Corn beetle control measures. Ground beetles in the apartment. Protection of winter wheat from grain beetle

Corn beetle - an early pest of grain crops

Systematic position: order beetles, or beetles, family of ground beetles.

Distributed in the Central Black Earth, North Caucasus and partly in the Volga regions. It causes the greatest harm in the Rostov Region, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories. Dangerous pest of grain crops. Strongly damages wheat, barley, rye, less often - some varieties of oats, sometimes - corn.

Distribution zones of the grain beetle in the Russian Federation

The beetle is 14–16 mm long, pitch-black above with a bronze tint, dark brown below; antennae and legs reddish-brown; elytra with deep punctate grooves. Larva up to 25 mm long, campodeoid, off-white, with dark brown head and thoracic segments; clypeus in middle with two forked teeth, between which there is a notch; with three pairs of pectoral legs.

The larvae of different ages hibernate in the soil at a depth, the 2nd instar predominates more often. Younger instar larvae die in winter at a temperature of -3°C, while those of the third instar endure cooling down to -9°C. In spring, the overwintered larvae resume feeding, the duration of which depends on the age of the larvae (optimal temperature is 10°C). The larvae that have finished feeding go to a depth of 10-20 cm, where they pupate in dense earthen cradles. In the southern regions, pupation occurs at the end of April. The pupal stage lasts 15 to 25 days. At a threshold of 8°C, the sum of effective temperatures of 180°C is required for pupal development. The optimum temperature for the development of pupae is 18-22 °C.

Daily food intake by larvae of the common ground beetle depending on changes in the temperature of their content and age

Approximate amount of food eaten by one larva of the common grain beetle for the entire period of development at a temperature of 18-20 °C

Characteristics of the environmental conditions that inhibit the vital activity of the imago of the common grain beetle

Hatching beetles appear on the fields, as a rule, during the flowering period - the filling of winter wheat grains. They are active after sunset, when they feed on ovaries and soft grains on the ear. One beetle can eat 2-4 grains of wheat per day. During the first few weeks after hatching, the beetles feed actively. This is observed at an optimum temperature of 20-26 °C. At temperatures up to 30 ° C, beetles become inhibited in activity.

Temperatures above 36 ° C can cause the death of beetles. Therefore, the grain beetle has developed an adaptation to the hot period of summer. Beetles that have finished feeding by the time of harvesting, with the onset of critical temperature and drought, take shelter from the heat in forest belts, under stacks, or climb into cracks in the soil to different depths, depending on the degree of its drying. This behavior is typical only for beetles that have accumulated a sufficient amount of fat. Beetles with a high fat content climb into the depth of the soil by 10-20 cm, sometimes even 40 cm. Beetles with a low fat content are forced to feed in hot weather, hiding in the surface layer of soil during the day. The resting state of the first beetles lasts 20-30 days or more. It depends on temperature and humidity conditions. As rain falls and temperatures drop, the beetles become active again. They emerge from the surface of the soil and start laying eggs. This is usually observed in the second half of August - early September. Egg laying continues during these two months, but may continue into October. One female can lay from 120 to 270 eggs, 2 times less than bread beetles. To lay eggs, the female climbs into the soil to a depth of 10 cm at optimal humidity, and in dry soil up to 15-25 cm and lying on her side (back) with the help of an ovipositor makes a small chamber up to 2 mm in diameter, 15 -20 eggs each. Embryonic development lasts 9-12 days at an average daily soil temperature of 23-25 ​​°C, and 20-25 days at a temperature of 12-140 °C. The larvae go through 3 instars in their development. There are ages according to the width of the head: 1st - 1.1-1.2 mm; 2nd - 1.65-1.85 mm; 3rd - 2.25-3.1 mm. The first week - the larvae are in the soil chamber. After hatching from eggs, they eat the egg shell. After one to two weeks, the larvae begin to actively move and feed. They live in the top layer of soil in minks next to plants. At night, the larvae crawl to the surface and feed on the leaves. During the day, they drag the leaves into their burrows and grind them down. Near the new plant, the larva again makes a mink and destroys it. It can feed on the leaves of winter wheat, barley, couch grass, bonfire, etc. When the temperature drops to -5 ° C, the larvae stop feeding and go to winter. The most favorable temperatures for the development of larvae are 16.5 °С - 18.2 °С. Lower and higher temperatures slow down the growth and development of larvae. The development of larvae is also influenced by the amount of precipitation. All this determines the age of wintering larvae. If a sufficient amount of precipitation fell in July-August (147 mm), larvae of the 3rd age go into wintering. In dry summers (20-32 mm), the development of larvae takes place later, and they leave for wintering at the first and second instars. Under such conditions, the duration of feeding of larvae in the autumn period differs. With sufficient precipitation, it lasts 85-105 days, and in a dry autumn - only 15-25 days. In the Krasnodar Territory, larvae of the 2nd instar mainly overwinter. The mass reproduction of the grain beetle is facilitated by optimal meteorological factors and violation of agricultural practices for growing cereals (growing cereals for several years in one place), losses can be up to 5-10 c/ha.

Taking into account the requirements of the grain beetle for high humidity, it can be assumed that its abundance increases under irrigation conditions. Ground beetle reproduction is limited by a critical drop in soil temperature in the late autumn and winter periods, causing the death of larvae. A large number of larvae die if there is a drought during the period of their hatching from eggs. With low soil moisture, ground beetle eggs do not develop.

In connection with the warming in the Stavropol Territory in 2016, the grain beetle fed on grain crops. A survey of crops for the harvest of 2016 was carried out on 976.9 thousand hectares. Settlement was detected on an area of ​​34.25 thousand hectares with an average number of 1.7 ind./m 2.

Between 2009 and 2013 The Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Protection carried out work on the biological and ecotoxicological assessment of insecticides and insectofungicides for the protection of winter wheat from the common ground beetle and black wheat fly at Success Agro LLC (Rostov Region, Salsky District), based branch of the State Scientific Institution VIZR Rosselhozakademiya Rostov NIL VIZR. Also, studies on the species composition of insects were carried out on winter wheat crops in the Rostov Region, Stavropol Territory and Krasnodar Territory since 2002. According to the results of the research, it was revealed that the agrobiocenosis of winter wheat in the steppe zone of Ciscaucasia is characterized by a significant species diversity of arthropods. Based on the results of an 11-year study of the species composition of harmful organisms, it was revealed that the most common and dangerous pests in the Rostov region are: the harmful turtle bug, the common grain beetle, the black wheat fly, the common and large cereal aphids, the red-breasted leopard, the common and black grain sawfly . Of the entomophages, spiders, predatory ground beetles, coccinellids, lacewings, syrphids, ichneumons and ktyrs are of the greatest importance.

The distribution of harmful organisms within the steppe zone of the Ciscaucasia has a distinct zonal character. The most harmful in the southern soil-climatic zone: the common grain ground beetle. In the conditions of the steppe zone of the Ciscaucasia, high biological efficiency on winter wheat is ensured by pre-sowing seed treatment with insecticides with active ingredients: imidacloprid, acetamiprid and insectofungicides with active ingredients thiamethoxam, fludioxonil, difenoconazole, clothianidin, fluoxastrobin, tebuconazole, prothioconazole in the fight against common ground beetle (60, 2 - 92.4%) and black wheat fly (40.2-85.9%); spraying plants in the seedling phase - the third leaf with insecticides imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, chlorpyrifos, bifenthrin, diazinon in the fight against common grain ground beetle (72.5-92.6%).

The use of insecticides with these active ingredients will make it possible to obtain a high economic effect and profitability of protective measures at the level of 71.0-82.5% while protecting winter wheat from common ground beetle and black wheat fly.

Methods for identifying and accounting for the grain beetle. Economic threshold of harmfulness

Accounting is carried out by the method of soil excavation of sites 0.25 m 2 in size, 30 cm deep. Samples are taken in a checkerboard pattern (16 samples per 100 ha). Examine all fields sown on ear predecessors, as well as crops adjacent to harvested grain ears. In autumn, the economic threshold of harmfulness is 2 larvae per 1 m2.

In March-April, after the resumption of the vegetation of winter crops, a survey is also carried out to clarify the need and volume of chemical treatments. The density of larvae is determined, they are divided by age and activity (feeding or not). With a uniform distribution over the field, it is recommended to treat the field with insecticides completely, when settling with spots - selectively. In June, during the period of milk and wax ripeness of grain, in order to clarify the population of winter crops with beetles, the marginal strips are examined without the use of excavations from 6-7 to 10 am, or from 6 pm to dusk, when the beetles are on the ears. If there are 8-10 beetles per 1 m 2 on crops, the use of insecticides is necessary.

Measures to combat cereal beetles

The protection of grain crops from grain beetles consists of organizational, economic, agrotechnical and chemical measures:

Organizational and economic activities:

• Reducing the area of ​​repeated crops of winter wheat
• Mandatory timely survey of fields;
• Clarification of the scope of protective measures depending on the prevailing weather conditions of the current year.

Agrotechnical measures:

• Timely harvesting with minimal loss of grain, which worsens the food base of beetles before and after summer diapause, and later the pest larvae;
• In the fields intended for re-sowing of spiked crops, it is necessary to completely remove the straw after harvesting, deep plowing with a layer turnover to a depth of 28-32 cm with the simultaneous application of mineral fertilizers or immediately after harvesting - stubble stubble and thorough incorporation into the soil of plant residues that attract females when laying eggs;
• Destruction of seedlings of carrion by cultivation and deep plowing;

Chemical control method:

• Against the larvae of the grain beetle, crops are treated with pesticides at a temperature not lower than 12 °. At low temperatures (+4…+8°C), preparations based on diazinon are the most effective.
• Before processing crops, it is imperative to excavate and determine the percentage of feeding larvae. Moulters include both immobile, C-shapedly curved larvae of white color, and mobile larvae with empty intestines, their chest and abdomen are white. In feeding larvae, the intestines are filled with dark green plant matter. Their color is gray-green to black. The decision to treat is made if the number of larvae exceeds the EW and feeding larvae predominate in the population.

To combat the grain beetle at low temperatures, the Chemagromarketing company recommends using Praktik, an organophosphorus insecticide with contact-intestinal action to combat sucking and leaf-eating pests, including soil-dwelling pests. Active ingredient "Practice" diazinon 600 g/l. Death occurs 30 minutes after treatment (depending on climatic conditions, the type and physiological state of the pest, the period may increase to 2-3 hours).

Mechanism of action: diazinon is a nerve agent and equally affects the body of warm-blooded animals and arthropods, phosphorylation of vital enzymes - esterases, suppressing their normal functions. Like other organophosphate insecticides, diazinon acts on cholinesterase, an enzyme that is a nerve impulse transmitter. Cholinesterase binds, as a result, it loses its activity and cannot cause the hydrolysis of acetylcholine. If cholinesterase is blocked by a pesticide, then free acetylcholine accumulates in the synaltic gap, the normal passage of nerve impulses is disrupted, and tremor (convulsive muscle activity) occurs, turning into paralysis.

The period of protective action is up to 20 days. The drug has a minimum temperature threshold among existing insecticides - +2 °C. The consumption rate for winter wheat is 1.5 l/ha.

A drug: the name of the pesticide, its formulation, the content of the active substance, the registrant, the state registration number, restrictions and the registration expiration date are indicated.
Numerical designations through a fraction from (1) to (4) after the indication of the registrant indicate the hazard classes of preparations. In the numerator - the class of danger for humans, in the denominator - for bees in the field.
(P) - prohibition of use in the sanitary zone around fishery reservoirs at a distance of 500 m from the flood boundary at the maximum standing of flood waters, but not closer than 2 km from the existing banks. For pesticides intended for pre-sowing treatment of seeds, it is forbidden to treat seeds in the specified zone, sowing of treated seeds is allowed.

Application rate: norms for the use of pesticides (by preparation) are indicated: for solid formulations - in kg/ha (for seed treaters - in kg/t), for liquid formulations - in l/ha (for seed treaters - in l/t). In other cases, application rates given in other units of measurement are indicated next to the numerical value of the pesticide application rate. Herbicide application rates are given on the basis of continuous tillage, with a belt method of application, the application rate is reduced in proportion to the decrease in the cultivated area.
(A) - permission of aerial treatments in these application regulations.
(L) - permission to use the drug in personal subsidiary plots. Regulations for the use of the drug in personal subsidiary plots are presented in a separate line.

culture: cultures are indicated. Two crops, for example, tomato and cucumber, are indicated for both open and protected ground, unless otherwise specified.

Harmful object: harmful objects against which this pesticide is recommended are indicated, for desiccants and plant growth regulators - the purpose of the drug.

Method, processing time, application features: posted method, processing time, application features. The expression "Consumption - 400 l/ha", "Consumption - 12 l/t", etc. means the flow rate of the working fluid (solution, emulsion or suspension), unless "Fluid flow rate" is indicated.

Waiting period (multiplicity of treatments): waiting times are indicated, in brackets the frequency of processing. The waiting period is the time interval between treatment with the drug and harvesting, indicated in days. If the application of the pesticide is uniquely single, for example, pre-sowing seed treatment, then a dash (-) or (1) can be indicated in the sixth column.

Exit dates for manual (mechanized) work: the timing of people entering the areas treated with pesticides for manual (mechanized) work on plant care is given in days.

The grain beetle is a serious pest of grain crops. The damage it brings to agriculture is very significant.

Beetle sitting on an ear of wheat

A well-organized fight against grain beetle will save the harvest.

The ground beetle is otherwise called the humpbacked peun. The natural habitat of the bug is fields with crops.

A horde of grain beetles on the wall

In residential buildings, it is very rare to meet a peun.

Beetles prefer those habitats where the lowest possible soil temperature during the cold season does not fall below -3 degrees. Usually these are the southern steppe zones.

Appearance

Ground beetles in general are a very large family of arthropods. About three thousand species are known only on the territory of our country.

The humpbacked peun has distinctive features, although outwardly it is very similar to other representatives of this family.

The grain beetle has medium dimensions - the body of an adult reaches 2.5 cm in length. It is convex, thick, with furrowed elytra.

Bread beetle on a leaf

Color is rich black. Like a typical representative of beetles, in peun the front elytra are rigid and hard, with caraboid venation.

The head of this ground beetle is weakly retracted into the chest, ending in blunt massive jaws, ideally adapted for plant food.

Unlike most members of the family, the humpback peun is not a predator. However, it is this fact that makes the beetle an enemy of farmers, since the grain beetle significantly spoils crops and infects grain.

Life cycle and reproduction

The characteristic type of development for the beetle "Bread ground beetle" is with complete transformation.

This means that the insect goes through the following stages of development: egg, larva, pupa and adult.

It takes a grain beetle the transformation from an egg into a sexually mature individual for a long time.

Mating occurs in the warm season, and the female lays several dozen eggs in the soil in August.

The mating process of the grain beetle

The masonry is located underground at a depth of about 10 cm.

After about 2 weeks, larvae emerge from the eggs. They are able to overwinter, continuing development after thawing of the soil.

Grain beetle larva

The larvae of the humpbacked peun are slightly hairy, with a black head, a dark brown hue with a lighter abdomen.

They live in a mink in the upper soil layer near a plant suitable for food. At night, the larvae leave the shelter for food, and during the day they can pull the foliage underground.

In places of their mass accumulation, serious damage is done to the grain crop: the leaves and stems of cereals are their main food.

Pupation occurs closer to May, this stage continues for 2-3 weeks. Adults develop just in time for the time when grain is formed in winter crops. At night, beetles eat it. At the same time, a lot of grain is simply knocked out by insects from the ear and falls to the ground.

During the year, one generation of humpbacked peuns develops, but even this fact is disappointing for grain growers: during the period of its life, the beetle spoils a lot of grain.

Ground beetle eats cereals

Wheat, barley and rye are the favorite delicacy of ground beetles, but in the absence of such, corn, leeks, and oats are also used.

How to deal with the grain beetle

If the crops were attacked by the grain beetle, control measures should include not only the persecution of the bug and larvae, but also the prevention of the mass spread of insects.

Harvesting from the field

To do this, it is important to harvest crops in a timely and fast manner, reducing grain loss, peeling the stubble, and plowing with skimmers.

Shoots of carrion, where the beetle can hide, should be destroyed. In the spring, in order to identify ground beetles, soil excavations are carried out: in a plot measuring 50 by 50 cm, a layer of earth is removed to a depth of 30 cm, and the number of insect larvae found in this way is counted. Such samples are taken in a checkerboard pattern with the expectation that there are 16 excavations per 100 hectares.

In case of uniform infestation of the field, insecticides are used to treat the pest. If the infestation is minor, selective baiting will do.

During the period of grain ripening, the ears are examined for the presence of peuns early in the morning or late in the evening. Insecticides are used if more than 10 individuals are found in an area of ​​​​1 square meter.

Chemicals

Before sowing, cereal seeds are treated with Imidalit, a complex pesticide that has a detrimental contact and intestinal effect on a number of harmful insects, including the ground beetle.

The active active ingredients - imidacloprid and bifenthrin, are selected in optimal concentrations, and people have practically no effect.

Chemical agent "Imidalite"

Imidalide does not cause allergies, does not have toxogenicity, is used sparingly, and is compatible with other pesticides.

For the persecution of grain ground beetles during the growing season of plants, the Klonrin agent is used.

Chemical means "Klonrin"

It is a pesticide based on cypermethrin and clothanidine. Clonrin acts quickly and effectively, maintaining a protective effect for a long period after treatment, and does not have a harmful effect on crops and people.

Folk methods

If ground beetles settled in a barn or residential building, it is not necessary to use toxic drugs in such a small area.

• "odorous" plants spread around the perimeter of the room: wormwood, garlic, tansy, cloves;
• you can put nails in bulk products and flour - the taste of metal will drive away the pest;
• if the products are contaminated, and it is a pity to throw them away, they can be calcined in the oven at a high temperature.

Measures to prevent the appearance of a beetle include:

1. storage of products in inaccessible places in sealed containers;
2. installation of mosquito nets on windows in the warm season;
3. regular wet cleaning.

Conclusion

The grain beetle is an insect that prefers life in nature, in natural conditions. The beetle seriously spoils cereal crops, but it is safe for humans.

If suddenly a ground beetle has entered the house, you should not be afraid that it will settle there for a long time - room conditions are not suitable for it for life and reproduction.

Video: Bread ground beetle: food is served!

Carefully study the following material, choose the appropriate method for the extermination of ground beetles in the house. An important role is played by compliance with safety rules during the processing of the premises.

Features of the beetle - ground beetles

The size of the wings depends on the habitat of the insect. The more food, the smaller the wings, they are reduced due to the uselessness of flights in search of food.

Ground beetles prefer to mate in the summer, throughout the fall. For insects, the ambient temperature during such an important event is of great importance. It is during this period that the weather conditions are the most optimal for the reproduction of pests. If the year is dry, then the number of ground beetle offspring is significantly reduced. The pest lays its eggs at a depth of 10 centimeters underground. A few weeks later, larvae appear.

Ways of entry into the home

The garden beetle lives not only in vegetable gardens, in the garden, it is common in a person’s apartment:

• beetles enter a person's dwelling along with wood, the larvae can enter the house along with street dust;
• if you do not take care of the rodents in the house (guinea pigs, hamsters), then the aroma of the food will attract uninvited guests;
• the absence of a mosquito net, the presence of light in the house attract ground beetles to a person’s home;
• black beetles prefer to live in the house in old furniture, under the windowsill, in frames, wherever there is wood;
• also, some notice annoying bugs in potatoes, cereals, flour.

Insect harm to humans and plants

As food, pests choose bread crumbs that were left on the table, loose stocks in kitchen cabinets. Ground beetles prevent households from sleeping: they constantly rustle, they can fall from the ceiling directly onto sleeping people. If pests have found a permanent source of food, then the reproduction of pests is just around the corner.

On a note! If you find a ground beetle in the house, immediately deal with its destruction, otherwise the invasion of beetles cannot be avoided.

How to fight: effective methods

Useful recommendations will help to defeat pests and prevent their reproduction:

• crops are forbidden to be planted for more than two years in a row. Sow the land with other plants for several years;
• before planting, treat the seedlings with special pesticides that will destroy the pest larvae;
• beetles love to feast on ears of corn and grains. During the period of young grain ripening, treat the field with chemicals: Volaton, Bazudin, Nurel.

The garden ground beetle must be protected, promoted its reproduction, because it helps to reduce the number of pests of fruit plants and shrubs. To save the insect population, follow these useful recommendations:

• beetles like to eat various birds of prey, lizards. Try to get rid of uninvited guests in the garden by various methods;
• do not intentionally destroy ground beetles in the garden and vegetable garden if crops do not grow in this area;
• if possible, refuse to use chemicals, replace them with folk remedies (decoctions, bulk substances).

It is problematic to grow ground beetles on your own at home, so monitor their population using the methods described above.

Learn about where they come from in the fall and how to get rid of annoying insects.

How to deal with ants in the apartment? Effective pest control methods are described on the page.

Go to the address and read about how to get cockroaches out of the apartment forever with the help of folk remedies.

Destruction of the beetle in the apartment

In any case, you need to get rid of grain beetles in the house. Insects will not bring any benefit, they will only destroy stocks of cereals, flour and potatoes, disturb the peace in a person's home.

To speed up the destruction of pests in the house, store all products in airtight containers.

Temperature methods of dealing with ground beetles

If insects have filled the entire kitchen, most of the food is contaminated, then it is better to get rid of them. In some cases, housewives prefer to save food supplies using temperature methods:

• roast the cereals in the oven. Ignite semolina and flour at a temperature of more than 50 degrees, the rest of the bulk is best processed at a temperature of 110 degrees. The whole procedure should take at least half an hour;
• expose contaminated food to ultraviolet light. The sun's rays, especially direct ones, do not like all insects. Leave the cereal in the sun for several hours;
• use of cold. Put the cereal in the freezer for several hours. The temperature must be at least 15 degrees.

After processing the cereals themselves, take care of kitchen cabinets, containers for storing bulk products. Scald all glass jars with boiling water, treat the shelves with a solution of vinegar (take 100 ml of the product per liter of water). You can put bags with dried mint, chamomile or tansy around the entire perimeter of the kitchen, in cabinets. This fragrance repels insects, is a preventive measure against intruders.

In the house, it is important to adhere to preventive measures than on the land. Regular cleaning of the premises is a guarantee of the absence of uninvited guests. If you plan to bring new furniture or antiques into the house, do not immediately replace new clothes in their place. First, make sure that uninvited tenants have not arrived with furniture. It is best to treat all wood products with special insecticides. If special products are not available, use a weak solution of vinegar or baking soda.

Potatoes, flour, various cereals are products with an increased level of danger, it is in them that uninvited guests often start up. Immediately after the purchase, while placing the products in place, carefully look for the presence of various insects, including ground beetles. Potatoes, other cereals are better to sort out, flour - sift, store in airtight containers.

Growing crops is a responsible business that requires a lot of effort and time. A certain harvest plan is set in advance, and if it is not fulfilled, then the population will suffer from a shortage of products and rising prices. Therefore, specialists carefully monitor the condition of crops, and also protect them from various pests. The grain beetle is one of the threats to the future crop. Its description, as well as ways to deal with insects, can be found in this article.

Habitat

The grain beetle is a pest of cereal crops. It lives for the most part in the steppe and forest-steppe territories, up to the southern borders of Polissya.

According to the number and degree of damage to the crop, experts distinguish two types of zones: permanent and cyclical damage.

The activity of the insect is more pronounced at night. During the day it can hide under rocks or in burrows. However, if the grain beetle is in the apartment, then the darkened areas of the room become a refuge for it, often under furniture.

In nature, the beetle lives near fields, in dumps of old straw, and also in places where grain was scattered.

The ground beetle's favorite delicacy is wheat, rye or barley crops. In the absence of such, they can eat corn, oats and leeks.

Reason for the appearance

An insect on its own, most likely, will not crawl into a private house, where it will like living conditions. This happens extremely rarely, because in nature the ground beetle feels much more comfortable.

But to exclude the possibility of neighborhood with a beetle is not worth it. Like most insects, it is very attracted to bright light. If mosquito nets are not installed on the windows, then the ground beetle may well enter the apartment. She is also attracted to old wood: perennial furniture, window frames, window sills, doors.

The grain beetle will not mind eating the cereal food of a pet living in an apartment. Therefore, the conditions of storage of food for the animal should be given special attention.

An insect may end up in an apartment by accident - most often it is brought into the house in the form of larvae along with street dirt or old furniture.

Crumbs, cereals, food forgotten on the table serve as food for him.

The presence of insects causes a lot of trouble - they wake up at night and begin to look for food, rustle, fall from the ceiling to the floor or, even worse, to the bed. If they managed to find food for themselves, then soon the insects will begin to multiply. You need to get rid of them quickly.

Appearance

Common ground beetle is a beetle, the length of which is 10-15 mm.

This species has characteristic external features:

• The body is oval.
• Intense black with a metallic sheen.
• Powerful jaws with blunt ends. It is with their help that the insect is able to gnaw through the hard layer in plants, making its way to the pulp, and also eat stale bread crumbs.
• Long antennae with many setae.
• Long legs, thanks to which the ground beetle is able to move quickly. On the forelimbs there are characteristic notches that help her clean her whiskers.
• Elytra cover almost the entire abdomen.

By the size of the wings of a beetle, you can determine the degree of hospitality of your home: if they are short, then the insect is comfortable and there is no need to migrate.

reproduction

Corn beetles mate in late August-early September. The beginning of the process directly depends on the weather conditions. It is at the end of summer and the first weeks of autumn that it is most comfortable.

If the summer was excessively hot and there was a drought, then the female lays fewer eggs. The future offspring of the insect hides in the soil, to a depth of 7-10 cm. The eggs are there for about 2-3 weeks. In appearance, they are oval, milky white, up to 2.5 mm in length.

Larvae

The larvae go through several stages of development. Initially, they are grayish white. They are like this throughout the cold season.

When frost stops, the larvae move closer to the soil surface, where they begin to take up nutrients. This stage lasts from 3 to 5 weeks.

Eating grass, the larvae gradually change color to dirty green and even black. By mid-spring, they turn into pupae.

Prevent danger

What to do if a grain beetle appeared in the apartment? How to get rid of it? It is much easier to prevent reproduction.

It is necessary to maintain cleanliness in the living room. Regular cleaning is important, during which it is worth paying attention not only to visible surfaces, but also to corners, areas under furniture.

If the apartment is installed, albeit good, but still old wooden furniture, it is important to process it with special means. Otherwise, the desired beauty will turn into many problems. A more economical option for furniture disinfection is baking soda or vinegar.

It is not recommended to store flour, potatoes or cereals in the form in which they were purchased. Beetles can hide there. Potatoes and cereals must be sorted out, and the flour should be carefully sifted and poured into a hermetically sealed container.

To prevent insects from entering the house through the windows, you should install a mosquito net on them.

Dealing with uninvited guests

As a rule, everyone begins to observe precautions only after they have learned about the consequences of not doing them. If you managed to determine that this particular pest has wound up in the apartment, then you should find out what measures will be taken to combat the grain beetle.

It is necessary to act sequentially:

• Carefully inspect the apartment and find the habitat of the insect. To do this, it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning of all rooms. It is important to find and eliminate all crumbs and leftover food in order to deprive the pest of food.

• All surfaces are treated with insecticides. They are sold in all hardware stores (dichlorvos, karbofos). If these products do not suit you, then you can use baking soda or vinegar diluted in water.
• All food that remains on the tables should be airtightly packaged so as not to attract new pests.

Insects in the house create discomfort, and can also cause various diseases. However, they cannot find shelter in clean, well-kept apartments, so you should never forget about cleaning and order.