The cockchafer or cockchafer is an ambiguous representative of the insect world: for some, it causes delight, and for others, tears. For example, children catch it in joy. The live "toy" tickles your palm so interestingly and rustles unusually in a matchbox. However, gardeners and gardeners are far from joking. These insects do them so much harm that the fight against Maybugs is a "matter of honor" for every summer resident.
What you need to know about them
May beetles, especially their ill-fated larvae, cause great harm to various horticultural crops. For example, the larvae eat a young vineyard, and an adult beetle gnaws a tree trunk in a spiral, causing serious damage to it: when the beetle goes around the entire trunk in a circle, the tree will die. The favorite delicacy of these parasites is the leaves of fruit and ordinary trees. In general, the invasion of May beetles occurs annually. But the peak of their abundance occurs approximately every 5 years. The May beetle got its name due to the fact that its flights fall on the last spring month, lasting from 20 to 50 days. If the regioncold snap is approaching, or spring is expected to be late, then flights are postponed until June-July. Fighting May beetles is a gardener's constant "migraine", because, as it turned out, the collection of these insects gives little results. But progress does not slow down, and people have come up with a lot of ways to destroy these pests. Here are some of them.
Beetle control
- Try catching pests in the light. Set up the trap in an open area so that the bugs can see it unobstructed. Stretch a rope between the trees, and hang a white sheet on it. When it gets dark, turn on the fluorescent lamp so that the fabric is completely brightly lit. Note that male beetles will not fly into the light, but crawl. They will be betrayed by stirring and rustling in the grass. You just have to collect the insects in a bottle, and then burn them in the stove. By the way, females are indifferent to this trap, but without males they will still not be able to give new offspring of larvae!
- The fight against May beetles, or rather, with their larvae, will be very effective if you have the opportunity to breed chickens and hang birdhouses in your summer cottage. When the land is plowed in the spring, release the chickens. For them, the larvae of the grubs are an exquisite delicacy. Starlings are not inferior to chickens in the dexterity of eating these pests.
- Special products against these insects are sold in stores, for example, Antikhrushch, Zemlin or Aktara. Remember, the fight against Maybugs is carried out strictly according to the instructions,attached to these drugs. You can also try using plain mustard. She repels larvae remarkably. Plant it under trees and between rows of strawberries.
- All gardeners know that lupine is the strongest poison for the larvae of the grubs. Sow them in the lesion. The mechanism of action is as follows: weeds do not grow on lupine crops, which means that the larvae, except for lupine, will have nothing to eat. That is how they will find their death.
- If the larvae of the Maybugs annoy you in the beds with potatoes, then prepare a manganese solution. Dilute five grams of potassium permanganate in one liter of water and pour this mixture under the bushes of potato shoots. Good luck!
