White beetle: a harmful snow-colored beetle

What does white Khrushchev look like: photo

Description of the beetle

Name: Khrushch white
Latin: Polyphylla alba

Class: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Coleoptera - Coleoptera
Family: Lamellar - Scarabaeidae

	Habitats:	Central Asia, steppes of Europe
	Dangerous for:	trees, roots
	Means of destruction:	agricultural technology, collection, chemicals

The size of the white beetle varies from 2,6 to 3,6 cm. The body of the male has thick, white, yellowish scales that cover the color of the body. There are no scales on the occiput, a small speck on the side, and a longitudinal stripe in the center of the scutellum.

The chest is covered with thick and long hairs. There are dense chalky dots in the upper part. The whiskers of males resemble a large curved mace, which is made up of 7 identical plates. Scales are rare in females.

Khrushchev: structure.

The body has a red-brown color. The mustache resembles a small mace. The eggs are round oval and white in color.

Larvae are thick, curved. They have 6 thoracic limbs that are yellow in color. On a brown head are yellow-brown jaws. On the lower part of the belly there are 2 rows of setae. They have a fine conical structure. Their number is from 25 to 30 pieces. The adult larva is about 7,5 cm long.

Habitat

The main habitat of the white beetle is Central Asia. However, it can be found in the steppe zone of Europe. The western border is located on the Dzharylchag spit. The northern limit is located in the Black and Azov Seas and deepens into the Voronezh and Saratov regions. The southern borders do not go beyond Anapa.

The diet of white beetle

The larvae damage the roots. Adults do not gnaw on roots. The white beetle feeds on:

Life cycle

The mating season falls at the end of June. Adults mate at night. By the beginning of July, females are placed in the sand and lay eggs. The number of eggs is usually from 25 to 40 pieces. After the end of this process, the females die. Eggs mature within a month.

Cartilage larvae.

From July to August, larvae appear. They hibernate for 3 years. In winter, the larvae are located in deep soil layers. The diet of the larvae consists of dead and living plant roots.

After the third winter, the pupation process begins. The place of pupation is an oval pupal cradle cemented from wood or earth. After 14 - 28 days, the beetles get out of the ground.

Protection of the site from the white beetle

There are several ways to protect the site from white beetle. You can use one of them, or you can use it in combination. You can set traps in the form:

• adhesive tape for flies pasted on boards in places of mass accumulation of beetles;
• containers filled with kvass or jam. Convenient to use a bottle or plastic cup

Agrotechnical methods

Agricultural practices include:

• fallow tillage;
• destruction of weed grasses;
• observance of crop rotation;
• increasing the amount of nitrogen in the soil by planting beans, lupins, white clover or scattering chicken manure;
• product of deep digging of the soil.

Folk remedies

From folk methods, vegetable mixtures are effective.

Biological and chemical means

Conclusion

White Khrushchev is an unwanted guest in gardens and orchards. With its appearance, the quality and quantity of the crop can be significantly reduced. To avoid the spread of the pest, it is necessary to apply agricultural technology and prevention in a timely manner.