickly

This plus is more important from a global environmental point of view. Thanks to this ability, you can quickly, and most importantly, get a lot of food at minimal cost.

Compared to plants, insects do not have many poisonous species that are dangerous to humans

Most insects are absolutely harmless to humans if eaten. True, as in any case, this also has its exceptions. For example, in our country representatives of the genus Narynniki (lat. Meloidae) are poisonous. Therefore, of course, you can’t eat everyone, but you can eat a lot of them.

They are nutritious and even tasty

Since insects are, in principle, not so far from crustaceans, their taste is similar. And crayfish meat is considered a delicacy in our country. So on the taste side it’s not all that bad.

We do not digest chitin; it is absolutely useless for us in terms of nutrition, so caterpillars are often used as food.

4. Entomophagy is quite natural for us

We have all been doing ENTOMOPHAGY . How? How? Entomophagy is the eating of insects. And here I would like to remember the wonderful saying: “It’s not pleasant when you bite off an apple and there’s a worm there. But it’s even more unpleasant when you take a bite, and there’s half a worm!”

It is estimated that the average European eats about 300 g of insects per year. For example, with raspberries, summer residents often eat small white insect larvae. They are not dangerous to human health, but they are still unpleasant to eat.

But most of all insects in our middle zone are eaten by summer residents along with mushrooms. “Mushroom worms” are the larvae of insects, usually dipterans.

Wormy mushroom stem.

Insect cuisine is very diverse

Poisonous scabiosae blister (Hycleus scabiosae)

Beetles of the Meloidae are quite noticeable and look aggressive, warning everyone who wants to eat them of their poisonous nature. The pattern of the elytra is almost always cross-striped or with transverse rows of spots. The wings are developed. They got their name due to the caustic substance cantharidin contained in the integument, which causes abscesses on the skin.

The harm and benefits of cockchafers

Many forest beetles, in addition to having a harmful effect on plants, can also have a positive effect. They process rotten tree trunks, turning them into humus. The May Khrushchev does not belong to this type of forest orderly. What chafers eat refers to living and often young plants. The destruction of buds, young foliage, needles, inflorescences of trees and shrubs, as well as their root system, leads to their disease and death.

Chafer

Tips and questions

A city dweller treats this beetle calmly or even with sympathy: after all, he is a piece of nature, and for children he is even a living toy: he tickles funny, if you hold him in your palm, you can put him in a box and listen to how he rustles there, or tie it to a string and arrange a “kite launch”. In rural areas, the attitude towards the beetle is completely different, because here it can cause great harm in gardens and vegetable gardens. In general, everyone has seen him, everyone knows him. But here’s what it eats, what its development cycle is, how to deal with it.

What do cockchafers like to eat?

Description of May beetles

Many people sympathize with chafers, but gardeners are not happy about their appearance.

They know about the gluttony of larvae and adults; beetles are especially successful in eating plants. It is known that in Germany and France there was an environmental disaster due to the reproduction of the beetle in such numbers that the forests disappeared almost completely.

This problem existed in Europe until the 50s; known methods of extermination did not help. The sabotage ended with the creation of pesticides.

May beetles are relatives of the scarab and belong to the lamellar family. Males look majestic with a fan-shaped mustache of seven plates, females have only six. The insects are red-brown and black in color, covered with hair-like scales.

They all feed the same, but there is also a difference: Western beetles are picky, feed only on living greens, and try to avoid rotten plants. The eastern type eats everything. Only a specialist can distinguish the species. What do these cockchafers eat to survive?

What other insects are eaten in different countries of the world?

OS

In Japan, they eat "hebo" - a local delicacy based on black wasps from the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula and rice, in a special sauce. Considered a delicacy. Wasp nests with larvae are sold in Japanese markets, and they are imported into Japan from China, Vietnam, South Korea and New Zealand.

There is even a special festival dedicated to Hebo, which is held annually in Gifu Prefecture. The festival sells wasp nests for those who want to make their own at home. You can try ready-made wasp dishes right at the festival: fried wasps, wasps in chocolate, fried hornets (a good snack for beer), wasps with rice.

Hachinoko is a dish of bee larvae boiled with soy sauce and sugar.

What do we have?

Muravyov

In East Asia, weaver ants are eaten as larvae and pupae (Oecophylla spp.).

In Colombia, Mexico and other Latin countries, a dish is prepared from female leaf-cutter ants (Atta).

Survival experts advise those lost in the forest to eat ants, BUT without cooking, you can only eat ants’ eggs or eggs; you can eat the ants themselves only after you’ve boiled them. This neutralizes not only parasites whose intermediate hosts are ants, but also formic acid.

Mexican set for preparing a traditional dish.

Butterflies, but more often their caterpillars

Most often, butterflies are eaten as caterpillars. However, quite often adult insects are also eaten.

In Africa, they eat mopane caterpillars with onions (caterpillars of moths Gonimbrasia belina).

Interestingly, France imports 5 tons of fried caterpillars per year, and Belgium - 3 tons. Africans (mostly residents of the Congo) who moved to live in Europe do not want to give up the traditional delicacy.

Locusts, grasshoppers and crickets

Eaten all over the world (Asia, Africa, South America)

Fried crickets.

Stink bugs

In southern Africa, stink bugs of the family Pentatomidae are eaten.

Bedbug eggs

In Mexico, eggs of freshwater bugs (families Corixidae and Notonectidae) are used as food.

Another poisonous representative of the blister genus: Purple, or blue, (Meloe violaceus). It’s not that you can’t eat them, you shouldn’t even touch them.

Bark beetle larvae are also considered quite edible for humans.

What do pests eat?

Taste preferences change as the cockchafer develops, because the mouth part develops differently. Adults fly out to hunt in warm weather in May.

Khrushchev eat flowers and leaves, young shoots, fruit and berry trees, and forest plantings.
especially prefer:
They are so voracious that they even eat thuja, which is resistant to many pests. The main feeding occurs during the period of reproduction and active growth throughout the month. Beetles prefer to eat live plants. Picked leaves at home do not cause appetite. Adult insects are less voracious and dangerous than chafer larvae.

Pika

Pika eats weevils, leaf beetles, psyllids, aphids, spiders, caterpillars and bedbugs. Moreover, with the onset of the autumn-winter period, this bird, unlike many of its fellows, does not switch to complete vegetarianism, but continues to exterminate pests that winter in cracks and crevices of the bark, but a significant diet of the pika at this time consists of seeds.

Pika

The pike makes nests in low dilapidated hollows, cracks and crevices of trunks.

Among the destroyers of tree enemies one can also name the oriole, jay, wren, and warbler.

Living at home

Experimenters are trying to provide conditions for the beetle to live. The most common method is a box with plucked grass, but from the above it is clear that these conditions are not suitable for the beetle to live. And whether they eat simple grass is unclear. Experienced naturalists recommend placing the insect in a pot with garden soil.

An adult insect will live for a maximum of a week; they live in freedom for 1.5 months during the active mating season, which begins on May evenings, in dry weather.

During this period, females lay 60-90 eggs and, having laid the last clutch, die. Males die earlier, having completed the function of fertilization. But the larva, gradually growing, lives much longer. Pests feed well, but are they eaten by other living creatures?

Redstart

Another insect lover. Its menu includes weevils, click beetles, ground beetles, leaf beetles, dung beetles, long-legged mosquitoes, flies, sawfly larvae, ants, riders, butterflies and caterpillars, bugs, and spiders. At the end of summer, the redstart switches to berries and seeds, and flies to South Arabia and equatorial Africa for the winter.

Siberian redstart

To construct a nest, the redstart is ready, as they say, to climb into any hole. A hollow, a burrow, or a woodpile will do - this bird will nest between the roots and build a nest under the wall cladding. It chooses bright places to settle and loves clearings.

How to deal with pests?

Gardeners use comprehensive control measures. In late spring and summer, the larvae crawl closer to warmth, and at this time they dig the ground for planting. It is easy to find them on the surface and destroy them, the number is significantly reduced. Khrushchev do not like nitrogen; experienced gardeners recommend planting white clover around the perimeter of the territory, which makes nitrogen available to the soil.

Insects do not like the smells of lupine, elderberry and cruciferous vegetables (various varieties of cabbage). Attract starlings to the area and feed hedgehogs. Treat the ground with a solution of onion peels. Add husks 1/3 full into the bucket, cover with warm water and leave for 5 days. After this, dilute the solution with water 1:1 and water the soil.

Use industrial insecticides between the rows: Antikhrushch, Nemabakt, Bazudin, Zemlin. They rid greens of pests and are also safe for pets and humans.

Harm from the cockchafer and ways to combat it

The May beetle (Khrushchev) is a common pest of green spaces.
In late spring they can often be seen on trees. During the flight, the insect buzzes loudly, and by this sound they can be easily identified. Adults feed on tree leaves in gardens and parks. The larvae of the cockchafer eat the roots of plants, which leads to their death. A three-year-old larva can completely destroy the root system of a young tree in an hour. Considering that one female beetle lays up to 70 eggs, the appearance of these insects on the site threatens the almost complete destruction of green spaces.

What other additional materials on the topic can you look at?

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Study: “Edible Insects: Prospects for Food and Feed Security”: https://www.fao.org/home/en
A complete list of insect species eaten by different peoples of the world , compiled by the Laboratory of Entomology of Wageningen University (Wageningen Universiteit en Researchcentrum): https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-Results/Chair-groups/Plant-Sciences/Laboratory-of -Entomology/Edible-insects/Worldwide-species-list.htm
ARHE YouTube channel “Everything is bullshit except the bees”
Article on polit.ru about edible insects
Article about eating insects for survival on lastday.club

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.

Internal structure

The internal life support systems of the cockchafer include:

digestive system;
respiratory system;
excretory system;
reproductive organs;
primitive circulatory system;
primitive nervous system.

The structure of the May beetle
The circulatory system consists only of a dorsal vessel, passing along the central axis of the beetle and “suspended” to the upper part of the chitinous skeleton. 3 primitive hearts are located in the abdomen of the insect.

The central nervous system includes:

the brain, consisting of two nodes of the suprapharyngeal ganglion;
peripharyngeal connectives;
ventral nerve cord.

The first two nodes are in the head, the rest in the torso.

The digestive system consists of the foregut, midgut and hindgut. In the first two sections, the insect assimilates food, the last is responsible for excrement and water exchange.

On a note!
The respiratory system consists of 18 tracheae, the spiracles of which extend to the lower parts of the chest and abdomen. A large number of spiracles provide the cockchafer with good air exchange when it burrows into the ground or is in flight.

The female reproductive system includes:

2 ovaries;
2 oviducts;
1 “external” oviduct, through which the eggs enter the external environment;
spermatheca;
accessory sex glands.

The male has:

2 testes;
2 seed tubes;
vas deferens;
copulatory organ;
accessory sex glands.

May beetle reproduction and growth stages

The development cycle of the cockchafer lasts five years. At the end of May, adult individuals crawl out of the ground to the surface, females mate with males and lay about 70 eggs in the soil to a depth of 15-20 cm. After this, the females die. After a month and a half, small white larvae appear from the eggs. They spend four years in the ground, continuously feeding on plant roots. In the summer of the fourth year, the larva turns into a pupa, and a year later adults emerge from the ground.

More traditional insect dishes

Casu marzu cheese, or wormy cheese from Sardinia

Translated from Sardinian, casu marzu literally means rotten cheese . Its other names: casu modde, casu cundhídu, casu frazigu .

Casa marzu is made from regular Sardinian pecorino, but is aged longer. The larvae of the cheese fly accelerate the process of decomposition and breakdown of the fats contained in the cheese, which is why the cheese becomes soft and a liquid called lagrima (“tear”) is released from it. This gives the cheese an unusual taste.

Sardinian wormy cheese - casu marzu.

The larvae, when disturbed, are able to jump up to 15 cm. For this reason, those who want to taste the delicacy while eating are better off wearing glasses in advance or removing the larvae. In addition, kasa marza needs to be chewed very carefully so that there are no unpleasant consequences later. Possible parasitism of larvae in the human intestines and allergic reactions. In general, this is not an easy meal for an unprepared gastrotourist.

By the way, you can only try this cheese in Sardinia, since, according to epidemiological regulations, it is prohibited to transport it across the border.

Cheese Mimolette, or cheese with mites from France

Traditionally produced in the vicinity of Lille in France, where it is known as Boule de Lille - "Lille ball", and in Flanders - vieux Hollande - "old cheese".

In this case, during ripening, a population of cheese mites settle on the surface of the cheese, which gnaw passages in the rind and affect the taste: a special bitterish tint is obtained in the fruity taste.

French cheese with mites Mimolet.

This cheese is considered safer to eat than Sardinian cheese. However, since April 2013, Mimolet has been banned from import into the United States as “unfit for consumption because it may cause allergies.” Earlier, in 2012, 60 tons of this cheese were imported to the United States.

Read more about Mimolet cheese at Gastromom.ru

How to distinguish a cockchafer larva from similar ones

Before you start fighting the larva of the cockchafer (Melolontha sp.), you should make sure that it is she and not other insects. The most commonly confused larvae are:

Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis L.). Lives in compost heaps.
Golden Bronzewort (Cetonia aurata). Also prefers compost heaps.
Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus L.). Lives in dead wood.

Below is a comparative photo of the larvae of the cockchafer and the bronze beetle:

If you look closely, you can see the difference between them. Differences also exist in the places where larvae accumulate. Thus, immature individuals of the cockchafer feed on the roots of plants, and accordingly live there. Bronze larvae have weaker jaws, live in compost heaps and feed on dead organic matter.

Folk methods of combating the cockchafer and larvae

In order to successfully fight the cockchafer, you need to know how it behaves:

In the early morning, beetles are usually inactive and can be easily shaken off the trees onto a specially laid out litter. The collected pests are then destroyed.
In the dark, beetles flock to the light, so they can be collected in light traps. It must be prepared in advance - any shallow container is coated with a sticky substance and a light bulb is placed in the middle. In the evening the trap is placed outside. Not only cockchafers stick to such traps, but also cutworm butterflies, whose caterpillars destroy cabbage, beets and green tomatoes.
Starlings also will not refuse a fleshy delicacy, so a birdhouse on the site is necessary.
The ground under the trees is sown with white clover or lupine. These plants enrich the soil with nitrogen, which repels larvae.
The ground under the plantings is sprayed with an infusion of onion peels or a pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Ordinary hedgehogs are big fans of larvae. If a thorny family settles nearby, the pest population will begin to decline rapidly.

Larvae are also collected manually while digging the soil.

The future of entomophagy, or when will we really start eating insects in huge quantities?

Of course, for many Europeans who have now read this material, even the very thought that they will someday eat insects or their larvae is not pleasant. It is unlikely that a European, like an Asian, will eat fried cockroaches or scorpions, unless on vacation, as an exotic thing for the camera.

However, on an industrial scale, raising insects for processing is quite justified economically and socially. Therefore, very soon enterprises will start operating where they will grow insects and their larvae, which will then process and produce insect “meat”, insect flour or some other interesting products with a quite decent taste and quite pleasant to look at.

Chemical control agents

All of the above control measures are effective only with a small number of pests. If your plantings are rapidly dying, it’s time to turn to chemicals to get rid of the cockchafer. How to use them, and what drugs they include:

"Zemlin." Refers to insecticides of contact and intestinal action. The active ingredient is diazinon. It affects soil pests, maintaining its effect for two months. It is applied to the soil during planting and in the fall for preventive purposes after harvesting.
"Nemabact." The drug is biological and completely safe for use. It populates the soil with a predatory nematode and special bacteria, which enter the larvae’s body through the respiratory organs and destroy it. Then the nematode leaves the empty shell and goes in search of new victims. In winter, these worms fall into suspended animation, and with the arrival of warmth they come to life again and begin to feed. The product is diluted with water and applied to pre-moistened and loosened soil.
"Start." Analogue of "Zemlin" based on diazinon. The drug is available in the form of granules, which increase its duration of action. It is applied to the soil early in the spring and is effective throughout the season.
"Aktara". A product containing the active ingredient thiamethoxam. A day after application to the soil, all pests die. Can be used at any time of the year and in any weather. High humidity is not an obstacle and does not affect its properties.
"Anti-Khrushch." Available in the form of a concentrated emulsion with two active ingredients - imidacloprid and bifenthrin. The product has a prolonged action, high efficiency, is resistant to precipitation and is not addictive. It affects both adults and larvae.
"Bazudin." The drug based on diazinon has a long-lasting effect and is economical: a 30-gram sachet is enough to treat 20 square meters. The product is mixed with sand in a liter jar and added a little under each bush or with a tuber when planting.
"Vallar." The drug is diluted in water and the roots of the seedling are dipped into it before planting. Thus, the larva quickly dies when eating the roots.

To effectively combat the cockchafer, it is necessary to use a set of plant protection measures. It is even better to combine protective measures with preventive ones. Thus, there is a high probability of bringing larvae onto the site along with manure, because in the first year of life they feed on unrotted organic matter. Before adding manure to the beds, it is necessary to sift it to prevent pests from entering. If the beetleworm is found in neighboring areas, it is better to replace the manure with compost or liquid nettle fertilizer, which is guaranteed to be free of larvae. Compliance with all these measures will help protect your crops and preserve the harvest.