May bug: what does this insect eat?

These large, noisy beetles appear in May, where the name came from. But under certain climatic conditions they can be seen in April and June. Where does the May bug, what it eats and where it lives, are the most common questions for children who like to organize hunting for them. Their curiosity is quite understandable, because the number of insects changes every year, so children need to somehow explain this.

It is because of where the May bug lives, what it eats, and the possible harm that it can cause, it is considered the most dangerous pest. In order to learn how to deal with it productively, a huge amount of time has been spent. The females of these insects fly off on average a week later than the males, and they begin the aerial life immediately after the underground.

This May beetle, which eats indiscriminately leaves of young trees, is capable of causing huge damage to forest tracts. It is no less dangerous for fruit orchards, and many holiday-makers every year expect with horror the invasion of the Khrushchev (as they are also called). In order to reduce the number of pests, in the seventies of the last century there was an attempt to create sterilized males: they were irradiated, and then released to freedom. As a result of mating with such a specimen, the female could not produce offspring, which significantly reduced the population. But, unfortunately, for a short time, it was necessary to have a permanent batch of new specimens, so the experiment was not successful. Horseshoes can travel long distances. The May bug that eats young leaves, in their search can fly about 20 kilometers a day. Given such mobility and a fairly large number of individuals appearing every year, one can only try to imagine the extent of a possible disaster. But their distinctive feature is that, wherever they flew, they always try to return to the place where they appeared on the surface of the earth - it is impossible to knock down beetles from the landmark.

From what the May beetles eat, their settlement and choice of habitats most often depends, although they like to settle more in young pine forests. There the soil is very soft, which creates favorable conditions for the laying of eggs by the female. After the reproductive role is fulfilled, the current generation disappears, giving way to its offspring. It appears about 4-6 weeks after the eggs were laid - this is the first exit of the larvae. Young individuals develop for 4 years. What does the larva of the May bug eat while it ripens? At first, it feeds on the roots of grass and shrubs that are nearby, closer to winter hides deep into the soil. In the spring, the larvae again rise to the surface and continue to eat roots in the food, but they already like the larger pine trees. This lasts for three years, during the last winter they hide deeper than usual, and they become pupae that await spring. With her arrival, the young May beetle crawls to the surface on the surface and takes off to young trees to refresh after a long winter.