Today we managed to photograph and videotape the activity of the golden bronzes, which at the moment have chosen the flowering horseradish. During the shooting, two large beetles were deftly operating in the upper part of the plant at once. At the same time, on a number of strawberry bushes, some flowers have been completely eaten away over the past few days (not all in a row!). And something tells me that this metallic green beetle can be put in the dock!

What do bronzovkas eat?

Today I found my heroes not eating strong-smelling horseradish flowers, but, as it seemed to me, eating pollen and drinking sweet flower nectar. It seems to be a completely harmless, even useful activity - pollination of flowers. Bees and other pollinators worked in the neighborhood of the beetles, but not nearly as hard as these large beetles.

According to Wikipedia, the diet of bronzes also includes the flowers themselves, leaves of wild and cultivated plants, flowing tree sap and even overripe fruits and berries. Sometimes the beetle eats plantings of young beets, seed plants of carrots and cabbage.

It is absolutely established that the bronze feeds on strawberry flowers. This is actively signaled on the forums by many summer residents of the central strip. It seems that it was this pest that damaged the strawberries in our area. Otherwise, all the flowers on the bush would have suffered, and so only a few. Apparently, the beetle flew from flower to flower and ate them completely. Only green stems remain without flowers.

Currently, bronzovok is among the pests of agricultural plants that can cause moderate damage to the crop. On decorative flowers and fruit plants they can not only feast on pollen, but also eat away stamens and pistils. Leaves and young shoots of cherries, apple trees, grapes, roses and other plants can suffer. They gnaw at the edges.

Later, eating overripe fruits, golden bronzes can damage the fruits of cherries, raspberries, grapes, mulberries, and cherries.

By the way, home flowers can also suffer. For example, many gardeners write that bronzes that accidentally flew into the house are happy to feast on the flowers of domestic plants, in particular orchids.

When the bronzes attack

In the European part of Russia, bronze can be found in the garden from the second half of May to mid-September. A massive raid of these beetles occurs at a time when most crops are already fading and starting to set fruit. Therefore, in comparison with other pests, for example, the Colorado potato beetle, aphids, bronzes are an order of magnitude more harmless.

Control measures

Large agricultural enterprises do not provide for any special measures against this pest. Ordinary summer residents act differently. Someone catches the beetles by hand and crushes them, others collect them in jars of water and drown them. Chemistry is ineffective here.

Where do they winter

Bronzovki overwinter in heaps of humus, as well as in anthills. That is why many forest animals (foxes, badgers and others) dig anthills in winter in search of appetizing high-calorie larvae. By the way, the larvae themselves are absolutely harmless for the garden and even do useful work, effectively processing the substrate.

Bronzovka Fiber in the Red Book of the Moscow Region

The beetle, like 2 drops of water, looks like a golden bronze, brilliant bronze (Fiber) is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region. Only an experienced entomologist will notice the difference between them. Also in the Red Book are marble bronze and smooth bronze.

Thus, the number of these beautiful beetles in middle lane Russia is currently shrinking. Therefore, think again whether it is worth killing these moderate enemies of flowering plants.

Kingdom: Animals

Type of: Arthropod

Class: Insects

Detachment: Coleoptera

Family: Lamellar

Genus: Bronze

View: Golden bronze

Description

Bronzovka is a representative of the order Coleoptera (beetles), the Lamellar family. It belongs to the genus Cetonia ("metal beetle"). Entomologists distinguish between five main subspecies of golden bronze and a number of aberrations (options with additional features, deviation from the typical sample). The body length of the golden bronze is up to 22.5 mm. Coloring - emerald, green "metallic".

In fact, the beetle is black, but the thin and complex microstructures of its integument, which refract and decompose light, create a play of rays, and the beetle appears metallic green, blue, and even copper-reddish. Such a coloration, in contrast to ordinary pigmentation, is called structural, or optical (V.S. Grebennikov "Secrets of the world of insects").

On a warm sunny day, bronzes are especially active. They fly from place to place, sometimes during the flight they do not have time to go around a person and crash into him. As a result of such a collision, the beetle flops to the ground. Usually on the back. After great effort he manages to roll over and get back to his normal position. The golden bronze is arranged incredibly interestingly. The mechanism of its functioning has been worked out in detail. Here is just one example:

... nature has patented something interesting in the aircraft of a handsome bronzovok. The elytra of the bronze are almost not raised during flight, they lie tightly in their place, on the back. And strong ringing wings are set on the side, for this there is a special cutout on the elytra, which is characteristic only of bronzes. And these fast, agile beetles in flight, with good maneuverability, can compete with such first-class flyers as bumblebees (V.S. Grebennikov "Secrets of the insect world").

Spreading

Golden bronze is common throughout Eurasia, with the exception of mountainous regions and deserts. It is found from the south of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Great Britain throughout Europe to the extreme south of the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas, on the Mediterranean islands - the Balearic, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, throughout Asia Minor, in Asia Minor and northwestern Iran, along Dzungarian Alatau and Tien Shan, the species penetrates into Central Asia, in the south to Northern Tajikistan. Starting from the Volga delta, the southern border of the range goes to Inder Lake, the headwaters of the Emba, the northeastern tip of the Aral Sea, then along the Syr Darya River, from where to Samarkand, then to Osh, Gulcha, then in China (Xinjiang Province) to the headwaters of the Kunges River . From here it passes through northwestern and northern Mongolia to the Kharagol River (north of Ulaanbaatar).

Among this very extensive area there are separate areas where the golden bronze does not live: the northern Crimea, loess steppes between the lower Dnieper and the Molochnaya River, a significant area north, south and southwest of Lake Balkhash - in the Bet-Pak-Dala desert, on Balkhash sands, in the Muyunkum desert and adjacent steppe spaces.

On the territory of Russia, the northern border of the range passes through the Karelian Isthmus, the southwestern tip of Lake Ladoga to Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Perm, Yekaterinburg, north of Omsk to Novosibirsk, Tomsk - to the northern tip of Lake Baikal. The eastern border runs along the western shore of Lake Baikal. The species was also found in Amur region. The southern border passes outside the European part - beetles are found up to the extreme south of the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Being associated in the larval phase of the life cycle with woody vegetation, golden bronze is found only in biotopes with trees or shrubs. In this regard, it is ubiquitous in the forest and forest-steppe zones. It is also widespread in the subzone of forb-fescue-feather-grass steppe, since extensive ravine forests and large thickets of shrubs grow in it. However, this species is not found in the steppe, semi-deserts and deserts under typical conditions. Here, golden bronze is tied exclusively to river valleys, where trees and shrubs grow. For example, in the Caspian semi-desert, it is found only in the floodplain and delta of the Terek.

Golden bronze is found in well-lit areas - glades, meadows, edges and deforestation. In the depths of the forest it occurs in very small quantities, although sometimes beetles are attracted here, for example, by flowing tree sap. In the forb steppe, the species is distributed everywhere in open areas. In the north of the range it is found in flat terrain, although it also lives in the mountains (in the Urals). In the south of its range, the golden bronze is mainly associated with mountainous areas, especially in Transcaucasia and Central Asia, where it mainly inhabits mountainous areas. In Transcaucasia, it lives at an altitude of 1540 m a.s.l. y. m., near Lake Sevan - at altitudes up to 2000 m, in Chechnya and Ingushetia - 1600 m, in Central Asia near Lake Issyk-Kul - over 1600 m, and on the Ferghana Range - up to 2300 m.

Main types

Bronze is not the name of the beetle, but the name of the genus, which includes a large number of species, the main of which are:

• Smooth bronze. Widely distributed in regions temperate climate. Most often found in gardens and forests with diseased old trees. It practically does not harm flowers, since the juice of overripe fruits and plants is the basis of its diet. The body has a golden green, in some cases with a blue or red tint, the length of such a beetle is about 30 mm.

• Smelly bronze. Prefers a warm climate. The larvae develop in the ground, feeding on the roots of plants, adult beetles - pollen. The insect has a shiny black color with white patches and a body length of approximately 12 mm. On the body of the adult there are white hairs, which disappear with age.

• Marble bronze. It lives in the forest and forest-steppe zone, preferring old gardens and forests with many diseased and rotten trees. It is the juice flowing from such trees that she feeds on. The length of the insect is 27 mm, the color is black-bronze with a green tint.

• Green bronze. The main source of nutrition for it are stamens, pistils and flower petals. The beetle got its name due to its green color, often with a golden hue. The body length reaches 20 mm.

• Congo bronze. It is found in places where the climate is tropical, lives in bushes and trees. It feeds on fruits, leaves and flowers. It has a rather short life cycle - about 2 months. Exotic lovers like it with its yellow-orange color, some keep such beetles at home.

Food

Bronzovka is an exceptionally peaceful and herbivorous creature. Very fond of flowers (including flowers of cultivated plants). However, in most cases, harm to Agriculture does not represent. In addition to flowers, it eats young leaves of some plants, fruits, and tree sap. In places where the juice comes out, large clusters of beetles can form.

Bronzovkas feed on flowers (wild and cultivated herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs). They gnaw leaves, young shoots and petals. A delicacy for these beetles are the hearts of flowers. They do not disdain juice and juicy pulp of ripe fruits.

The bronze is golden, maybe not elegant enough, but it is beautifully colored and shimmers with gold. Who has not seen this beetle, which looks like a large emerald, when it sits on a rosehip branch, standing out with its brilliant color against a delicate background of petals! He sits motionless, day and night, enjoying the scent of a flower, and at the same time having dinner. Only too hot sun brings the beetle out of its stupor, and it flies away. According to one type of this lazy person, we can say that the bronze is a glutton (Jean-Henri Fabre "The Life of Insects. Stories of an Entomologist").

Features of the life cycle of bronze

Despite the anatomical features of the insect, life cycle of this large green beetle is typical. Like any other insect, it hatches from an egg, then grows into a larva, turns into a chrysalis, from which an adult beetle (imago) soon emerges. The duration of this cycle is 2 years. Yellowish-white eggs are laid in the soil by females in early summer. Nests are anthills, black soil, dung heaps. After oviposition, the females die, and after a couple of weeks, white larvae hatch from the eggs. They feed on the remains of plants and dead roots, they do not like living plants. The bronze larva grows very quickly, reaching 6 cm in length. Her legs are very short, so she uses her spinal muscles to move around, crawling like a worm. Then her transformational processes begin: she takes on a C-shape, sheds twice and turns yellow.

The larvae of the beetle are completely uninteresting to ants, and they easily tolerate their neighborhood in their anthill. The larvae choose their homes for wintering. Badgers and foxes are aware of these features of the relationship, so sometimes they tear up forest anthills in search of such a delicacy as well-fed larvae of the bronze beetle. In winter, the larvae descend into the ground below the frost line and wrap themselves in a cocoon. They create it from dust, earth and a special sticky mass, which they themselves emit. In spring, the process of pupation begins, and closer to summer, adult beetles emerge from the cocoon. All summer and until autumn, they actively feed, then burrow into the ground and winter there. Only the next year they are ready to mate and lay eggs.

natural enemies

Adult beetles are part of the diet of some birds. These include rollers, rooks, jackdaws, magpies, jays, orioles, black-fronted shrikes. Of these, magpies, rollers and black-fronted shrikes especially often feed on beetles.

Ways to fight

Bronze can't deal much damage to flowers fruit trees, but it spoils young shoots, leaves and fruits. She is an unwanted guest on the site, because she gnaws holes and pits in parts of plants, after which the damaged places get sick and dry. Flower growers hate this beetle even more. How much work was spent to grow beautiful roses and phloxes, and the voracious pest consumed all this beauty as food.

Spray blooming trees poisons are not allowed: you will destroy the beneficial insects that pollinate the garden, and you will be completely without a crop. To combat the pest, you need to use other methods. At night, the beetles usually burrow into the ground. To kill them, bury Medvetoks or a similar preparation to a depth of 3-5 cm, and there it will not harm beneficial insects.

Carefully inspect peat and manure heaps, because there may be larvae. If pests are noticed, apply "Bazudin" in granules of 15 g per 10 m2 to these places. If you use similar products (Thunder, Repair, etc.), read the dosage in the instructions. Spray the plantings with "liquid smoke" or a green soap solution. If there are a lot of bronzes on your trees, spread a film on the ground and shake off the crown. Keep in mind that in sunny weather, beetles fly beautifully, so pre-spray the trees with water. Collect fallen insects in a bag and burn or fill with water. From decorative low plants, beetles can be collected by hand. And don't forget that these pests are rare in well-maintained gardens: they like rotten wood, hollows and cracks. Tidy up your plantings so that there is no place for the beetles to comfortably spend the night and lay eggs. Destroy diseased trees, cover up minor damage. Bronzovki are habitual food for black crows, magpies, rooks, jackdaws, and rollers. It is good if these birds fly to your site.

How is the larva of the May beetle different from the larva of the bronze?

The bronze larva has a traditional appearance for lamellar mustaches: thick, in the last stage of development quite large - up to 62 mm, curved in the shape of the letter "C" with a white-gray-yellow color. This description also includes the larvae of other beetles, for example, the May beetle, which, unlike the larvae of the bronze, are really pests. How to distinguish them?
If you look closely, the larvae various kinds beetles are different.

It can be seen that the bronze larva has shorter legs, a small head and smaller jaws. In addition, the bronze larva is more “woolly”. Perhaps it is worth taking a closer look at the underground inhabitants of the beds - not all of them are pests that must be ruthlessly destroyed.

Golden bronze: preventive measures

Preventive measures include plowing the soil immediately after winter, since beetle larvae hibernate in the ground, and by spring they make their way closer to the surface. At the same time, the cold is detrimental to them. Also, the larvae love heaps of humus, fallen and rotted leaves, rotten wood, so make sure that there is nothing superfluous on your site. Many still do not know the name of the green beetle, which pleases the eye with its iridescent emerald back, but causes irreparable damage to flowers in the garden and vegetable garden. It is sad that so far no effective measures have been found to combat golden bronze. But if you leave it to host on the site, you can lose the crop fruit crops and get a completely unsightly flower garden. The insect feasts on the core of delicate flowers, gnawing out the ovaries. However, some control measures help to reduce the number of the pest on the site.

This insect, widespread in Europe, is often mistaken for the cockchafer. It is difficult to say what caused this delusion. Golden bronzovka and beetles (to which it belongs and belong to the same family, have a similar structure and lead approximately the same lifestyle, however, it is quite easy to distinguish one insect from another. The beetles look more “modest”, because they do not have a bright metallic sheen characteristic of bronzes The color of their elytra is brown or reddish-brown, with whitish speckles. The Maybug is larger than the Bronze, its length reaches 3 cm. In addition, its body is more elongated and richly covered with hairs (with the exception of the elytra). recognized as an agricultural pest.

Golden bronze: classification and habitat

Bronzovki belong to the family Lamellar (Scarab-like) and the order Cetonea ("metal" beetles). Their closest relatives are beetles, scarabs, copras, rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles. The largest representative of the family is the goliath beetle, whose weight is about 100 g. Common bronze, along with copper, is one of the most numerous species. It is found in all regions of Europe (except for some regions of Portugal and Spain), in the Crimea, Eastern Siberia, Transcaucasia and some countries Bronzovka feels comfortable only in a relatively humid climate, so these beetles do not live in deserts. Some species of these insects (in particular, beautiful and smooth) are listed in the Red Book, but extinction is not yet threatened by the golden bronze.

Even in regions with an unfavorable ecological situation, the population of the common bronze is not declining.

Its exotic relatives prefer tropical climates. Especially a lot of them in India and Africa.

What does golden bronze look like?

The length of the body of this beetle is from one and a half to two centimeters, the width is up to 1.4 cm. From below, it has a golden-bronze, brownish color. Numerous variations are possible for the elytra, from the most common emerald green to reddish, purple, bright blue, or even black. The main distinguishing feature of golden bronze is a bright metallic (mainly copper) sheen. The elytra are decorated with several light transverse stripes. Compared to the Maybug, the bronze looks smoother and less "woolly". Another one interesting feature manifested in its movement: this beetle does not raise the elytra. To take off, he spreads his wings, folded in half, through special side slots. This trick improves the aerodynamic characteristics of the insect, making its flight more maneuverable. As you can see for yourself, the picture below shows a characteristically colored golden bronze (photo in flight).

Stages of development

Bronzovka, like all insects, undergoes several metamorphoses during its life: a larva develops from an egg, a pupa develops from a larva, and an adult develops from it. The whole cycle takes about two to three years, and the beetle lives no more than a year. Bronze females lay their eggs in the summer, at the end of June or in July, and die after some time. After a few weeks, the larvae hatch. They are thick, white or reach 6 cm in length. The larvae actively feed on cellulose and organic matter (weed roots, decaying plant remains, bark, hay, manure, mushrooms), and enrich the soil with digested food. Due to the voracity of the larvae, this process is very fast. Living golden bronzovka (being in the larval stage) does not touch.

The larvae overwinter by burrowing into the ground. The next summer they turn into pupae. To do this, the larvae, with the help of short legs, form a cocoon around themselves from the sticky secretion they secrete. At the end of summer, an adult beetle emerges from the cocoon. Males differ from females only in size: they are larger; in general, bronzes are not developed. The activity of the beetle lasts from late spring to mid-summer.

Lifestyle

The bronzovka insect lives in forests, gardens, parks, meadows and vegetable gardens. Females lay their eggs in compost and manure heaps, rotten stumps, in the hollows of dead trees. Approximately in the same places both larvae and adults hibernate. It is important to note that bronzes prefer hardwoods; rotten firs and pines do not attract them.

Beetles are active in daytime especially if the weather is dry and sunny.

Food

Bronzovka larvae are beneficial: by utilizing rotting wood, weed roots and organic remains, they contribute to the formation of a fertile soil layer, which has a positive effect on the state of the latter.

But the oral apparatus of adult beetles is not adapted for the absorption of coarse food. The golden bronze, the photo of which is located below, feeds on plant flowers (stamens, pistils and ovaries).

Young leaves and fruits also suffer from bronzovok. Do not disdain beetles and tree sap. Unfortunately, bronzes love ornamental plants: roses (because of this they are even called "pink beetles"), peonies, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, as well as flowers (cherries, apple trees). For them, any field, meadow or ornamental plants with sweet juice are of interest.

Gardeners do not like bronzovki for ugly eaten flowers and "skeletonized" leaves.

Bronzing in the garden

However, golden bronze is not recognized as a harmful insect. Its larvae are definitely useful, the pupae are harmless, and the damage from adult beetles is negligible. Experts say that bronzovki do not affect the yield of fruit trees. In addition, unlike larvae, adult beetles are not voracious and cannot cause much harm. Therefore, the fight against bronzes (by manual collection or with the use of chemicals) in most cases does not make sense.

Larvae of the bronze beetle and larvae of the May beetle, what is the difference? I did not know. I think that many do not know, but the May beetle larva is an enemy, and the bronze larva is a friend.

If there is not enough grass, then I mulch with old foliage. Constantly, especially when harvesting potatoes, I found such larvae, in large numbers, but they did not touch the potatoes. The entomologist was right!

All the larvae that I found, I used to give to the birds.

Time has passed.

In the fall of 2014, my son and I were putting compost into boxes. (For what - it is written). The son paid attention to good quality compost. And, surprisingly, the best compost was where the larvae swarmed! It wasn't even compost anymore! Most of all, it looked like granulated black soil! We selected the larvae by hand and gave them to the birds.

Another year has passed. In the autumn of 2015, my son's girlfriend helped me to shift the compost. This time, she noticed that where there are many larvae excellent quality compost! And I remembered the words of my son last year ....

So, young people notice everything when they want to! And I? Sclerosis, you need to write down ...

We selected the larvae and poured them into a box with fresh compost (the box was filled in 2015). I don't know if they will survive there in the winter or not, but I hope they will. Starting in the spring, I will launch bronze larvae there.

Bronzovka larvae are not enemies.

Upon closer examination of the compost heap, we noticed that earthworms live en masse in the lower layer, apparently they feed there. But bronze larvae can be found in any layer of compost. They perfectly process plant residues. After processing by larvae, the compost looks like granulated coffee, only black. If the larva gets on the bed (I didn’t notice it, or the beetle laid eggs), then the larva does not touch the roots of plants, tubers, the larva feeds on mulch and produces compost right on the bed.

To confirm - the Internet:

“... The bronze larva eats continuously and turns dead leaves and stalks already destroyed by rotting into powder. The veins would have remained intact for a long time in rotting leaves. The larva also eats these slowly decaying remains: with strong jaws, it splits them into fibers, and then gnaws. In her intestines, they turn into dough, quite suitable for fertilizing the soil. One of the most active manufacturers of black soil is the bronze larva ”(Jean-Henri Fabre“ The Life of Insects. Stories of an Entomologist ”).

“.... Bronzovka larvae are often found in compost. They are very similar to Khrushchev, you will not immediately find the difference. When the larva enters the garden, it, of course, can damage the plantings if there is no food familiar to it. But the larvae of the beetle do not belong to the "scavengers": they prefer to eat fresh plants ... "

How to distinguish the larvae of the bronze from the larvae of the May beetle?

Let's see how the beetle larvae differ. This photo is taken from the internet.

Bronze larva. Pay attention to the legs. They are short.

Now the larva of the cockchafer. Photo from the Internet.

“………..The way of movement of the larvae of the bronze looks very strange, and I do not know of similar cases among other insects. Its legs, albeit short, are no worse than those of many other larvae. But she never uses them and moves on her back. Only on the back, never otherwise! With the help of worm-like movements, resting the hairs of the back on the ground, it moves with its abdomen up, and its legs dangle in the air. Seeing such gymnastics for the first time, he will think that the larva has inadvertently tipped over and is beating, trying to roll over. He puts her back up, but the larva stubbornly turns over and continues to crawl up belly.
This mode of movement is so characteristic of her that even an inexperienced eye can easily recognize a bronze larva from it alone………” (Jean-Henri Fabre “The Life of Insects. Stories of an Entomologist”).

In this photo from the Internet, two different larvae.

On the right is the larva of the bronze, on the left is the larva of the May beetle. The larvae have different not only legs. The head of the May beetle larva is larger, and the jaws are larger and stronger.

I hope now it will be more clear to me and you, where is a friend and where is an enemy. In the autumn of 2016 I will try to take a photo and video of the compost processed by the larvae of the bronze.

You can watch a video of the 2016 compost produced by bronze larvae, as well as find out what a bear larva looks like, in the detailed article " Larvae in the compost. Larvae of the bear, bronze, May beetle. —

I will answer your questions in the comments.

The bronze beetle has relatively recently become a headache for gardeners and gardeners. For a long time it was hard to believe that this unusually beautiful insect with emerald iridescent wings and belly is a dangerous pest. Flowers become the object of his passion. fruit trees, vegetables and ornamental plantings. And he chooses the most beautiful flowers, eating away their centers. How to deal with this pest?

Bronzovka golden: description of the pest

The bronze beetle, or bronze beetle, belongs to the order of the beetles of the lamellar family, the genus cetonia, which means "metal beetle". Biologists distinguish at least five subspecies of this beetle, each of which has several deviations in appearance from the main subspecies. Therefore, the length of the oblong oval body of the beetle can be from 1.3 cm to 2.3 cm. All insects of this genus have front digging legs and antennae that are hidden on the head under a chitinous shield. Feature golden bronze - emerald color of the chitinous coating of the "green metallic" type.

Did you know? In fact, the color of the beetle is black. However, the structure of its chitinous coating is complex, refracting light. Therefore, due to the play of the rays decomposed into a spectrum, the surface casts an emerald green, copper-reddish, and sometimes even a blue tint. Such pigmentation is called optical or structural.

Due to its size and anatomical features, the insect is often called the green cockchafer. They belong to the same family, but to different genera. Therefore, calling these two insects by the same name is a mistake. Moreover, they have a completely different character of behavior.

So, bronzes are active only in sunny warm weather, although even at this time they can be clumsy. In the bright warm sun, they move from bush to bush or from flower to flower. But sometimes they do not have time to orient themselves and crash into a walking person or animal. They fall on their backs and take an incredibly long time to roll back.

Did you know? For those who claim that the green beetle is similar to the May beetle, it is useful to know the differences in the beetle's aircraft. So, if the May one raises the elytra for flight, then at the bronze they remain on the back, only slightly rising. She releases her wings on the sides through a special cutout in the elytra. No other beetle boasts such a flight design.

The beetle's activity period begins in late spring and lasts no more than 4.5 months, depending on the region. If the day turned out to be bad weather, the golden bronze insect sits motionless all day on the flower, fixing itself on it with its front paws and head. At night and during periods of cooling, it slips or falls down and burrows into the ground at the stem and root of the plant. The beetle lives throughout Eurasia, except for deserts and mountainous regions.

Features of the life cycle of golden bronze

Despite the anatomical features of the insect, the life cycle of this large green beetle is typical. Like any other insect, it hatches from an egg, then grows into a larva, turns into a chrysalis, from which an adult beetle (imago) soon emerges. The duration of this cycle is 2 years.

Yellowish-white eggs are laid in the soil by females in early summer. Nests are anthills, black soil, dung heaps. After oviposition, the females die, and after a couple of weeks, white larvae hatch from the eggs. They feed on the remains of plants and dead roots, they do not like living plants. The bronze larva grows very quickly, reaching 6 cm in length. Her legs are very short, so she uses her spinal muscles to move around, crawling like a worm. Then her transformational processes begin: she takes on a C-shape, sheds twice and turns yellow.

Did you know? The larvae of the beetle are completely uninteresting to ants, and they easily tolerate their neighborhood in their anthill. The larvae choose their homes for wintering. Badgers and foxes are aware of these features of the relationship, so sometimes they tear up forest anthills in search of such a delicacy as well-fed larvae of the bronze beetle.

In winter, the larvae descend into the ground below the frost line and wrap themselves in a cocoon. They create it from dust, earth and a special sticky mass, which they themselves emit. In spring, the process of pupation begins, and closer to summer, adult beetles emerge from the cocoon. All summer and until autumn, they actively feed, then burrow into the ground and winter there. Only the next year they are ready to mate and lay eggs.

What harm does bronze do to the garden and vegetable garden

It is enough to know what the bronzovka eats in order to understand what harm it can do to the garden and vegetable garden. Her favorite delicacy is flowers and soft ovaries, and sometimes juicy soft fruits of fruit trees. Sometimes young shoots and leaves are used, but most of all, the beetle likes to climb into the middle of a flower and gnaw its reproductive organs - pistils and stamens. It is clear that after this the flower will wither, and one cannot dream of any fruits or beauty of the garden.

Did you know? Gardeners note that the green beetle, whose name is "bronze", is a great esthete. He prefers to eat the most elegant and light flowers, mostly white and light pink. If there are no such people on the site, he will not disdain other young inflorescences, but if he has a choice, he will gnaw these ones first.

The consequences of a bronze visit are immediately visible: wilted and dried flowers that lack a core, adult flowers with brown spots and damaged petals, leaves with a gnawed green plate. Some experts reassure, noting that bronzovka cannot cause serious harm to a vegetable garden or garden, as it appears on the site after the flowering of vegetable and fruit crops. The beetles themselves are not as voracious as the larvae, and the latter feed on what they find in the compost. But flower growers are not at all reassured by such statements. Every year they declare a golden fight to the bronze, in which they sometimes succeed.

Bronzovka: how to deal with a pest

Unfortunately, To date, there are no proven and effective measures to combat bronzovka. This pest has occupied gardens and orchards in our area relatively recently, and some experts still do not see it as a threat. Therefore, no serious studies on effective measures to combat it have been conducted. But gardeners and gardeners already have a concept of what bronze is and how to deal with this pest.

Important! Since the methods of struggle are not scientifically substantiated, it is better to combine them to increase efficiency.

mechanical way

First of all, it is recommended to give preference to mechanical method of struggle, because it is the safest for soil, plants and other insects. In addition, it is very easy to collect this beetle by hand due to its behavior. In cool weather, it reduces its activity and is completely defenseless. It is enough to know what the golden bronze looks like in order to assemble it by hand.

It is recommended to do this early in the morning, when the beetle has already crawled out of the ground onto the flower, but is still in a daze. If the morning is hot and the insect has already started eating, the flowers can be sprayed cold water. The beetle is removed from the flowers or shaken off on a pre-prepared litter, if the invasion is massive. Showered insects are recommended to be put in a jar of kerosene.

Another way - in the late afternoon, when it gets dark, put the lamp on, and under it a jar of kerosene. The beetles will flock to the light and fall into the jar, where they die.

Folk methods

If the bronze beetle flew into the garden en masse, control measures should be more serious. Folk methods recommend spraying plants to repel infusions or flocks of onions, horseradish, garlic, wormwood, tansy, dandelion and other plants.

For example, they take about 300 g of horse celandine roots and grass, which were collected during flowering, and pour a liter hot water. They insist for a day - two and spray the flowers with the addition of grated soap or a teaspoon of bath foam to the infusion. You can make an infusion horse sorrel at the rate of 30 g of roots per liter of hot water (infuse for three hours). Such treatments should be carried out regularly every five days.

Important! In some regions, the insect is listed in the local Red Book!

An infusion of wood ash is considered effective, which even the Colorado potato beetle is afraid of. To do this, a tablespoon of ash is insisted on five liters of water for about two days. After adding soap, the favorite places of bronze are sprayed. For flowers, liquid smoke is sometimes used, three tablespoons of which are dissolved in 10 liters of water with the addition of soap.

The most extraordinary folk methods wrestling - breeding of the enemy of the insect, scoliosis wasps. Her female finds a bronze larva, immobilizes and lays eggs on it. Food for the larvae of the wasp is the larva of the bronze. True, it is quite difficult to help the wasps find the places of laying eggs.