Marble Khrushch: description and habitat

Marble Khrushch is an insect with a long cycle of development, similar in structure to the May bug. Distributed in southern Europe, Ukraine and partly in Russia. In Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the steppe zone of the Black Sea region has a similar analogue (in appearance and habits) - beetle-horsetail, completely covered with white scales. In the Caucasus dwells the Khrushch July Caucasian.

Marble Khrushch: Description

The beetle-bearing beetle belonging to the family is characterized by black-brown color and rather large dimensions (about 30-45 mm in length). A distinctive feature are the elytra, head and pronotum with multiple whitish spots forming the marble pattern. Abdomen pubescent, with light gray hairs. The front legs are digging, about 35 mm long. Antennae brownish-rusty, cranked, fan-shaped, with a mace composed of 7 plates. The females are more modest, from 5 short pieces.

Conditions of existence

The July marble crunch appears massively at the end of June, at a steady temperature above +10 ° C. Hiding during the day in the upper layers of the soil, in the evening such insects fly out. As food prefer leaves of grapes, oak and pine needles. Moreover, females are inactive; Fly to small distances, mostly males. With the rising of the sun, the marble crunch buries into the ground or remains on the tree.

Pair these insects also prefer in the evening. Eggs, characterized by white color and oblong form, the female lays in the soil; The fecundity of one individual is about 50 eggs. During the month, white, with a curved, thick trunk of larvae appearing from the egg, about 7.5 cm in length and 1.5 cm in width appears. Head light-red, without eyes. Develop for 3 years, waiting for the winter in the soil, at a depth of about 1 meter. With the advent of spring, they rise into the upper layers, and a strong heat is expected in the cooler layers of the soil.

After three wintering, in the second half of June the larva passes into the pupation stage; The size of the pupa is about 40 mm. Marble horseshoe appears from it after 3 weeks. In shaded and cool places, the development of the larva can be prolonged for another year: it will enter the pupation stage after 4 seasons.

Larva of marble cracks: caused harm

An adult beetle gnaws eat a little, so it does not cause any major damage to the plants. The most dangerous pests are its larvae. Being in the stage of the first age, they feed on humus and young rootlets of plants. In the second period of development, the roots of fruit trees and grape cuttings damage, thus causing the death of plants. They readily eat potato tubers, beets, garlic, onions, cabbage, rape, corn. Individuals of the third age eat roots of old trees in parallel. Larvae of the last year of development are able not only to gnaw the root of young pine, but also to swallow the root of a powerful tree.

Preferring to settle on poor soils, where the immunity of plants to diseases and pests is lowered, the larvae of the marble beetle do great harm to the young plantings of vineyards and fruit trees. At times increase their activity in the absence of moisture in the soil. There were cases of almost complete (up to 70%) destruction of grape cuttings planted on the banks of the Dnieper.

Biological protection method

Combating the larvae of a marble beetle can be done in several ways, which it is desirable to carry out in conjunction with the rest.

This is a biological method, which uses natural enemies of marble cracks, in particular, scoli (quadripunctata). Easily searching in the ground for the larva of a potential adversary (moving toward her almost in a straight line), the spleen paralyzes the victim with a prick, then lays the egg in her abdomen. Sometimes egg-laying does not produce, but the victim suffocated still pricks. The hatched capelion larva uses the host's larva as food, a kind of always fresh food: immobilized, but with continued circulation. Then there is a process of transformation into a pupa and an adult insect. The latter feeds on the nectar of flowers such as blue-head, round-headed onion, phacelia. Therefore, experts suggest that in these areas, larvae of marbled horsetail, which are subject to wrecking activity, plant these plants in order to attract scoliosis. It is recommended to sow the flowers for several consecutive years, thus ensuring the continuity of the pest eradication process.

Methods of struggle

In order to protect cultural plantations from marble bush, it is recommended to use root insecticide treatment of seedlings. Infected soil is required to be etched with pesticides.

Marble Khrushch predominantly inhabits areas of treeless stands, therefore in the areas of its habitat it is required to ensure the density of plantations. It is recommended to remove fresh cuttings under the planting of young forest, and on old cuttings it is required to produce deep plowing of the land with parallel application of chemical preparations. Accumulations of marble cracks on trees are removed with solutions of chemical preparations.