Weevil beetle and its larvae

Weevils

Weevils

Weevil species

Weevils

Weevils

Weevil Remedies

 

The weevil beetle belongs to one of the many species of the family of beetles. Very often they are called elephants or mowers. Such a harmless name hides one of the dangerous insects that destroys almost all known species of flora. The family of weevils (lat. Curculionidae) belongs to the order Coleoptera, one of the largest among this species of beetles. Their number reaches seventy thousand. Mostly elephants live in tropical countries. In Russia, about five thousand species of beetles were recorded.

Appearance of weevil beetle

Weevil belongs to the class of insects. Most of them are small beetles, reaching a length of several millimeters. Only tropical representatives differ in gigantic sizes, reaching up to 50-60 mm. According to the description of appearance, adults are very diverse. Depending on the species of beetles, weevils can be divided into the following groups:

• In size.
• The shape of the body distinguishes between rhomboid, spherical, pear-shaped and rod-shaped insects.
• According to the color of the chitinous cover, they can be of almost any color. Some individuals have a specific coating of pollen or a cover of scales.

  

The entire family of weevils can be divided according to such characteristics, depending on the structure of the front of the head, called the rostrum:

• Short proboscis - the rostrum is small in size, which does not exceed two lengths of the width of its base. Elephant larvae mainly live in the land.
• Long proboscis - the rostrum is long, often curved and refined to the apex. Larvae prefer to be placed on leaves or on the surface of plants.

The oral apparatus of adults is located at the end of the proboscis. In special vertex depressions, a cranked antennae with a characteristic mace is attached. A female weevil may look larger compared to a male. Although there are species in which there are no external gender differences. An adult female gnaws at a groove in the tissues of stems, leaves and lays eggs there. The size of one masonry can reach three dozen units. Long-tailed representatives most often lay eggs in nuts, apples and other fruits.

The larvae of the weevil are short-stemmed in the soil, where they feed on the roots of plants. They can have thickened, worm-like, fleshy bodies. The shape of the larva is curved and resembles the letter “C”. Rare setae are found on its outer cover of the beetle. The head of the larva is covered with a dark chitinous shell. The color of the painful larva is very diverse. They can be red, white, cream, yellow and brown.

After some time, the development of the elephant larva passes into the pupal stage. The rudiments of wings, the head with the proboscis and legs are clearly distinguishable on it.

Adult weevils are coleopteran insects equipped with an elongated cylindrical form of the cephalothorax, which allows pests not only to feed, but also to lay eggs deep in plant tissue.Beetle wings are well developed and allow individuals to travel long distances. Insects winter on the ground or in last year's foliage, but with the onset of spring they wake up and begin active life at an ambient temperature of + 10 degrees.

It is not difficult to answer the question of what the weevil eats. They easily eat leaves, stems, roots and fruits of plants. According to the food object, all elephants are divided into the following groups:

• monophages - pests of one type of plant crops;
• oligophagous - beetles feed on plants similar in appearance;
• polyphages are omnivorous individuals that destroy almost everything in their path.

These features mainly determine the sites of the greatest settlement of flora beetles.

Interesting!

Some weevils can be beneficial to humans. They are able to destroy weeds. Such insects live in Australia and Brazil. Two types of beneficial insects were introduced into Russia to cleanse water bodies from harmful salvinia.

The weevil beetle in the photo presented on the site makes it possible to carefully familiarize yourself with the variety of representatives of this class of insects. The danger of elephants is that they can cause great harm to numerous varieties of plant crops. This is due to the fact that at any stage of their development - an adult and a larva, representatives of the family of beetles feed on their favorite plants.

The main types of weevils

It is not possible to describe what the weevil and their larvae look like of all the most common species in Russia. Let's try to briefly describe some of the representatives:

1. Weevil barn. A small bug with underdeveloped wings. It spread around the world with crops and became a dangerous detachment of granary pests. Females lay up to three hundred eggs, one at a time, in holes made in grains of wheat, corn, barley, rye and other cereal crops. In addition to the larva, adults also harm the grain. A large degree of damage makes supplies absolutely unsuitable for food. Among the barn bugs that destroy a large number of grain reserves, there are: weevil rice, barn corn and rice shirokogobotkovy.
2. Beet elephant. It is dangerous for sugar beets. A large beetle with a short proboscis is covered with a thick cover of ash-gray scales. Appear on agricultural fields in the spring and before the emergence of seedlings, beets feed on weeds. Destroy the young growth of culture. Larvae develop in the soil near the root crop, damaging its main root. As a result, the quality indicators of sugar beets are reduced.
3. Striped nodule weevil. The pest feeds on legumes. Adults prefer the stems and leaves of plants, and the larvae of the weevil beetle destroy the root system. Females are able to lay up to three thousand eggs per season. The size of the beetle reaches 5 mm.

   

4. Fruit pests. Inflict irreparable harm to trees, destroying all parts of plants - the ovary, young shoots, flowers, bark and wood. The most common are vetch fruit, Crimean, cherry black and other types of dangerous pests of fruit trees.
5. Berry weevil. They destroy the planting of wild strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, grapes and other crops. A typical representative of this group of pests is strawberry elephantwintering under the bushes of wild strawberries, and with the onset of spring, parasitizing on the bushes of the plant.
6. Elephant acorn. It differs from its neighbors in a very long thin proboscis, the length of which is almost equal to the size of the body. At the end of the proboscis are strong jaws that perform the functions of a drilling machine. Females lay eggs in mature oak acorns.The female spends an average of eight hours to drill holes in the fetus. The larva develops in the middle of the acorn, feeding on juicy pulp. Having reached a mature state, she gnaws at the outer shell of her house and burrows into the soil. Pupation occurs in the spring.
7. Ussuri or buckwheat weevil. Destroys crops and crops of valuable crops.

It is not possible to list all the representatives of weevils and note the distinguishing features of each representative.

The main ways to deal with weevils

The primary task of those involved in the cultivation of crops and their storage is the destruction of weevils. In addition, it is necessary to get rid of pests at the household level.

In large agricultural enterprises, such effective methods are used:

• plowing and loosening of soil in autumn and spring, which allows you to destroy eggs laid in the ground;
• destruction of infected plants;
• crop rotation application;
• weed control;
• the use of modern insecticidal drugs.

All these measures help to significantly reduce the number of pests in the fields and in storage.

The elephant beetle in the photo presented on the site will help housewives and gardeners to recognize a dangerous pest in the house and in the garden.

If weevil is found in the apartment - home stocks, it is necessary to immediately begin its destruction. To do this, do the following manipulations:

• sort out all cereal supplies and sift the existing flour; collect and destroy the found pests;
• The main effective tool at home can be the use of roasting or freezing infected products.

The disadvantage of the latter method is the length of the period of exposure to extreme temperatures. After the events, a general cleaning is necessary in the kitchen and pantry.

Folk methods are good to use on the garden plot. Knowing what weevils are afraid of, it is possible to process crops with solutions of mustard, ash, laundry soap and ammonia. To get rid of the elephant will help infusions of wormwood, tansy, capsicum and other means.

If folk recipes are powerless, for weevil It is recommended to use effective chemicals. Processing them should be carried out in strict accordance with the instructions. Such insecticidal preparations are very popular among the population:

• Inta Vir;
• Karbofos;
• Actellik;
• Nemabact;
• Anthony-F.

Using certain methods, you can achieve positive results in the fight against the pest.