Hello, dear readers! I’ll wait a while to write articles about garden flowers and return a little to the topic of garden pests. The golden bronze is an aesthete pest that eats probably the most beautiful garden flowers, including roses.
These golden-green beetles shimmer incredibly beautifully in the sun with a bronze-copper-gold tint. They captivate with their dazzling beauty, but in fact they are formidable pests. Most of all, bronzes love white, yellow and yellow-pink roses; they probably find them tastier because they are sweeter.
The beetles feed on flower parts, climb into the core of the buds and eat it away. After the core is destroyed, the bud simply does not open and withers. Often in the buds of roses you can find several beetles feasting on the flower, and there can be more than a dozen of them on the bush.
You can collect beetles during the flowering of roses in the early morning, shaking them on the ground and then collecting them. Besides, early spring You can dig up the soil around the roses. This mechanical method of combating bronzing is quite effective, but still not problem solver entirely.
To fight bronze, it is better to combine several products according to their effectiveness. But still, the mechanical method is safer in relation to environment, and therefore it is better to give preference to it.
Many gardeners simply often collect beetles by hand. This is not difficult to do, since golden bronze is activated on sunny and hot days, so the beetle is easy to distinguish. TO mechanical methods The fight also includes so-called light traps. They use bright lamps that are installed near flower beds and turn on at night. Place a container of kerosene under the lamp. At night, beetles fly into the lamp light, get burned on the glass and fall into kerosene, where they die.
Prevention plays an important role in the fight against bronze. In order to prevent pest larvae from multiplying in the garden, it is necessary to get rid of rotten stumps and rotted vegetation, since these are the places where bronze beetle larvae live.
Birds are the worst enemies of bronze birds; attract them to the garden by building tree houses for them, and there will be fewer pests in the garden.
In case of a massive accumulation of beetles, you can use an insecticide - for example, against. But you only need to spray the soil under the bushes, and not the flowers themselves, and this should be done before sunset. Golden bronze beetles, as a rule, spend the night on the ground at the foot of the plant, so treating this area is quite effective in combating them.
This insect, widespread in Europe, is often mistaken for the May beetle. It is difficult to say what caused this misconception. Golden bronze and Khrushchev (which belong to the same family, have a similar structure and lead approximately the same way of life, however, it is quite easy to distinguish one insect from another. Khrushchev look more “modest”, since they do not have the bright metallic sheen characteristic of bronzes The color of their elytra is brown or reddish-brown, with whitish speckles. The May beetle is larger than the bronze beetle, its length reaches 3 cm. In addition, its body is more elongated and abundantly covered with hairs (with the exception of the elytra). recognized as an agricultural pest.
Golden bronze: classification and habitat
Bronze beetles belong to the Lamellar beetles (Scarab-like) family and the order Cetonea (“metallic” beetles). Their closest relatives are beetles, scarabs, copra beetles, rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles. The largest representative of the family is the goliath beetle, whose weight is about 100 g. The common bronze beetle, along with the copper beetle, is one of the most numerous species. It is found in all regions of Europe (except some areas of Portugal and Spain), in Crimea, Eastern Siberia, Transcaucasia and some countries Bronzovka feels comfortable only in a relatively humid climate, so these beetles do not live in deserts. Some species of these insects (in particular, the beautiful and smooth one) are listed in the Red Book, but the golden bronze insect is not yet in danger of extinction.
Even in regions with an unfavorable ecological situation, the population of the common bronze is not declining.
Its exotic relatives prefer tropical climates. There are especially many of them in India and Africa.
What does golden bronze look like?
The length of the body of this beetle is from one and a half to two centimeters, the width is up to 1.4 cm. From below it has a golden-bronze, brownish color. Numerous variations are possible for the elytra, from the most common emerald green to reddish, purple, bright blue or even black. The main distinguishing feature of golden bronze is its bright metallic (mostly copper) shine. The elytra are decorated with several light transverse stripes. Compared to the cockchafer, the bronze beetle looks smoother and less “woolly.” One more interesting feature manifested in its movement: this beetle does not raise its elytra. To take off, it extends its folded wings through special side slits. This trick improves the aerodynamic characteristics of the insect, making its flight more maneuverable. As you can see for yourself, the picture below shows the characteristically colored Golden Bronzewing (photo in flight).
Stages of development
Bronzewort, like all insects, undergoes several metamorphoses during its life: a larva develops from an egg, a pupa from a larva, and from it an adult. The entire cycle takes about two to three years, and the beetle does not live more than a year. Female bronzebirds lay eggs in the summer, at the end of June or July, and die after some time. After a few weeks, the larvae hatch. They are thick, white or reach 6 cm in length. The larvae actively feed on cellulose and organic matter (weed roots, rotting plant remains, bark, hay, manure, mushrooms), and enrich the soil with digested food. Due to the gluttony of the larvae, this process occurs very quickly. The golden bronze does not touch living ones (being in the larval stage).
The larvae overwinter, burrowing into the ground. The following summer they turn into pupae. To do this, the larvae use short legs to form a cocoon around themselves from the sticky secretion they secrete. At the end of summer, an adult beetle emerges from the cocoon. Males differ from females only in size: they are larger; in general, bronzefishes are not developed. The beetle's activity lasts from late spring to mid-summer.
Lifestyle
The bronze insect lives in forests, gardens, parks, meadows and vegetable gardens. Females lay eggs in compost and manure heaps, rotten stumps, and hollows of dead trees. Both larvae and adults overwinter in approximately the same places. It is important to note that broncos prefer hardwood; They are not attracted to rotten spruce and pine trees.
Beetles are active during the day, especially if the weather is dry and sunny.
Nutrition
Bronze larvae are beneficial: by recycling rotting wood, weed roots and organic remains, they contribute to the formation of a fertile soil layer, which has a positive effect on the condition of the latter.
But the oral apparatus of adult beetles is not adapted for absorbing rough food. The golden bronze, the photo of which is located below, feeds on plant flowers (stamens, pistils and ovaries).
Young leaves and fruits also suffer from bronzes. Beetles do not disdain tree sap either. Unfortunately, bronzers love ornamental plants: roses (because of this they are even called “pink bugs”), peonies, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, as well as flowers (cherry, apple trees). They are interested in any field, meadow or ornamental plants with sweet juice.
Gardeners do not like bronze flowers because they have unsightly eaten flowers and “skeletonized” leaves.
Bronzovka in the garden
However, the golden bronze is not recognized as a pest. Its larvae are definitely useful, the pupae are harmless, and the damage from adult beetles is insignificant. Experts say that bronzes do not affect the yield of fruit trees. In addition, unlike larvae, adult beetles are not voracious and cannot cause much harm. Therefore, the fight against bronzes (by manual collection or using chemicals) does not make sense in most cases.
Golden bronze (Cetonia aurata) is a beautiful large “metal beetle” that flies beautifully. It eats the core of flowers and feasts on the pulp of fruits.
Bronze in peony flower
Description of golden bronze
Golden bronze ( Cetonia aurata) - a representative of the order Coleoptera (beetles), family Lamellaridae x. It belongs to the genus Cetonia ("metal beetle"). Entomologists distinguish five main subspecies of golden bronze and a number of aberrations (variants with additional characteristics and deviations from the typical pattern). The body length of the golden bronze is up to 22.5 mm. Color: emerald green, metallic.
In fact, the beetle is black, but the thin and complex microstructures of its integument, which refract and decompose light, create a play of rays, and the beetle appears metallic green, blue and even copper-red. This coloration, in contrast to ordinary pigmentation, is called structural, or optical (V.S. Grebennikov “Secrets of the world of insects”).
Golden bronzes feed on flowers (wild and cultivated herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs). They gnaw leaves, young shoots and petals. Flower cores are a delicacy for these beetles. They do not disdain the juice and juicy pulp of ripe fruits.
The golden bronze may not be elegant enough, but it is beautifully painted and shimmers with gold. Who has not seen this beetle, which looks like a large emerald, when it sits on a rosehip branch, standing out with its brilliant color against the delicate background of the petals! He sits motionless, day and night, enjoying the aroma of the flower, and at the same time having lunch. Only the too hot sun brings the beetle out of its stupor, and it flies away. Just by the appearance of this lazy creature, one can say that the bronze is a glutton (Jean-Henri Fabre “The Life of Insects. Stories of an Entomologist”).
On a warm sunny day, bronzebacks are especially active. They fly from place to place, sometimes during the flight they do not have time to go around a person and crash into him. As a result of such a collision, the beetle flops to the ground. Usually on the back. After much effort, he manages to roll over and stand in his normal position. The golden bronze design is incredibly interesting. The mechanism of its functioning has been worked out in detail. Here's just one example:
... nature has patented something interesting in the beautiful bronze oval aircraft. The elytra of the bronze fly are almost not raised during flight, lying tightly in their place, on the back. And the strong, sonorous wings are exposed from the side; for this purpose, there is a special cutout on the elytra, characteristic only of bronze birds. And these fast, nimble beetles in flight, with good maneuverability, can compete with such first-class flyers as bumblebees (V.S. Grebennikov “Secrets of the World of Insects”).
Bronze larva
Large white larvae can be seen in a pile of humus. He is fat and well-fed. They are often mistaken for cockchafer larvae.
The larvae of the bronze fly eat continuously and turn dead leaves and stems, already destroyed by rotting, into powder. The veins would remain intact for a long time in the rotting leaves. The larva also eats these slowly rotting remains: with its strong jaws it splits them into fibers and then gnaws them. In her intestines they turn into dough, quite suitable for fertilizing the soil. One of the most active producers of black soil is the bronze larva (Jean-Henri Fabre “The Life of Insects. Stories of an Entomologist”).
Interestingly, larvae planted in a jar with rotting plant debris continue to exist perfectly in captivity. They become the object of observation:
And the larvae lived for a long time in a jar of dust and sometimes showed my guests an original attraction: they rode around the table... on their backs. Don't be surprised: back riding is the only possible way the movements of these creatures, heavy, thick, very similar to the larvae of May beetles, but “offended by God” in relation to their legs, thin, short and weak. To the poor souls who find themselves outside the underground abode, open space, there is nothing left to do but move through energetic contractions of the body; It turned out that it is more convenient to do this while lying upside down until you manage to crawl to the shelter and return to your dungeon (V.S. Grebennikov “Secrets of the World of Insects”).
It is curious that the larvae of the bronze fly feel great not only in a pile of humus, but also in an anthill. Many wild animals know this, such as badgers and foxes. In search of food, they tear apart forest anthills and then devour the delicious fat larvae of the bronze beetle hibernating there.
Bronzovka as a pest
Flower growers do not like bronze beetles, since for them these beetles are deservedly a pest. I am annoyed when a blooming white lilac loses its luxurious inflorescences in just a couple of days. It is she who attracts the attention of large green beetles. They suck out all the juices from the flowers, leaving behind brown spots on the inflorescences. I got the impression that bronze women are especially attracted to white. This conclusion can be made if you look at lilac bushes of other colors growing nearby, compare rose hips (white and pink-raspberry) and peonies (very different). Of course, the adorable, voracious beetles are not limited to white or very light flowers, but they are happy to savor them first of all.
Bronzovkas did not appear on our site right away. They had nothing to do in a village in which blooming gardens had not yet grown. At some point, there were a lot of these emerald beetles. They have turned into a pest. I know many places in the Moscow region where there are practically no golden bronzes. Whether it’s a coincidence or not, they are well aware of the cockchafer, which is not found here.
The golden bronze flies perfectly, so there is no point in destroying it with the help of “chemistry”. The methods of destroying bronzes are different for everyone. Some plot owners crush beetles with their feet, others collect them and drown them in jars of water. Golden bronzebirds fly into open windows and doors of terraces and balconies, plopping down on the windowsill or floor with a crash. The beetles quickly come to their senses and try the taste indoor plants. The other day I removed the bronze from an orchid (phalaenopsis) flower. Even here, the gourmet beetle did not change its taste preferences. He chose a phalaenopsis with white flowers! IN recent years Alarming information is increasingly appearing in the media that bronzes are willingly switching to ripe fruits, which, of course, does not please gardeners.
Bronzovka in the Red Book of the Moscow Region
Fiber's bronze, or brilliant ( Protaetia fieberi), which differs from the golden bronze by “a smooth, shiny, raised peri-sutural area of the elytra and a wide process of the mesothorax between the middle pair of legs.” It is clear that only an entomologist can determine the difference between these species. The golden-green (copper-red or light bronze) beetle most often lives in broad-leaved forests. Especially in oak ones. It feeds on tree sap and flowers. Its larvae live (and overwinter) in rotten wood of oak, poplar, willow and other deciduous trees. In the Moscow region, Fiber's bronze has become very rare species: “The highest numbers are near the settlement. Boloomut, where you can observe 3 - 4 individuals per field season. To date, it has not been found in similar biotopes in Ozersky and Serebryano-Prudsky districts.” The brilliant bronze can be found in one of the reserves of the Serpukhov region and in the southeast of the region.
In addition to the golden bronzer, the smooth bronzer is included in the Red Book of the Moscow Region ( Protaetia aeruginosa) and marble bronze ( Protaetia marmorata).
It becomes uneasy to think that the population of the pretty golden bronze, the worst enemy of flower growers, also has a clear tendency to decline. “Irresponsible” gardeners (including me) are confidently approaching the day when this beetle will be listed in the Red Book.
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It's like a small piece of shiny metal flies through the air and lands on the ground.
What is this fast-moving creature that from a distance looks like a very small metallic green quadcopter?
This is a beetle, and its name is bronze But, despite its interesting appearance, this bug, like many other insects, does some harm. Why did nature create it? To please the eye, or to spoil the lives of others?
Appearance bronzes
As already said, bronze very beautiful bug. It is divided into various types, belongs to the coleopteran insects of the subfamily of bronzes.
The seven main subspecies of this insect have different colors, body sizes, feed differently and have different habitats.
But almost all of them have a shiny, metallic paint various shades. Species names are also determined primarily by color.
So, for example, golden bronze It mainly has a golden greenish sheen on the back, while its belly is red with a green tint.
In the photo there is a golden bronze
This species is 15-20 mm in length. Bronzovka green It has a bright green metallic luster and a smaller size - up to 20 mm.
In the photo the bronze coat is green
Another small-sized species - hairy bronze, its entire black body is covered with gray or yellow hairs.
In the photo there is a shaggy bronze cat
Marble bronze does not have the usual golden shine, it is dark, almost black with a green tint, and has spots on its back.
The photo shows a marble bronze
This is the most close-up view, reaches a length of 27 mm. Typically, all shiny species have green legs and black antennae.
The head is most often covered with thin, sparse hairs; the elytra have a thin white pattern.
Externally, the bronze beetle can be confused with the cockchafer, because they are from the same family and are really very similar.
The difference from many other beetles is the ability of bronze beetles to maneuver maneuverably, which is possible thanks to the elytra folded in flight. Transparent flight wings come out from the sides.
Bronzer's habitat
Bronzewort can be found almost throughout Eurasia; it does not live only in mountainous and desert areas.
Depending on the species, the habitat is slightly different. For example, golden is distributed from the south of Scandinavia to the Balkans, on the coasts Mediterranean Sea, in Asia Minor, Tajikistan.
Smooth bronze It is classified as an endangered species; it lives in temperate climates, most often settling in old gardens and forests. Bronzovka smelly prefers areas with warm climates.
In the photo the bronze is smelly
The habitat of the bronze is very large, but there are places where it does not live. For example, it does not like desert areas, does not live in the northern part of the Crimean peninsula, in steppe spaces.
In Russia, the northern border of the range runs along the Karelian Isthmus, the eastern border is on Lake Baikal, and from the south the range is limited by the Crimea and the Caucasus.
Due to the fact that the bronze beetle is a non-migratory insect, and its larvae must feed on woody vegetation, it is found only in areas with bushes and trees.
Golden can be found in semi-deserts and deserts, but only in river valleys, where there is the growth it needs.
Bronzovka prefers open, light areas - forest edges, plots, clearings, meadows.
Sometimes they are also found in the forest - they fly deep into the forest for the sake of the sap flowing from the trees, which some species primarily feed on.
Lifestyle of the bronze beetle
Bronzovkas lead an active lifestyle in daylight hours days, especially love sunny, bright days.
Then they fly from place to place, moving at an impressive speed for such massive insects.
It happens that a bronze bird does not have time to go around an obstacle it encounters, crashes into it and falls to the ground with a dull thud.
A bronze whale that falls from the sky usually lands on its back and flounders in the dust for a long time before it manages to regain its former balance.
But in most cases, bronzes are very maneuverable, and rarely lose face.
The beetle spends energy sparingly; it tries to choose flowers and inflorescences on which it can linger longer in order to both rest and eat.
In cloudy weather, they try not to get out of their shelters, which are provided by the leaves and roots of plants.
Overnight stays are also most often arranged on the ground. The bronzes spend the winter months there in the ground.
In different areas of the range, the activity of bronzes varies. In some places the flight lasts 2.5 months, in others 4.5 months, depending on the number of hot days.
Bronze food
Bronzovki, depending on the type, eat different foods. But these are always different parts of plants.
For example, the stinking bronze beetle feeds on flower pollen, while its larvae eat roots. The smooth one loves the juice of overripe fruits, and the green one eats the whole flowers.
Flowers of wild and cultivated plants and trees. Bronzeworts feed on leaves and thin bark, and drink tree sap.
Due to the fact that it happily eats flowers and young shoots of such cultivated trees as apple and pear trees, it is considered a pest among gardeners.
With any pest people are fighting, was no exception and bronze– to destroy the beetle in the soil under fruit trees various drugs are instilled.
Since the bronze fly spends the night in the ground, the poison will affect it, but will not harm beneficial insects, such as bees.
IN wildlife Bronzeworts most often eat the flowers of knotweed, mountain ash, sorrel, thorns, peas, thistles, sage and many other plants.
In gardens and vegetable gardens, rose hips, apple trees, pears, beets, carrots, mustard, rye, and corn suffer from them.
Bronzovka also loves cultivated flowers - lilacs, irises, roses, dahlias and even home orchids.
Beetles suck out plant sap and eat stamens and pistils. On young shoots they like to eat the bark and edges of leaves.
Reproduction and lifespan of the bronze beetle
When it is time to mate depends on weather conditions. If they are favorable, the bronzes will mate and the female will lay 15-20 eggs.
She does this in rotten stumps, compost heaps, anthills. Eggs develop Bronze larvae up to 5 cm in size.
Over time, they build a cocoon around themselves, gluing together leaves and pieces of wood with their secretions. What gender the children will turn out to be depends on the ambient temperature.
If it is too cold or hot, only males or only females will hatch from the cocoons. The insect fully matures only after 2-3 years.
