Maisky Khrushch is a highly developed pest

May beetle (Khrushch) is an insect belonging to the order of coleoptera, a beetle family, a family of lamelliformes. This genus is quite numerous, it includes about 40 species. One of the species, namely, the eastern May Khrushch, is especially common in the territory of our country.

This is a large beetle. The length of the convex-oval body is 2-3.5 cm. It is covered with a chitinous shell, which serves as a protection. Color can be red-red (such individuals prefer open places) or black (these live in shaded areas).

The body, head and pronotum of the beetle are covered with a different length of hairlike scales. On the head are antennae, ending in a fan-shaped dissection. Maisky Khrushch has three pairs of walking legs, covered with hairs and ending with claws, thanks to which it is able to hold on to the leaves and bark of trees. The front legs are much stronger than the other two pairs, because the beetles dig holes before laying eggs. Despite the fact that the beetle has elytra and flying wings, it flies with difficulty, slowly.

Oriented in space due to a well-developed system of sense organs May bug. Khrushch can look all around thanks to complex eyes, consisting of thousands of simple eyes, located on both sides Head. Antennae find the beetle with food by the beaks, in search of which it is able to fly almost a kilometer. May fruiting feeds on plant food thanks to the mouthpiece of the gnawing type. Chips (oral appendages) are responsible for the choice of food. The beetle probes the food and feeds it into the mouth.

May beetles - insects are dioecious. The males die after mating. Females burrow into the soil to a depth of 30 cm and lay eggs in bundles (20-30 pieces each). After laying eggs, the females also die. From the eggs, after a month and a half, larvae leave. They are dirty white, fleshy, with legs, mobile. Head with antennae, jaws, but without eyes.

Larvae develop in the ground for 3-4 years, passing several lines. In the first year they feed on plant remains, and in 2-3 years - plant roots. In the last summer of life in the soil, the larva turns into a pupa. The insect at this stage already looks like an adult beetle. However, it does not increase in size and does not move, Its wings are short, color white. At this time, with hormonal effects, eyes, limbs, wings grow. By the beginning of autumn, the Mayday Khrushch is already full, but the way out of the earth is postponed until the spring.

Mass years fall in May, it coincides with the dissolution of the oak buds and birch leaves. On a warm spring afternoon, looking closely at the ground, you can see beetles crawling out of the soil after wintering. And in the evening, standing near the flowering tree, you can hear their buzz and see the flights. Maisky Khrushch damages the flowers and young leaves of plants, causing great harm.

It is necessary to fight both with adult individuals, and with their larvae. In small areas, they can be shaken off trees, collected manually, destroyed or used for bait when fishing. Larvae also need to be destroyed or collected for the same purpose during the digging of the soil.