Who eats Colorado beetles: pest enemies
As you know, all living beings in the world live according to the laws of nature, and each species has both enemies and allies. Watching the inhabitants of the wild, people realized that the diet of some animals consists of dangerous garden pests and they can be very good helpers in protecting the beds.
Content
Who eats Colorado beetles
Like other animals, Colorado potato beetles have natural enemies. They eat adults, larvae and eggs of these striped pests.
Most Enemies Colorado beetle are predatory insects and some species of birds.
What insects eat Colorado beetles
The natural enemies of striped pests among insects are:
- ladybugs;
Enemies of Colorado beetles.
- Bugs;
- ground beetles;
- lace-eyes;
- hoverflies.
These predatory insects destroy larvae and oviposition of the Colorado potato beetle, while ladybugs, due to their small size, cope only with larvae of the first age.
What birds eat Colorado potato beetles
Colorado beetle larvae are included in the diet of wild and domestic birds.
Wild birds are:
- starlings;
- crows;
- sparrows;
- grouse;
- cuckoo.
Among domestic birds:
- phase;
- guinea fowl;
- turkeys;
- gray partridges;
- regular chickens.
How to attract natural enemies of the Colorado potato beetle to the site
Wild birds and predatory insects just will not appear on the site. In order to attract them, it is necessary to create certain conditions. To make the garden and garden attractive to beneficial insects, you must perform the following steps:
- equip a shelter for wintering from a small wooden box filled with straw or hay;
- hang a lantern with yellow light outside to attract flying insects in the evening;
- arrange a flower bed on the site with marigolds, petunias or other flowers that bloom all summer;
- exclude the use of insecticidal preparations on the site, as they destroy not only harmful, but also beneficial insects.
As for feathered helpers, in this case it is easiest to release poultry into the beds. And in order for wild birds to appear more often on the site, it is enough to hang feeders on the trees and regularly leave treats in them.
It is worth noting that the stomachs of some bird species do not cope well with the digestion of the Colorado potato beetle, and in order for them to destroy the dangerous pest with pleasure, it is necessary to gradually introduce the larvae of this insect into their diet.
Why Many Animals Don't Eat Colorado Beetles
There are not so many natural enemies in Colorado beetles. This is due to the diet of the pests themselves. Since these striped beetles feed on plants from the nightshade family, toxic substances solanine accumulate in their bodies, which makes them inedible for many animals.
Conclusion
The extermination of harmful insects with the help of their natural enemies is the safest and most environmentally friendly method of protecting the beds. Its only drawback is its low efficiency. You should not rely only on the help of birds or other insects, because in order to achieve the desired result, other methods of dealing with a dangerous pest should be used in parallel.
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