The float beetle or spinning beetle is a unique creation of nature; its abilities can sometimes amaze lovers of flora and fauna.
Today, there are more than 800 species of these wonderful animals, which mostly live in the tropics, just like the weevil.
It seems incredible, but, nevertheless, it is a fact that this type of beetle is capable of not only flying, but also diving under water and sliding along its surface.
It constantly moves in the water without rest and hunts for small insects.
Appearance
— Imago
The size of the beetle reaches from 4-8 to 4-5 mm. The head of an adult has two pairs of eyes, the eyes located on the top of the head are intended for viewing the territory during flight, and the other pair located on the sides closer to the neck is used for the underwater environment.
The body of the beetle has an oval shape and a fairly hard frame; the color of the upper side of the body is shiny or blue-black. It has a pair of well-developed membranous wings, which are located under strong elytra.
Also, our wonderful character is endowed with three pairs of limbs; the first pair is long and thin, it is used for catching prey. It has very sharp lower jaws, which, if caught, the prey will have no chance of escape.
The middle and rear pair of legs serve the beetle for comfortable movement in the water column and on its surface; the limbs resemble the shape of oars no more than 2-3 mm long.
— Larva
The body of the larva is quite thin and long, more than 15 mm, almost two or three times longer than the adult beetle, consisting of thirteen segments.
Limbs for movement appear only on the first three segments of the body. For more convenient movement, they are equipped with small teeth in the form of hooks. Gill appendages; They help the larvae breathe under water; they are located on the last ten segments of the body.
Is twirling dangerous for people?
There have been recorded cases of human infection, although this is a rare occurrence. In addition, the virus does not threaten people with death or serious consequences. But the whirligig in pigeons is dangerous for a person with a weakened immune system or for small children. In humans, the virus causes the following symptoms:
- temperature increase;
- inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat;
- slight enlargement of the lymph nodes;
- redness of the eyes, conjunctivitis.
Lifestyle
These are very energetic inhabitants of the water surface of almost any body of water. On warm, hot summer days, they gather in small groups and quickly circle on the surface of the water.
The larvae spend their entire lives under water, they are fierce predators, catch small insects and, with the help of their mouthparts, in which the suction mechanism (channel) is located, are able to suck out the entrails from their prey in the shortest possible time.
We also note that the spinning beetle is the fastest swimmer of all animals of its species living in the aquatic environment; it is capable of developing incredibly high speed and covering a distance of one meter in one second. To develop such speed, he is helped by the middle and paddle-shaped limbs, which carry out 60 strokes (stroke) in 1 second .
In cloudy or cloudy weather, they hide under water, under dense coastal vegetation or on the shore. Imago is able to survive winter
, and in the spring they begin to mate.
In the period from August to September they can be observed in large numbers in reservoirs, this is due to the fact that at this time the season of transformation from pupae into adult floater beetles begins.
Mayfly larvae
Mayfly larvae (order Ephemeroptera) are also common in water bodies. What these larvae have in common is long tail filaments in the amount of 2-3 pieces. The main thing that distinguishes mayfly larvae is that on the first 7 abdominal segments they have tracheal gills in the form of simple feathery plates, with fringes or in the form of tufts and processes.
Most of the larvae of these insects live in fast-flowing waters, but some live in stagnant waters. They live in water for 2-3 years, molting more than 20 times during this time, and grow a lot. Some of the larvae are predators, while others feed on food particles suspended in water and silt.
By the end of summer, the larvae become lighter, thanks to the air that accumulates between the last skin of the larva and the new skin of the future winged individual. The larva emerges. The intestines, which have become unnecessary, are also filled with air bubbles. Having risen to the surface, the skin of the larva bursts. An adult insect, sitting in it, like in a boat, spreads its wings, dries out and flies away. Adults live from 6 hours to 2 days.
Nutrition
Basically, its diet is not very varied; the daily menu may include mosquito larvae, and sometimes it can eat carrion: dead cockchafers that have fallen into the water, hornets, paper wasps and other insects.
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Description of the disease
When twirling, pigeons turn their heads at an unnatural angle, walk in circles or spin in place, fall on their sides or somersault over their heads, and lose the ability to fly and peck food. Such manifestations occur in most cases with Newcastle disease. Other possible reasons:
- brain injuries;
- vitamin B1 deficiency.
Reproduction and development cycle
After hibernation from March to April, they begin the breeding season. After a while, the female lays eggs on aquatic plants. After a few weeks, the hatched larvae do not look at all like their parents; the appearance of the larvae is described above.
When the time comes, she will walk along the plant to the shore and begin building a cell of mud. This is not an easy task, so she spends a lot of energy and effort, since the larva is unadapted for life on the surface of the earth.
After all the procedures, the larva spins a cocoon; it will remain in the pupated state until mid-August.
Useful tips
If pigeons, despite the efforts of the owner, are nevertheless exposed to a dangerous illness, do not panic. By adhering to the recommendations given, you can avoid the death of the flock:
- Having discovered a sick pigeon, even before starting treatment you need to isolate it from its relatives;
- the premises and equipment should be disinfected;
- after visiting the dovecote, wash your hands thoroughly with laundry soap;
- during the treatment process, sick birds are fed baby cereals that do not contain milk, using a syringe without a needle;
- treatment of birds begins only after visiting a veterinarian, following his recommendations, because the wrong dosage of the drug will aggravate the pet’s condition;
- All preventive measures are applied after consulting with a specialist.
The resistance of paramyxovirus to environmental influences, its destructive effect on the central nervous system and the ability to quickly spread among birds have secured the reputation of a dangerous viral disease for the paramyxovirus. But timely detection of the symptoms of the disease and proper treatment will stop the outbreak of the epidemic and save the livestock.
Red Book
Based on the total number of individuals living on Earth, one conclusion can be drawn that this type of insect is not in danger.
However, one must take into account the fact that every year humanity clogs thousands of freshwater bodies of water, which can negatively affect their population as a whole.
The main culprits are newly opened production zones that release chemicals (waste) into nearby rivers and lakes, which has a detrimental effect not only on the population of these beetles, but also on all living organisms living in these bodies of water.
Dragonfly larvae
From the order of dragonflies (Odonata), larvae of three conventional types live in reservoirs:
- dragonfly type rocker;
- type true dragonflies;
- and smaller larvae, which are classified as the lute type.
Types are distinguished from the similarity of external structure, but not from taxonomic characters; in the taxonomy of dragonflies, of course, there are no such types.
Dragonfly larvae live mainly in stagnant bodies of water. Here they slowly crawl over aquatic plants or simply sit at the bottom of the reservoir.
All of them are predatory insects. They capture prey with a special device called a mask. The larvae of small dragonflies feed on mayfly and mosquito larvae. Large larvae can attack fish fry and tadpoles.
Dragonfly larva
Dragonfly larvae are identified based on the morphology of these three groups:
- rocker - elongated body, flat mask;
- true dragonflies - the body is short and wide, the mask is helmet-shaped;
- lute - the body is narrow, worm-shaped, at the rear end there are three leaf-shaped gill plates.
Small dragonflies (lutki, beauties, arrows) spend their entire lives near the reservoir. Those that are larger (yoke, real dragonflies), having left the larval shell, fly to meadows and forest edges, where they actively catch mosquitoes and midges. They usually return to the pond only to lay eggs.
Medium-sized dragonflies: grandmas (patrolmen), grandfathers (rivermen) and true dragonflies can also be found far from the water, but their larvae are ordinary inhabitants of the bottom, often disguised by algae and bottom debris; they sneak up on their victims, also bottom animals.
Interesting facts about the insect stag beetle
In Ancient Rome and Greece, the heads of giant beetles were considered amulets that resisted disease; they were constantly worn on the chest.
The national costumes of the Bavarians are decorated with dried insects - this is an indispensable attribute of folk clothing. Some countries put his pictures on postage stamps. The flying giant is depicted in the myths of different cultures.
In England in the Middle Ages, residents feared it, considering it a harbinger of bad weather that would destroy the harvest; the Germans were convinced that it provoked fires by transferring embers to the roofs of houses.
This is a favorite image of many artists, included in religious paintings. Nowadays, the image of the stag beetle is characteristic of the Art Nouveau style; it is applied to porcelain and jewelry.
How does a ground beetle enter a human home?
This pest is found not only in the garden or vegetable garden, but also in apartments, country houses, and also in private houses. They penetrate into a person’s home as follows:
- Beetles and larvae can appear in the house along with wood, as well as with street garbage.
- These insects are attracted to the smell of pet food if they are not taken care of and food remains are left behind.
- Ground beetles easily enter the house through open windows and doors. Therefore, it is advisable to install mosquito nets on the windows and cover the doorways with transparent fabric.
- These beetles can live in old furniture, under window sills, in crevices of window frames, etc.
- In addition, housewives often find them among bulk food products.
Habitats of the insect stag beetle
Insects have inhabited all continents except Antarctica. They chose areas of Northwestern Africa, Chile, and Peru. The list of countries includes New Guinea, Australia, Turkey, Iran, and Korea.
Etymologists observe many individuals in Ukraine. In Russia, places with abundant concentrations of Red Book giants are Primorye, Crimea, Transcaucasia, Voronezh and Belgorod regions.
They are attracted to forests with poplar, pine, ash, beech, linden and oak groves. Artificial parks and gardens, plains and mountains are no exception. The genus of giants is replenished with 1,200 varieties, differing in size and individual characteristics depending on the climatic conditions of the area of residence.
Precautions on how to properly keep a sick pigeon
An important condition for preventing infection with the whirligig is keeping the pigeons clean and observing all sanitary and hygienic standards. Pigeons need to be inspected regularly. If signs of an infectious disease are detected, the bird is immediately isolated from the rest.
The litter must be submitted to a veterinary clinic for analysis. In this way, it is possible to determine what disease has affected the pigeon. This will help to prescribe treatment in a timely manner and save the bird.
Important! Cells must be disinfected regularly using the drug Deitran. It effectively removes the virus that causes whirlwind. The product is not dangerous for pigeons, so the treatment can be carried out overnight without removing them from the premises.
Since the virus dies at high temperatures, you can use heat treatment of the dovecote using hot air.
The risk of infection can be reduced by observing sanitary standards.
