In the struggle for the harvest in your garden plot, besides you, invisibly, but daily, numerous small but very important creatures take part - beneficial and harmful beetles, mites, butterflies, spiders, bedbugs, aphids and others. In a word - a variety of arthropods.
Some should be kicked out of the garden and dealt with in every possible way if we want our plants to feel good, but for others it would be worth creating all the conditions for a favorable existence - they can bring a lot of benefits.
How to figure out who is who and what to do with them? We will help.
What beetles look like: photo
Variety of beetles.
Gray beet weevil
Appearance
This beetle can be found almost throughout Russia, because it is not picky about living conditions. Its body is 12 millimeters and covered with a thick coat of dark hair. The beetle has a short proboscis, a thick head, and the elytra of the beetle are equipped with special tubercles. At the same time, the hind wings of the pest are not developed. The initially curved larva, small at the very end of its development, reaches 12 millimeters.
The larvae of this weevil are able to overwinter in the ground even in very severe cold and frost, as they burrow to a total depth of up to half a meter.
Harm
Adult beetles of this species can easily cross vast territories, so quickly flying from one area to another is not a problem for them.
These small beetles cause great harm to beets, which is why they are called that. They easily bite through the stems and gnaw on young leaves. In May, the first larvae of the pest appear, which damage the roots of the young plant, preventing it from developing normally in the future.
In order to protect crops from beet weevil, the following methods are used:
- Alternate sowing beets with sowing a variety of perennial plants.
- Treatment of all seeds with special means.
- Tiered plowing, which reduces the proliferation of harmful beetles.
general characteristics
Name: Beetles or Coleoptera Lat.: Coleoptera
Class: Insects - Insecta
| Habitats: | everywhere except cold regions |
| Dangerous for: | depending on the type |
| Means of destruction: | folk, chemical, prevention |
Beetles are a group of insects with complete metamorphosis. Almost 3 tons of fossil species have been studied, but a large number are unstudied. They are distributed everywhere, in addition to Antarctica, the Arctic and the highest mountains. But the most attractive specimens can be admired in the tropics.
Striped weevil
Appearance
This is a small, no more than 5 millimeters, striped beetle with a short and fairly large head with a trunk. The pest's elytra have white stripes, and the pronotum is gray. The color of the curved beetle larva is white with a small beige head.
These insects can overwinter either not very deep in the ground or under all sorts of plant remains. They crawl to the surface with the early arrival of spring and begin to eat the foliage of various legumes.
When the first shoots of legumes appear in the cult, the beetles immediately move to them. Here, females of the striped weevil lay their eggs, which total up to three thousand in one season.
After eight days, small larvae appear and immediately begin to actively eat the tasty roots. The period of their development is a little more than a month. During all this time, one such larva can easily destroy up to eight bean nodules.
Pupation occurs for two weeks at a depth of thirty centimeters in the ground. At the end of the first summer month, full-fledged adults climb to the surface. All summer they eat young shoots and leaves, and in winter they hide under the cover of plants that remains on the ground.
Harm
This is a violent pest of various and numerous legume crops; the larvae eat the roots, and the adults eat the leaves. As a result, the overall yield of a variety of legume crops is too low.
To protect agricultural fields from this pest, the following effective methods are used:
- Insecticidal treatment of all seedlings.
- Plowing the field after harvesting the entire crop.
- Spatial complete isolation of agricultural fields from wintering of harmful beetles.
- Early sowing of legumes before the appearance of beetle larvae.
Types of beetles
This order of insects is one of the most numerous.
Ground beetles
A large family of large beetles, most of which are predators. They most often do not fly and have an inconspicuous dark appearance.
Twirly
This is a genus of aquatic beetles. Familiar to most are the predatory swimming beetles that live in stagnant bodies of water. They have a shiny body and an excellent appetite.
ladybugs
The spotted insects, familiar from childhood, are actually predators with a significant appetite. They hunt aphids, but irritate people with their poisonous milk.
Colorado beetles
Pests of nightshade crops that cause enormous damage to the crop. They cause harm at all stages of their development. They have a voracious appetite.
Bronzovki
Bright beetles with a metallic tint on the belly and back, which often settle in colonies on the site. They are unpretentious in food, they eat flowers and fruits equally willingly.
Weevils
They're elephants. They may have a long or short proboscis. Depending on the species, they feed on flowers, greens, roots or buds. Often affects rotting wood.
Chafer
An active pest covered with dense hairs. It, and especially its larva, very quickly spoils a lot of plants. An adult caterpillar can eat the roots of a tree within a day.
Medvedki
An underground dweller with a terrifying appearance and vile character. She eats everything she finds underground, and spoils the inedible parts of plants by gnawing them on the way. Large animals fly and chirp loudly.
Narynniki
A large family with large members whose color is amazing. Adults feed on plant foods, while the larvae are almost always parasites.
Scarabs
One of the most mysterious representatives of the family, which are part of mythology. They lead a useful life and accelerate the process of decomposition of organic matter.
Barbels
According to the name, representatives of the genus are representative due to their mustache. Some specimens are rare and very expensive.
Soft boilers
They have black legs and orange markings on their bodies. Very active beetles are predators, but some feed on nectar or pollen.
Bombardier beetle
Water lover
Pea caryopsis
Zlatka
Marbled beetle
Kuzka
Structure
The structure of all representatives of Coleoptera is the same.
| Structure | Morphology |
| Body | Consists of three parts: head, chest and belly. |
| Head | Consists of a main capsule, antennae and mouth. Divided into parts weakly, the neck, back of the head and crown are not very noticeable. The sense organs are also located: eyes, palps. The mouthparts are gnawing. |
| Breast | Consists of three parts. The pronotum is often an indicator among beetle species. The elytra are located on the mesonotum, and the wings are attached to the metanotum. |
| Limbs | All beetles have three pairs of limbs. They consist of five parts. Depending on the type of beetle, they are slightly modified, because they can be designed not only for walking and running, but for digging or swimming. |
| Wings | The forewings are hard, like a shell, and in some species they are modified and completely reduced. The wings are usually longer and wider than the elytra, but are hidden when at rest. |
| Abdomen | Consists of several segments, which can be partially modified. At the end are retractable genitals. |
Sizes and shades
Stag beetle.
The sizes of the representatives differ, and radically. The largest specimens reach a height of 17.1 cm, and according to unconfirmed information, one species, the titanium woodcutter, has a length of 210 mm.
The smallest non-parasite is the feather beetle Scydosella musawasensis, which lives in South America. Its length is 0.352 mm. In Europe, the largest beetle is the stag beetle.
In terms of the number of shades and variety of patterns, beetles occupy one of the first places among insects. The coloring is amazing:
- all kinds of monophonic;
- metallic shine;
- drawings on individual parts;
- combinations of several shades;
- polished or rough surface;
- pigmentation.
Sexual dimorphism and polymorphism
A pair of May beetles.
Depending on the type of beetle, there are differences in the appearance of males and females. Moreover, there are differences both in terms of size and color. Some species have horns or tubercles that distinguish the male sex. The length of the mustache can also vary.
Polymorphism - several different forms of the same species appear in different families. It may depend on a sufficient amount of food supply during development or on the place of residence.
Development and life cycle
Representatives of Coleoptera are dioecious oviparous. They go through 4 stages of development; rare species differ from these stages. Sometimes there are individuals with viviparity.
Eggs
Typically oval or round in shape, light colored or translucent. They are laid out in protected places or specially prepared cavities. Depending on the species, they can be deposited in a group or singly.
Larvae
They have only a few common characteristics: a sclerotized head, a fleshy body and a gnawing mouthpart. There are individuals with short strong legs or a narrow body that are capable of stretching. Some can even be predators.
Doll
Whitish, free, appear in the soil or place of development. During the period of transformation, all organs appear.
Caring for offspring
It manifests itself in preparing a place for laying eggs and preparing food for future offspring. This is not typical for many people.
Ladybug
This insect is very common in our latitudes, and everyone has seen a ladybug at least once in their life. Ladybugs are very often elevated to the rank of mystical creatures - there are many folk superstitions associated with them, and in some cultures killing a ladybug is considered a serious crime. A small beetle with black spots on a red back really looks very cute, and, unlike other insects, does not cause negative emotions at all.
The lifespan of a ladybug is about a year, and the older the insect, the more faded its color becomes. Despite such a harmless appearance, ladybugs are true predators (with the exception of some species). They deal with aphids and other agricultural pests.
Animal behavior
Coleoptera have several behavioral features that are characteristic only of representatives of the species.
Acoustic abilities
Beetles chirp using their body.
About 20 families among all representatives communicate using sounds. There is a special stridulation apparatus for this. The sounds occur when the beetles move the mesothorax relative to the prothorax. Using sounds:
- representatives of different sexes meet;
- scare away predators;
- warn others about the threat.
Bioluminescent glow
Fireflies.
Fireflies and click beetles are distinguished by their ability to glow in the dark. This is possible thanks to special light organs on the abdomen. Some sternites contain substances that oxidize and appear bright.
This is also one of the ways of communication. This is how fireflies call females or males. Moreover, some do this as a signal for mating, and some predators lure males into a trap and eat them.
Distribution and habitat
Beetles are found everywhere without exaggeration. Insects do not live only in the glacial parts of the Arctic and Antarctic, but there are species that in the north have well adapted to the way of life, joining people. They live everywhere:
- in the upper layers of the soil;
- on the ground;
- on the grass;
- under the bark;
- in wood;
- on leaves;
- in flowers;
- in fruits;
- on the roots;
- in bodies of water;
- deserts and semi-deserts;
- anthills.
Protection Mechanisms
These insects have different types of mechanisms that are used for protection. Among them:
- Immobility . Many species pretend to be dead and fall motionless.
- Playfulness . This is running, jumping, swimming or flying. These species prefer to escape.
- Threats . Some species adopt intimidating postures and raise their mandibles to frighten the enemy.
- Noise . This method can serve as both protection from enemies and as a warning to others.
- Shades. The color itself is often camouflage, making the animals inconspicuous.
Food and natural enemies
Depending on the species, dietary preferences also differ. Beetles eat almost any organic matter. There are lovers of plants, animal food, fungal spores, decomposed parts of wood and organic matter. But there are individuals that have a mixed type of nutrition.
Among the natural enemies of Coleoptera there are a lot of different species of animals - mammals, arthropods and parasitic ichneumon wasps. The most common beetles eaten are:
- spiders;
- scorpions;
- centipedes;
- mice;
- rats;
- crows;
- magpies;
- mammals.
Many beetles become victims of humans. But most often they eat larvae, sometimes pupae.
Features of life
The insect development cycle takes 2 years, in the northern regions - 3 years, and an adult beetle (imago) lives 1 year. Before becoming an adult, the bronze fly goes through the stages of egg, larva and pupa.
Most bronzes emerge from hibernation when many fruit trees have already bloomed.
Mating of insects occurs in mid-summer. Females lay 15–20 eggs under rotten stumps, in manure and compost heaps. After a few weeks, voracious larvae appear. They do not touch plants, but feed on organic debris.
The larva enters the pupal stage only the next year. During this time, she molts 2 times and spends the winter in hibernation. With the onset of summer, the larvae form a cocoon around themselves from their own secretion and turn into pupae, and after 2 weeks an adult beetle emerges from the cocoon.
Insects are active in warm and sunny weather. In cloudy and cool weather, they hide in a shelter or sit motionless on flowers. A bronzefish sitting on a flower seems clumsy and can be easily picked up. But she comes out of this state unexpectedly, moves to the edge of the flower and quickly takes off. In the air, the insect maneuvers in large circles and is difficult to catch, but when it bumps into a person or objects, it cannot go around the obstacle and falls to the ground.
The importance of beetles in nature and for humans
The large number of animal species provides a very broad role in the ecosystem.
- Many beetles and their larvae are involved in soil formation and wood processing. Some of them utilize weakened tree samples and speed up the decomposition process.
- The economic importance of individuals is great. Many are helpful in the fight against pests and weeds. Some even introduce them on purpose.
- Agricultural pests There are a lot of these representatives. They affect grasses, trees, fruit trees, conifers, leaves and buds. They often eat stems and fruits.
- People's neighbors . A number of species prefer to live in people's homes. They can feed on leather, paper, grocery supplies and dried fruits. Often affects wood.
- Human health . Many species secrete a defense mechanism in the form of geolymph. It can cause an abscess, burn or itching on the human body, and possibly cause distress. There were manifestations of allergies.
- Cultural parts . Some people often found beetles in their myths and symbols, and some were credited with magical properties. They were often seen in films and on classic paintings.
- Collecting . Private collections can number several thousand individuals. They select them by color or type, focusing on aesthetics. There are also scientific ones, including for cabinets of curiosities.
Southern weevil
Appearance
The habitat of this beetle is the republics of the Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasia, southwestern Ukraine, and Moldova. The color of the scales covering the body of this weevil is gray-brown. An adult individual has a body size of almost 8 mm, very developed wings and a massive head. The larva of this insect has a curved shape and is white in color.
In winter, the insect spends time up to a meter deep in the ground and emerges from there in early spring. After twelve days, southern weevils begin to actively reproduce and lay their eggs. Moreover, such a clutch can number over two hundred small eggs, pre-laid in the ground. Ripe after twelve days, the small larvae of the southern weevil begin to quickly eat all the roots of various crops.
Pupation of the larvae of the southern weevil takes place in the ground for twenty days. In the very first week of hot August, beetles crawl out of the ground; for further wintering, they again burrow deep into the ground. The full development cycle of the insect is completed; an entire generation is raised in one year.
Harm
The southern weevil is a pest, as it spoils tobacco, corn, sunflower, and beet fields. Currently, the following methods are used to combat this insect:
- Regular weeding.
- Insecticidal treatment of all seedlings.
- Spatial complete isolation of agricultural fields from possible wintering of dangerous pests.
- Elimination of repeated corn sowing on one agricultural field.
- Sowing until small harmful larvae mature.
