Beetles in the garden.

With the onset of spring, all nature wakes up. The garden is filled with the scents of flowers, butterflies and beetles. . At the fragrance emitted by roses, they run and pests . Many insects bring significant harm to our flowers, while other insects, on the contrary, are our helpers in pest control. So, for example, a ladybug, the best assistant in the fight against aphids .

Often on the flowers and leaves of roses you can see a variety of beetles: May beetle, bronze and others. Beetles and beetles is a common name for a large number of beetles. . As a rule, the cockchafer beetle has hard elytra, a dense shield on the body, can be covered with villi, the body length of the cockchafers, depending on the species, can reach up to 60 mm. The color of the beetles is the most diverse, the Maybug is usually from dark brown to black, the bronzes often look like green beetles with a metallic sheen.

The life cycle of the Maybug consists of 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, beetle . An adult female beetle lays up to 25 small oval eggs of a dirty white color in the ground, after which it dies, and larvae appear from the eggs after a while. May beetle larvae are fleshy, yellowish-white, with three pairs of legs and a strong jaw, usually bent in the shape of the letter "C", live in the root regions of plants, eating roots. The body length of the larvae is from 2 to 6 mm. The larva degenerates into a yellowish chrysalis, from which the May beetle later emerges. The entire life cycle of the May beetle takes about 3-4 years. Unlike the May beetle, the larvae of the bronzovok live in rotten stumps and do not harm living plants.

What do May beetles eat and how to deal with them?

The May beetle and other beetles feed on plant sap, eat away the pulp of leaves and tender parts of flowers. You can find them anywhere, on trees, grass and bushes. In a single amount, they will not cause noticeable harm, and you can get rid of them simply by driving away , but if a large number of beetles fly to the roses, then by eating foliage, the beetles deform the plants.

It is difficult to deal with bugs, using a variety of toxic means, of course, you will kill those who disturbed you insect pests and Khrushchev, but also useful ones too. You will not return the flower with this, and the beetles will appear again after a while. The best way to get rid of the annoying May bug and other beetles is to let nature itself do it. Birds flying over your garden will do an excellent job of this task, but if there are not many of them near your house, you can build birdhouses to attract birds.

But it’s another matter if the action of the beetles is not observed, and the rose, nevertheless, healthy yesterday, suddenly drooped without visible signs. If the reason for this is not Descending sawfly , settling inside the stems of plants, it is worth digging up the soil at the roots slightly. Perhaps in the soil you will find cockchafer larvae that love to feed on plant roots.

I strongly recommend not to soak the roots of roses in pesticides in order to get rid of the larvae of the cockchafer, along with the pest, there is a risk of destroying beneficial microorganisms and worms that have a beneficial effect on the development of the root system . A variety of organisms recycle and make the minerals more available to rose roots. It is best to collect and destroy the larvae with your hands before planting, so you will fight the Maybug more effectively and keep beneficial organisms in the soil. Also, hedgehogs help a lot in the fight against the larva of the May beetle, they dig them up and eat them. Leaving a bowl of milk outside in the evening can attract hedgehogs to the garden to help. And if you're lucky, the hedgehogs will live and breed here, for example, in my garden, a nest with a mother hedgehog and four little mole rats was accidentally discovered. Grow up and help!

There are a large number of insects that, one way or another, harm ornamental and garden plants. Among them there are pests of leaves and needles that can not only gnaw them, but also suck out the juices of plants. There are insects that damage the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs. The activity of many of them leads to the loss of decorativeness of plants, inhibits their growth and in some cases even leads to their death, but the most dangerous among them are insects that live in the soil and damage plant roots.

The most dangerous pests of the roots should, of course, be attributed to the beetles, among which the eastern and western May beetles are in the lead; to a lesser extent, the bear (let the owners of gardens not be offended by me, where it often rages) and some other pests, such as wireworms that harm root crops and bulbs, gnaw scoops, root aphids, root bark beetles, etc.

Getting rid of these insects is very difficult due to the fact that, firstly, it is difficult to detect and determine their number until the soil is dug up or dead plants with gnawed roots appear. Secondly, drugs that remain in the soil for a long time, like hexachlorane or DDT, are not allowed for use in personal and agricultural use, which, of course, makes it difficult to destroy these pests, but protects our health. And thirdly, there are still a large number of abandoned fields and gardens, where nothing prevents the mass reproduction and further settlement of pests.

Khrushchi

In Ukraine, plant roots are significantly harmed by 8-11 species of beetles, of which, as we have already mentioned, the larvae of May beetles are the most harmful. There are also numerous species such as hairy beetle, field beetle, April beetle, Kuzka beetle, June beetle, and in more southern regions large marble beetle and other species can multiply strongly. Let us consider in more detail what types of cartilage are most often found on our land plots.

May Khrushchi

These are the western (Melalonta melalonta L.) and eastern (Melalonta hippocastani F.) May beetles, which are widespread in Ukraine. The eastern border of the distribution of the western Khrushchev is the Kharkov region.
May beetles are well known to everyone, they have brown elytra and reach up to 21-25 mm in length. In late April-early May, their active years take place. Adult beetles feed on tree leaves, especially oak and birch, but also do not disdain apple and other fruit trees. After mating, the female burrows into the ground and lays 50-70 eggs, from which very polyphagous larvae hatch in 30-40 days. At first, young larvae feed on humus, but as they grow, especially after wintering, they begin to feed not only on thin roots of flowers and garden crops, but also eat lawn roots with appetite, do not disdain coniferous and deciduous shrubs and trees.

The larva feeds for three years, in the middle of summer of the last year of development, the larva pupates at a depth of up to 60 cm, after a month and a half a beetle emerges, which winters in the soil, and flies out in the spring of the 4th year. Thus, based on the biology of the pest, mass years occur every four years, and the most dangerous for plants is the last year of feeding of larvae, when they reach their maximum size and voracity. However, due to some circumstances, a clear and explicit designation of flight years has not occurred recently. Almost every year there are years of beetles in large numbers.

The most dangerous for plants is the last year of feeding of larvae, when they reach their maximum size and voracity.

Externally, the types of May Khrushchev differ only in the shape of the end of the abdomen - the pygidia. In the eastern May beetle, it is tapering and pumps in a thin process with a thickening at the end, while in the western beetle, the pygidium is long, gradually tapering to the top, without a button-like expansion.

The species also differ somewhat in terms of habitat requirements. Thus, the western beetle more often settles on loose, slightly shaded lands, more often than the eastern one it is found in the fields, and the eastern beetle does not settle so intensively on cultivated soils.

Together with the May Khrushchev in the soil, the following species are most often found:

June Khrushchev (Amphimallon solstitialis L.)

Beetle 14-18 mm, brown with light yellow elytra. The years of beetles are long, from the end of June to August. Females lay 20-30 eggs in the ground. The larvae grow up to 40 mm in length, and throughout the summer they are in the surface layers of the soil, feeding on the roots of plants. The generation is one year old.

April beetle (Rhizotrogus aequinoctialis Hrbst.)

Beetle 12-8 mm, reddish-brown. They fly in April - mid-May. Eggs up to 30 pcs. they are deposited to a depth of up to 30 cm. The larvae overwinter in the soil twice, by the end of development they grow to 35 mm and pupate in August. Young beetles hatch in September, but overwinter in the soil and emerge the following spring.

hairy beetle (Anoxia pilosa F.)

Beetle 21-24 mm, brownish with lighter elytra with gray, small hairs. The flight of beetles takes place in June-early July. Beetles don't eat. In Ukraine, usually a three-year generation.

Field beetle (Anomala dubia Scop.)

Beetle 12.5-16.5 mm, dark green with a metallic sheen. The beetles emerge from mid-June and fly until mid-August. The female lays up to 30-40 eggs in the upper layers of the soil. They prefer to settle on light soils. The larvae grow up to 40 mm in length, overwinter once and pupate in May-July of the next year.

Kuzka beetle (Anisoplia austriaca Hrbst.)

Beetle 13-16 mm, with dark or red-brown elytra, at the base of which there is a characteristic quadrangular black spot. Years of beetles during the day from June to August. The female lays 30-50 eggs in the soil to a depth of 8-10 cm. The larva feeds on small roots, grows up to 35 mm, winters twice and pupates in late May - early June. After 15-20 days, the beetle comes out and is found in mass on cereals.

Marble Khrushch (Polyphylla fullo L.)

The beetle is large, 35-38 mm, with brown elytra, on which there is a marble pattern of numerous white spots. The flight of beetles is from late June to August, during which they feed mainly on pine needles. The female lays up to 40 eggs one at a time to a depth of 15-30 cm. The larvae feed on the roots of tree species, primarily pine, and grassy vegetation. The larvae are yellowish, hibernate three times and at the end of development reach 6.5 cm in length and pupate in June. After 3 weeks, a beetle hatches from the pupa and emerges from the ground. It settles mainly on sandy soils, often in clearings of a pine forest, and is very harmful to young pine plantations.

Thus, realizing that the pests are serious and numerous, we approach the question - how to deal with them ?. First of all, we must fight the May Khrushchev, since more than 95% of the harm caused is due to them.

It is very important, even at the initial stage of laying a garden or before organizing plantings in a new place, to pay attention to the number of larvae of the grubs in the soil. If there are a lot of them, more than 3-5 pieces per 1 m², then you should carry out a complete cultivation of the land on the site with chemicals, otherwise the roots of the plants will be eaten, and your plantings will be ineffective. If the site is already in operation, and the number of carnivores has increased, then it is also worth adding chemicals, the name and dosage of which I will give below.

Ecological methods of dealing with beetles

A simple but expensive way to prevent the appearance of May beetles is to cover especially valuable plantings with a sufficiently dense net during the summer of beetles, which will prevent female beetles from penetrating into the soil, thereby depriving them of the opportunity to lay eggs. The shelter area should be at least a hundred square meters, since the larvae move in the soil. After the flight, the mesh is removed.

Of the environmental methods, it occupies the first place. Planting strawberries on agrofibre significantly reduces the infestation with beetles (the main thing is that the pests are not under the film before planting). The mulching of the soil with a large pine bark with a layer of about 5 cm proved to be excellent. In rose gardens, with such mulch, the beetles practically do not start.

I do not believe that the treatment of trees and shrubs on the site with pyrethroid or other chemical preparations during the summer period of the beetles can significantly reduce the population of the soil on the site. Beetles fly long distances, and processing your 6, 10 or even 30 acres will not play a significant role in reducing the number of beetles in the vicinity of the site, they will fly in from neighboring areas. Only the cultivation of large areas can actually reduce the number of flying beetles.

The same insignificant effect is observed when using light traps, in which 30-50 beetles can really die, but, unfortunately, this method does not allow to destroy all existing pests.

Of the economic methods, the method of placing heaps of humus on a site that is warmer and under which not only the larvae of the grubs, but also the bears crawl for wintering works quite well. The main thing is to stir up these heaps in time and destroy the pests.

agrofibre from the summer of the Khrushchev

Chemical protection methods

Of the preparations for combating larvae, preparations based on diazinon work best. The optimal time for applying the drug to the soil is the end of May - June, when the larvae are in the upper soil layer. You can apply the drug into the furrows during cultivation. It is recommended to apply 10-20 g per 1 m² of bazudine or 5-9 g per 1 m² of 10% diazinon. You can scatter the preparations along the rows of plants, followed by incorporation into the soil.

Protection of the roots of seedlings can be carried out by soaking in a peat-humus mixture with the addition of an insecticide. For example, when soaking pine seedlings before planting, about 500 g of bazudine is consumed per 1000 seedlings.

Protection of the roots of seedlings can be carried out by soaking in a peat-humus mixture with the addition of an insecticide.

A good effect is obtained by the use of Marshall granular preparation with a prolonged action (up to 17 months) at a consumption rate of 8-12 g per 1 m².

In home gardens, Prestige is used to soak seedlings, which allows you to protect plants for 60 days.

By recognizing a pest in your garden in time and taking certain protective measures, you are more likely to keep your plants healthy and get a good harvest. Unfortunately, beetles are not the only insects that live in the soil and can damage plant roots. There are a number of other pests from this group, which we will talk about in the next article.

Adult individuals of the May beetle harm mainly tree crops; they like to eat leaves of mountain ash, oak, linden, maple, poplar and other trees. Much more dangerous are the larvae of the beetle, which eat any plants that they meet on their way.

If there is only one larva per 1 sq.m of the plot, it is already necessary to sound the alarm and start destroying the pest throughout the garden. It is better, of course, to prevent the appearance of Khrushchev in the garden with preventive measures. If you bring manure to the site, then most likely you will also bring the cockchafer along with it, since compost and manure are favorite places for the cockchafer to lay larvae. One female per season is able to lay 70-200 eggs.

May beetle larva, photo

The larvae live in the soil for 4 years, which is exactly how long it will take to develop to adults and turn into ordinary May beetles, as we are used to seeing them - shiny, large (3-4 cm), very dense, black beetles. The larva should also be familiar to you - it is a yellowish caterpillar with a black head, curled up in a ring. At all times, except for the dormant period in winter, these pests eat both above and below ground parts of plants. Especially noticeable is the harm caused by the May beetle on strawberries, potatoes, many flowers, and even on the lawn.

Signs of damage to plants by the May beetle and its larvae

Bitten leaves, buds and partially ovaries on cultivated plants are the work of an adult beetle.
Withering of plants, growth retardation, for no apparent reason, is the work of the "hands" of the larvae.

Dig up a dying plant and check the earthen food at the roots for the presence of cockchafer larvae. If a pest is found, immediately take measures to destroy these insects.

The fight against Khrushchev

As usual in pest control, you need to choose a way to solve the problem - using folk remedies and methods, or using insecticides, that is, resorting to chemicals right away.

It depends on your preferences and the amount of pest on the site. If mass death of plants from this pest has begun, then most likely folk remedies will no longer help and one should resort to chemistry.

Chemical means of combating the larvae of the May beetle

Antikhrushch

The most popular and effective insecticide for beetles. It consists of two active ingredients of a new generation - imidacloprid and bifenthrin, interacting and complementing each other. Due to its combined action, the insecticide provides reliable protection of cultivated plants not only from the beetle, but also from other pests. This drug protects against the May and Colorado potato beetle and their larvae, as well as against aphids, wireworms, ticks, thrips, whiteflies, codling moths, leafworms.

To protect potatoes, the plant should be sprayed before planting with a solution of 10 ml of the drug per 5-10 liters of water. This should be enough for 1 acre of land.
To protect cabbage and tomatoes, a solution of 10 ml is made. substances per 3 liters. water, before planting, the rhizomes are soaked in the solution for 1 hour, the remaining liquid is diluted in 10 liters. water and used for irrigation.
To protect fruit trees, a solution of 10 ml is prepared. antihrushcha for 5 liters. water (enough for 0.2 acres), the solution should be watered abundantly under the root. Saplings of simple trees are also processed under the root with a solution of 10 ml. substances per 3 liters. water.

Aktara from Khrushchev

Remedy for the larvae of the May beetle. The active substance is thiamethoxam. It is a contact and intestinal insecticide. It is produced in granular form, which can be applied to the soil in bulk, as well as by preparing a working solution in advance.

The result after using the drug occurs within an hour, and after a day, absolutely all pests die. Aktara is used at any time of the year and in any weather, precipitation also does not affect the insecticidal properties of the drug.

Bazudin against the Maybug

Insecticide that kills soil pests by contact, intestinal and translaminar routes. The active substance is diazinon. The drug has long-term protection of crops from insects. 30 grams of insecticide is enough to treat a 20 sq.m area.

Produced in the form of granules. To evenly apply bazudin into the soil, mix the required amount of the drug with sand in a liter jar (sand 3/4 jar).

Before planting potatoes, 15 g per 10 sq.m. is added to the hole.
To protect the cabbage, the soil surface is treated at the rate of 10 g per 10 sq.m.
Flower crops are processed similarly to potatoes.

Nemabakt from Khrushchev

This is a nematode-based biological product that selectively destroys beetle larvae and maintains a balance in the soil for 2 years. The drug kills the larva of the beetle within 1-3 days. It is necessary to use this tool when watering, diluting in a ratio of 1:100. Nemabakt operates at an ambient temperature of +10-+26 degrees. It is absolutely harmless to humans and pets.

Zemlin against Khrushchev

This is an effective remedy for pimples. It is an insecticide of contact and intestinal damage. Protects cultivated plants from most soil pests. The active ingredient in the composition is diazinon at a dosage of 50 g / kg.

To protect flower plants, the drug is sprayed on the surface of the earth at a dosage of 30 grams per 20 sq.m.
Potatoes are processed by adding 10-15 g of the mixture to the wells at planting.

How to get rid of the larvae of the Maybug with folk remedies

Manual collection of adult beetles. Since they feed mainly on the leaves of trees, in the early morning you can shake the beetles off the tree onto the prepared bedding, and then destroy them.
It is much more difficult with larvae, since they live in the soil, sometimes at a depth of up to 40 cm. As a preventive measure, autumn and spring plowing is recommended.
It helps planting around the beds with cultivated plants of white clover, peas, beans, beans - that is, any plants that are nitrogen fixers. Planting turnips and lupins on the site will scare away adults from the site, which means it will prevent them from laying larvae.
The introduction of ground eggshells into the soil will also give a certain effect.
It also helps to use nitrogen fertilizers when digging the soil. May beetle larvae cannot tolerate high nitrogen content in the soil and leave such places.
And, of course, birds. If you have chickens on the farm, then it’s a good idea to let them “graze” when digging up the garden - they will peck all the larvae that are turned out of the soil to the surface. Many advise installing birdhouses on the site, as any birds love to feast on beetles and their larvae. But again, many gardeners complain that these same birds are happy to eat strawberries and other berries.
Adding a few drops of iodine to the irrigation water will help to destroy the beetle in the soil.
Some gardeners make traps for the cockchafer by digging small holes in the soil and filling them with manure. And then they destroy the beetle and larvae with fire or boiling water.
It is possible to save currants and strawberries from Khrushchev by spraying with a solution of onion peel. For this, 100 grams of husks are infused in 10 liters of water for 5 days. Further, the tincture is diluted with water in proportions of 1: 1 and sprayed onto the affected plants and the ground under them.
Watering with ammonia will help get rid of the larvae of the May beetle on strawberries. For 10 liters of water is half a tablespoon of ammonia.
Plant green manure in the garden and embed them in the soil, this will also protect you from the invasion of the May beetle. For these purposes, mustard, or others from the cruciferous family, is best suited. After planting them in early spring, and letting them grow a little, mow them down and plow them into the soil. And then calmly plant potatoes or other cultivated plants in this place - there will be no larvae of the cockchafer.

Meet! His Majesty is a jerk! Although it would be more correct to say "highness", because Khrushchev is the larva of the cockchafer.

"Majesty" ... "Highness" ... These are, of course, too loud epithets for such a pest as Khrushchev. But these were the words that came to my mind when I first saw this larva in the soil. I even do not know why. Apparently, the size impressed.

Those who have their own plots and are engaged in them themselves, i.e. they dig up and loosen the beds, they probably noticed these same larvae in the soil. They meet almost every all season, but most often I see them in the fall.

However, let's go in order.

1. Khrushch - the larva of the May beetle. It lives in the soil at a depth of up to 10 cm. In any case, I have not come across it deeper. At the very surface of the soil under a snag, for example, it can also live.

2. It occurs in virgin areas (i.e., not yet plowed). When I prepare the land, for example, under a flower bed, I remove the sod. And often under the turf I meet this very larva. Khrushch also likes to settle in the garden, which is paid little attention, is rarely loosened and forgotten to be weeded.

3. Khrushch is a pest. It gnaws at the roots of plants. For example, such as cabbage, strawberries and others. It can completely eat up the roots, causing the plant to die. Externally, the plant will look at first withered, and then completely dry. If you dig up a dead plant, you will see the remnants of the eaten roots.

4. Khrushch looks like a very fat caterpillar with small legs in the front half of the body and folded into a half ring. He is very slow, I would say, clumsy and helpless, like a huge whale washed ashore. The size of the larva is from 1 cm to 4 cm.

5. Let's move on to the most important point - pest control measures .
And here everything is very simple. Control measures are purely agrotechnical. That is, you can’t get through the Khrushchev with any pesticides. The surest way is simply remove it from the soil (and immediately destroy it) during autumn and spring digging, as well as during loosening.

In general, it is worth regularly loosening and weeding your beds. No pests like it, but flowers and vegetables, on the contrary, adore.

In the soil, the beetle is found singly (in the sense that these larvae will not crowd in one place, like aphids, for example). Therefore, manual removal of Khrushchev from the soil is not difficult. It happens, of course, that you dig with a shovel and find up to a dozen copies in a coma of earth. But this rarely happens in my garden. Only in neglected corners.

Perhaps it makes sense to fight the Khrushchev parent - Maybug, you say?
There is no point in resorting to pesticides in this case. This is how much solution should be used to kill the clouds of May beetles, which especially actively begin to fly in the evenings?

The cockchafer loves to feast on the leaves of trees. And sometimes there is a lot of damage from this. I noticed that his favorite dish is birch leaves. He also loves plum leaves. But the apple tree is not touched. Either not to taste, or not to the teeth.

And I also noticed that those plums that I regularly fed furnace ash, the May beetle also did not touch or ate a very small number of leaves. It is known that ash helps to strengthen and thicken the leaves of garden trees.

Sometimes you can read in the literature the advice to shake the beetles off the trees and then collect them from the film previously spread below.
Tried. Pointless occupation. Beetles, although heavy, manage to hold on tightly to leaves and twigs with their paws. They are not afraid of any wind.
It is also unpleasant when they fall on the head or on the shoulders and back. Brrr!

But you can collect them manually. But you can't get everyone. And yes, you can't reach the top.
So I just resigned myself to having them in the garden.

By the way, fun fact. My cat she loved to hunt May beetles and ... eat them! She knocked down those who flew low with her paw. She could even jump up and knock down a beetle with her paw right in the air. A downed beetle is clumsy, so it immediately ended up in the pasta of a dexterous predator. So the cat can be used as one of the methods of dealing with the cockchafer. But the larvae of the May beetle - Khrushchev - the cat did not like to eat))

So we are back to the main character of the article - Khrushchev.

So let's fight it solely by its physical removal from the soil during digging or loosening.

They also like to bite Khrushchev birds. They probably noticed how birds were walking along the arable land: starlings, wagtails, gulls. After plowing the garden, I always go home to give the birds the opportunity to fearlessly treat themselves to the Khrushchev, which I did not notice, and other pests.

And one more animal can be very useful in the fight against Khrushchev. This mole. Yes Yes!
Many mistakenly believe that the mole destroys the roots of plants. This is not true.
The mole is a predator. And he does not eat vegetables in our gardens. Unless it bites a little to make its way.

His favorite treat is earthworms, various beetles, bears, slugs, including Khrushchev.

So I prefer to be friends with moles. The only negative is that they spoil the view of flower beds, lawns and gardens when they make their moves. But I’d rather remove the mounds of earth left by the moles from the garden rather than the plants ruined by the beetle.

And here attention and caution!

I know gardeners and gardeners who bought nematodes and settled them in the soil of their gardens.
Zero effect for the fight against Khrushchev. But the appearance of new damage in plants and the great death of these very plants are obvious.

The point is that there are nematode pests. These are small roundworms up to 2 mm. They live in the soil, on plants and inside them. And they can hit the whole plant - from seeds to stems.

Most likely, it is these nematodes that are sold - pests. There are a lot of scammers among sellers. So it is better to refrain from buying nematodes and introducing them into the soil altogether. After all, pulling the Khrushchev out of the ground and chopping it with a shovel or crushing it does not seem to be such a difficult task. Such an agricultural technique certainly will not harm either the environment or our garden-garden than buying dubious nematodes.

So you met another garden pest - Khrushchev, also known as the Maybug larva. And now you know that I prefer to fight him with a shovel, cats, birds or moles.

That's all for now.

I wish you healthy and strong vegetables in the beds!

Your Katerina Shlykova (Grushenka)

Quoting and partial copying articles and stories, possibly indicating the source in the form active link to the corresponding page on the website.

garden beetle(Phyllopertha horticola) is a beetle from the genus lamellar. The garden beetle is a very common shiny little beetle. You can meet this small shiny beetle in the vast territories of Eurasia, with the exception of the northernmost and southernmost places. This small voracious beetle is, if not omnivorous, then certainly a polyphagous pest of many crops and can feed on many plant species. Pests are adult beetles and their larvae. Beetles damage the flowers and leaves of many plants, and beetle larvae gnaw on the roots of plants.

In the photo, the garden beetle is on the side

Description of the garden beetle. In appearance, the garden beetle is similar to the May beetle, only smaller in size. The length of the body of the beetle is from 8 to 11 mm, the width is from 4 to 6 mm. The body is shiny, slightly convex, oval, oblong and not wide, covered with thin protruding light brown hairs. The beetle's head, pronotum, scutellum, and pygidium are green or blue-green in color with a metallic tint. The elytra of the beetle are brown, red-brown or yellow-brown in color. Along the edge of the elytra there is a border of a darker color. The beetle has 6 legs, the legs are black and shiny in color, covered with small hairs. Fore tibia externally with two teeth. Antennae lamellar, open like a fan, black in color.

In the photo, a garden beetle, a view of the beetle from below

Beetle lifestyle. Beetles lead an active lifestyle in warm and sunny weather. The flight of beetles begins in mid-May and ends in August. The garden beetle does not like heavily shaded and wetlands, as well as dry areas with sparse vegetation. Prefers to settle in places with rich vegetation. The garden beetle is often found in gardens, on the edges of forests and forest glades, in meadows, cottages and vegetable gardens. The garden beetle is an omnivorous beetle with a good appetite. Adult beetles (imagoes) feed on flowers, young leaves and ovaries of many plants.

Adult beetles live 15-30 days. After a mating period, female beetles burrow into the ground, lay 20-40 eggs, and then die. Beetle eggs are white, almost round. The egg develops from 10 to 20 days, after which a larva emerges from it. The beetle larva is up to 25 mm long. The body of the larva is white, the head is yellow, without eyes. The larvae live in the soil and develop for about 10 months. The larvae feed on the roots of various plants. The larvae overwinter in the soil. Overwintered larvae pupate in early spring, in April-May. Like all horn beetles, the pupa is open and has prominent legs, wings, and antennae. Before pupation, the larva makes a cradle in the ground. The pupal stage lasts about 15 days. After pupation, adults emerge from the pupae - adult beetles. The adult beetles mate and the life cycle of the beetles is repeated. This cycle of development and life of the beetle takes place within 1 year.

Special signs of the beetle. How to distinguish a male from a female? In the male, the spur on the inner edge of the fore tibia is located opposite the main tooth. In the female, the spur is located noticeably higher than the main tooth. In the male, the club of the antennae is as long as the flagellum, but shorter than the length of the entire antennal stalk. In the female, the club of the antennae is noticeably shorter than the flagellum. The body size of the female beetle is slightly larger than that of the male.

About garden beetles. This shiny little beetle is a big crop pest. Pests are adult beetles and larvae. Beetles and faces feed on almost any vegetation, gnaw on the roots of plants, eat leaves and flowers, gnaw on the ovary and fruits of fruits and vegetables. There are these insect pests, small beetles everywhere. Despite their small size, these beetles can cause great trouble to various vegetation. The beetles, beetles and bronzes are frequent guests in the garden and garden, and both types of beetles love to eat flowers.

Below on the site you can view and download large and beautiful photos of garden beetles.

Beautiful photos of a garden beetle: