Chafer

In nature, there are 24 species of the May beetle genus, but in Our Country only 2 of them usually harm plants: Khrushchev (beetle) May western (Melolontha melolontha) May Eastern Khrushchev (Melolontha hippocastani).

What does the May beetle and its larvae look like?

Outwardly, both types of May beetles are similar. The western one is slightly smaller, 2–2,9 cm long and has an elongated tip of the abdomen. Eastern – 3,1 – 3,2 cm, the tip of the abdomen is rounded.

The beetles themselves are plump, red-brown in color. The flight of beetles begins at the end of April and lasts until mid-June, but the mass appearance of beetles occurs in May – hence its name. During the day, adult beetles usually sit on trees, they begin to fly at dusk.

Mating occurs a little less than a month. Then the females burrow into the soil to a depth of 10–40 cm and lay their eggs. Therefore, they come to the surface, feed, and again go underground to lay eggs. And so 2 – 4 times.

After 4 – 6 weeks, the larvae appear – they look like thick short white caterpillars with a brown head. They live in the soil for 3 years and only for the 4th summer do they pupate. Every year the larva molts and becomes larger. In the first year, young “caterpillars” practically do not harm plants – they feed on humus and very small roots. In the second year, matured larvae begin to eat up the roots of plants. On the third, they harm the most, because they are able to gnaw even large roots.

Interesting facts about the Maybug

What is dangerous May beetle

May beetles are very voracious. Moreover, they harm in two directions at once – adults strongly eat leaves, and larvae – roots.

The larvae cause the greatest harm – they are able to cleanly gnaw the roots of plants, as a result of which they die. Moreover, they feed annually and the older they are, the more they harm.

Adult beetles, since the larvae spend 3-5 years in the soil, massively harm during the exit – on average 1 time in 4 years.

Signs of the appearance of the Maybug

Adult May beetles are perfectly visible on plants – they are large and very noticeable. But the larvae are in the soil, they can be found when planting plants or digging the site.

But it can also be understood from plants that their roots are eaten up – damaged specimens lag far behind in growth, and if the roots are completely eaten, they wither and die. But it is impossible to understand that it is the larvae of the May beetle that harm the plants, because the roots can be gnawed by bears, wireworms, and tubers and root crops are also damaged by mole rats.

Causes of the appearance of the May beetle

There is a very interesting relationship here: the better you take care of your plants, the more likely it is that May bugs will breed (1). After all, strong healthy plants have a powerful root system. And the more roots, the richer the food base for the larvae.

Also, the abundance of organic matter contributes to the active reproduction of the May beetle – young larvae feed on humus, and if you actively fertilize the beds with them or mulch the soil, the females will probably lay eggs there.

How to get rid of the May bug in the garden and garden forever

May beetles evoke positive emotions in many people – they are cute and fluffy. So how can you destroy them? However, sentiment is not allowed here – this is a very dangerous pest and it is necessary to fight it.

Folk methods

There are simple measures that will help to significantly reduce the number of pests.

Application of nitrogen fertilizers. Plants need them in early spring, and it is they who will help prevent larvae from infecting the garden and vegetable garden – the cockchafer does not like nitrogen-rich soils.

Sowing repellent plants. May beetles, as we found out, do not like the abundance of nitrogen in the soil, but there are plants that have special nodules on their roots, in which nitrogen-fixing bacteria live – they capture atmospheric nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil with it (3). Such areas are bypassed by the larvae.

Among such plants, white clover and lupine are especially effective – they can be sown along the edges of the beds and in tree trunks.

There is also evidence that May beetles do not like the smell of elderberry, cabbage, radish, mustard.

Planting attractive plants. It sounds, perhaps strange – why attract the May beetle to the site, but we are fighting it? Nevertheless, it is a good method. For orchards.

The fact is that among all fruit crops, May beetles have a special love for plums – this is a real delicacy for them. Therefore, to protect other crops in the garden, along its edges, you need to plant as many plums as possible – beetles, of course, will harm them, but they will not touch, for example, apple trees, cherries and strawberries.

Mulching. Females lay their eggs in the soil, and a thick layer of dense mulch will prevent them from burrowing. In terms of protection, straw and chopped bark are good.

Attract birds and animals. Among birds, cockchafers and their larvae are eaten with pleasure by rooks, starlings and blackbirds. If you hang feeders in the garden, they will gladly visit your site. But here is a double-edged sword: starlings and thrushes will eat not only beetles, but also cherries and sweet cherries.

But hedgehogs are excellent and quite safe helpers in the fight against May beetles. They also eat these pests with pleasure. So make a secluded corner on the site where hedgehogs can hide during the day, so that at night (beetles fly just in the dark) clear your site of uninvited insects.

Preparations

There are a number of drugs that are designed to combat the larvae of the May beetle.

Terradox. This drug is available in granules. Recommended for the protection of seedlings of fruit and ornamental crops (4). Use it twice:

• for root treatment – mix 8 g of the drug with 0,8 l of earth, add 200 ml of water, dip the roots of seedlings into the resulting “talker” before planting;
• after 25 – 30 days – evenly scatter the granules over the surface of the trunk circle and dig into the soil with a rake to a depth of 5 – 10 cm.

Shafts. This drug is also recommended for the protection of seedlings, and it is also available in granules. It is used similarly to Terradox – before planting, the roots of the seedlings are dipped into an earthen “talker” with granules, and after a month they are brought into the near-trunk circles to a depth of 5 – 10 cm.

Prevention from infection with the May beetle

It is easy to get rid of many soil pests by digging up the site in the fall – the larvae find themselves on the surface in clods of earth and die in winter. But this method will not work with the larvae of the May beetle – for the winter they bury to a very great depth, up to 1 – 1,5 m.

However, it is possible to dig up the site in September, when the larvae are still feeding and are at a depth of 20 – 30 cm, and collect them manually. Yes, everyone will not succeed, but the number of pests will still be less. The site can be dug again in the spring, when the larvae come out of hibernation and again rise to a shallow depth, and again they are selected manually.

But the most effective way of prevention is still the application of nitrogen fertilizers in early spring. Just don’t go over the limit! Otherwise the plants will suffer.

Popular questions and answers

About the cockchafer and we talked to agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova – asked her the most pressing questions about the pest.

Sources of

1. Vasiliev V.P. Pests of agricultural crops and forest plantations (in 3 volumes. Under the general editorship of Vasiliev V.P. – 2nd ed., Rev. and add.) V. 1. Harmful nematodes, molluscs, arthropods (ed. volume Dolin V.G.) // K .: “Harvest”, 1987 – 440 p.
2. Savkovsky P.P., Atlas of pests of fruit and berry crops // K .: Harvest, 1990
3. Umarov M.M., Kurakov A.V., Stepanov A.L. Microbiological transformation of nitrogen in soil // M.: GEOS, 2007
4. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals permitted for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation

   https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii-i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/