These pests damage the underground part of the plant. Some species spoil plantings in new, recently laid out gardens, others - in formed, bearing fruit for a number of years. In new areas, the most common larvae of nutcrackers are wireworms, caterpillars of harmful scoops, larvae of beetles. Where the garden is cultivated for a long time and the land is rich in organic matter, worms, nematodes, centipedes, garden midge larvae, etc. live.
Caterpillars of various moths are terrible for the garden only in the first year of its cultivation, since conditions unfavorable for the development of this pest arise on perennial beds that are well looked after. Wireworms remain in new gardens for several seasons, as their development cycle spans 3-5 calendar years. As for the rest of the soil pests, they are dangerous especially where the soil is excessively moist.
Scoops
From scoops in gardens, the winter scoop most often appears ( Scotia segetum), upsilon scoop ( Scotia ypsilon), scoop exclamation point ( Scotia exclamationis) and blackish scoop C ( Amathes C-nigrum), as well as some others. In the spring months, their caterpillars damage the roots of all types of vegetables and ornamental crops. First, the caterpillars occupy the aboveground parts of the plants and gnaw round holes in the leaves. At the third stage of their development, they move into the soil and eat the roots. Most often, scoops attack cabbage, lettuce, carrots, seedlings of ornamental plants. Unfortunately, gardeners usually do not notice in time that the caterpillars are eating over the aboveground parts of the plants, and therefore do not take the necessary protective measures.
Clicker larvae - wireworms
In young, recently planted gardens, or in old ones, but in those places where herbs usually grew, and now beds have been created, wireworms and clicker larvae cause great harm to the plantings. The greatest damage occurs from the striped nutcracker, or bread ( Agriotes lineatus), and the smoky nutcracker ( A. ustulatus); in some places there are four more species of this insect.
The larvae of the nutcracker attack the underground organs of vegetables, ornamental plants and strawberries. They eat small roots of seedlings, eat or nibble on the main root of the plant, make corridors, for example, in carrots, celery, as well as in tulip and daffodil bulbs, in gladioli and dahlia tubers. Damaged plants begin to twist, wither; their underground parts, which are important from a practical point of view, lose all value. Wireworms cause the greatest harm in March-June and September-October, when they are located in the upper layers of the soil. In the drier summer season, the larvae crawl deeper into the ground. Only the larvae of the brilliant nutcracker ( Corymbites aeneus) remain on the surface of the soil and eat the succulent parts of the plants. The development cycle of the clicker is 3-5 years, during this period the plants in the beds where this pest has settled are under constant threat.
May beetle larvae - beetles
From time to time, beetles may appear in the garden. Most often, this is the western May Khrushchev ( Melolontha melolontha). It lives in the soil and damages the underground organs of plants - vegetables, ornamental crops, strawberries and fruit trees. If there are 1-2 larvae per square meter of garden area, then you need to sound the alarm. Seedlings of vegetables and ornamental plants damaged by the larva die; fruit trees are only threatened in the first two years after planting.
In the years of the abundant appearance of the western May beetles, the damage caused by them to cherry, apple, plum trees and roses is especially great. During such periods, it is recommended to shake the beetles off the trees and destroy them mechanically.
Larvae of centipedes(Tipulidae)
In gardens planted in humid places, in the early years, vegetables and ornamental plants are under the threat of attack by centipede larvae. Therefore, it is advisable to check, even before breaking up the beds on moderately overwhelming lands, whether there are centipedes and in what quantity. Verification is carried out as follows: on a test site with a size of one square. mowing or pulling out all the vegetation, and the bare surface is watered with a solution of edible salt (at the rate of 1 kg of salt per 5 liters of water). After such watering, the larvae will crawl to the surface. Having counted them, we will get an idea of the degree of contamination of the territory and can, if necessary, resort to chemical means of protection.
The longer the land is cultivated in the garden, the more pests there are. Let's name a few more common ones.
Centipedes
Centipedes, especially fragile centipede ( Polydesmus complanatus) and the blind centipede ( Blaniulus guttulatus) can grow in excess in composts. In a damp summer, they are capable of causing especially great harm to seedlings, to the roots of which compost soil was added during planting. Centipedes also eat the bulbs of ornamental plants, feasting on ripening strawberries. Where these pests have appeared, it is necessary to reduce the moisture of the earth by adding ash to it. In berry fields, you can put wood wool or some other bedding under the fruits, which will have to be replaced from time to time with a new one.
Earthworms, earthworms (Lumbhcidae)
Earthworms or earthworms are beneficial to the garden. Digging underground corridors, they aerate the soil; a sufficient amount of air also accelerates the process of decomposition of organic matter in it. However, when there are too many worms in the ground, as a result of their activity, the resistance of the seedlings decreases, the adhesion of the roots to the soil is weakened and the germinating plant is pulled under the surface. Therefore, in exceptional cases, it is necessary to protect plants from worms. Then it is recommended to fill the still un-seeded beds with warm (about 40 ° C) water.
Clover nematoda(Ditylenchus dipsaci)
The nematoda also lives on many types of weeds, and therefore protection from it is very difficult. It is recommended to destroy the affected plants, reduce soil moisture; if necessary, you can also resort to chemicals.
Garden midge larvae (Bibionidae)
In some places, garden midge larvae cause considerable harm to gardens. Female midges lay their testicles in compost or soil well-saturated with humus. The larvae of this pest are found mainly in greenhouses and in those beds where compost soil is added to ordinary garden soil. In summer, the larvae feed on tender roots and smoldering plant debris, and after wintering they attack germinating plants. There is only one way to avoid the mass appearance of garden midge larvae - always use only well-ripened, frayed compost.
Medvedka ordinary (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa)
It can be very difficult to cope with an ordinary bear. She gnaws at the roots or makes corridors under the very surface of the earth, thereby shaking young plants. This pest creates nests for itself from clay 10 cm below the level of the garden, so that the roots of the planted crops are exposed and wither. The location of such a nest can be found by the so-called. focal wilting of plants.
The number of bears in the garden can be reduced by catching them with the help of smooth-walled vessels immersed at the very edges in the ground. In June-July, it is recommended to destroy the nests.
Onion mite (Rhizoglyphus echinopus)
It can be just as difficult to cope with another soil pest - the root bulb mite. It damages roots, rhizomes, attacking both edible onions and bulbs of ornamental plants. It is not difficult to find out about his "activity": small, chaotically located corridors filled with small brown droppings are visible in the ground. Soil moisture contributes to the reproduction of this pest. You can get rid of the tick by storing the bulbs in a dry, well-ventilated place. It is possible, if necessary, and the use of chemicals.
Pests affecting the aerial parts of plants
Many pests of garden plants eat their aerial parts.
Slug, gastropod molluscs(Gastropoda) Most often, field slugs appear in gardens ( Deroceras agreste), as well as a mesh-like slug ( D. reticulatum), smooth slug ( D. laeve), garden slug ( Arion hortensis) and garden snail ( Helix pomatia). Slugs damage the aboveground and underground parts of plants, eat holes in the bulbs of tulips and daffodils, in the tubers of gladioli and other plants. From aboveground organs, leaves and stems suffer most from them. As for young plants, they are able to completely destroy them. The fact that slugs have visited our garden, we learn from the top of the eaten leaf blades and from the traces left - silvery drying up mucus and dark viscous droppings.
Slugs can be dealt with mechanically. It is also recommended to sprinkle paths around the beds with lime, ash, pine needles or a chemical. Common earwig ( Forficula auricularis)
The common earwig belongs to the omnivorous pests of the aerial parts of plants in our gardens. This insect eats leaves and stems, feasts on buds and flowers, especially dahlias, carnations and roses. Leaves and petals acquire jagged edges after earwigs feasts. This pest also eats ripening fruits - pears, plums, apricots, peaches.
The best way to deal with an earwig is to lure it into specially prepared shelters made of straw, rags, burlap, wood wool, and then destroy everything together.
Spider mites (Tetranychidae)
Various types of spider mites also belong to pests of fruit trees, shrubs, various vegetables and ornamental plants. They harm leaves and plants in general by sucking out surface cells. Leaves begin to turn yellow, later turn whitish, discolor and finally fall off. For the next year, plants affected by this pest will, as a rule, have fewer flowers, and, therefore, less fruits. Mites are considered dangerous and staunch opponents also because several generations of them manage to develop within one year. Therefore, it is recommended to intensively use chemical preparations against them.
In case of severe damage by a pest, the loss can be 30-70% of the total harvest, and the formation of flowers can decrease by 75%. In the spring, ticks are not so noticeable, however, spraying with chemicals carried out at this time gives better results than twice, but at the height of the summer itself. Ticks are especially damaging in warm, dry weather. Protective measures against mites should be carried out primarily before flowering and immediately after flowering. Spring spraying against fruit mite (Panonychus ulmi) should be timed to the period when 60-80% of all larvae appear; in this case, it is necessary to use drugs that will simultaneously destroy both the larvae and the testicles.
If we failed on the eve of spring and during its course to reduce the number of ticks to an acceptable level, then we should be prepared for the fact that during the growing season we will have many difficulties with plant protection. The fact is that then this pest will already be present on the leaves of plants at all stages of its development, i.e. there will be testicles, larvae, and adult bugs, to combat which you will have to use various chemicals. Most of the drugs used do not kill summer testicles, from which larvae later emerge; as a result, the number of pests is rapidly recovering.
1. to spray, taking into account the specific level of infestation;
2. where mites appear regularly, it is necessary at least temporarily to stop using drugs that promote their development;
3. for spraying, use various chemicals so that the pest does not develop immunity to a particular drug.
Aphid (Aphidoidea)
Thrips, fringed-winged (Thysanoptera)
The leaves, and partly the fruits of trees, can be affected by the caterpillars of several species of butterflies. The main eaters on fruit trees are moths and silkworms.
Moths (Geometridae)
Caterpillars of the winter moth, or small land surveyor ( Operophtera brumata), cause serious damage to cherry, apple, pear, plum trees, as well as roses with their long-term cycles. In spring, they eat up leaves and flower buds, and after flowering, fruit ovaries. First, moths make round holes on the leaves, and then gradually destroy the entire plate, sometimes leaving only one main vein. In young fruits, caterpillars eat deep oval-shaped depressions. On cherry trees, they sometimes manage to destroy the entire crop. On pear trees - after flowering, they eat only fruits.
Similar damage is also inflicted by the moth-ripped off, or ripped off the fruit ( Erannis defoliaria); this pest, fortunately, is not so numerous.
You can fight against moths in the following way. In October, the tree trunk is wrapped with a paper belt, which is covered with a special glue so that the wingless females of this pest cannot reach the crown and lay eggs there. Goldtail, or silkworm, unpaired silkworm, or unpaired silkworm, ringworm, or ringed silkworm
In abandoned orchards or in such plantations where trees are poorly looked after, pear, apple and plum trees are eaten by the caterpillar of the goldtail ( Euproctis chrysorrhoea). Before the arrival of winter, this pest makes nests of leaves on the tops of the branches, where it hibernates. If these nests are destroyed in a timely manner, then the attack of pests on trees in the spring can be prevented. Otherwise, in the first warm days, the caterpillars will leave their shelter and pounce on the kidneys. Later they will move on to leaves and flowers. If there is at least one such nest per 3 m 3 of the crown, the tree cannot be protected from overeating, and the future harvest from losses.
Real leaf rollers(Tortricidae)
Protecting fruit trees and some shrubs from leaf and budworms is not easy. This pest attacks mainly apple, pear, plum trees, but it can also settle on apricot, on a rose bush, although it is less dangerous for the last two plants. In spring, leafworm caterpillars devour the buds; a special danger lies in wait for young trees: losses can even be 80%. Then the pests move to the expanding leaves, biting holes in them, eating buds and flowers. Damaged leaves are smaller, twisted, corrugated.
Caterpillars of the next, new generation also live on leaves in the second half of summer, eating them almost entirely. In addition, they make many small holes or shallow pits in the skin of apples and other fruits, usually in those places where the fruit is covered with leaves, and the skin has not yet acquired its usual color. Fruits with such defects can no longer be stored, as they quickly rot. In some years, leaf rollers are able to destroy a third of the crop in this way.
The most common in gardens is the knotted leafworm, or bud ( Spilonota ocellana), apple leaf roll ( Argyroploce variegata), fruit roll ( Pandemis heparana), pink or rose leaf roll (Cacoecia rosana), and honeysuckle leaf roll ( Capua recticulana).
Litokolletis and Lyonetia
In intensively managed gardens, lithocolletis and lionetis often appear in large numbers. The caterpillars of these pests eat away, making winding paths, leaf blades of various plants. The most common litokolletis apple ( Lithocolletis blancardella) and fruit lionety ( Lyonetia clerkella). Caterpillars of common lithocolletis often eat apple leaves, less often they appear on pear and mountain ash, leaving behind oval-shaped holes, 0.2-0.8 mm wide and 1-2 cm long. If there are more than three potholes per leaf, then crop losses cannot be avoided. Trees heavily affected by the pest usually bloom little the next year. In such cases, it is recommended to carry out chemical treatment of trees two weeks after the end of flowering. If the pest infestation is serious, the wood treatment should be repeated after 7-10 days.
Caterpillars of apple lithocolletis form, from May to October, winding and long paths on the leaves of apple, cherry and cherry trees. There can be 10-15 such tracks on one sheet. Damaged leaves dry out and fall off prematurely. Treatment of trees with chemicals is recommended only in case of severe damage, it is carried out when the second generation emerges.
Goose
In spring, apple, cherry, cherry and plum flower buds are often eaten by apple geese ( Rhynchites bacchus) and several other species of this insect. The most dangerous apple goose, which lays eggs in the fruits of fruit trees. Damaged fruits develop unevenly and often rot.
Bark beetle and other pests that destroy the bark
The apricot leafworm mainly damages apricot, peach and cherry trees, less often - plum, apple and pear trees. Its caterpillars eat out corridors in the lower inner layers of the bark; the places where they feasted are easily spotted by the heaps of rusty droppings that they push to the surface of the bark. This kind of damage to the tree is often accompanied by gummosis - gum flow.
The leafworm most often attacks old trees, penetrating under the bark in those places where it is injured, and lays its testicles there. Therefore, the affected areas should not be mechanically cleaned, so as not to further damage the trunk or branch.
It is even more difficult to deal with fruit woody and bark beetles that inhabit weakened trees. Here, preventive precautions should be taken, which include choosing the right place for planting a tree, as well as providing it with proper nutrition. Too damp places or places where the ground is too dry are not suitable for planting fruit trees. Trees affected by the bark beetle are identified by the following criteria: their leaves begin to wither suddenly, and the branches dry out. On the branches of such trees, as a rule, you can find tiny holes a millimeter in diameter. The bark beetle lays its corridors only under the bark, and the woody beetle eats into the wood itself.
Rodents
Dangerous pests of garden plants include lagomorphs and rodents. Hares and wild rabbits sometimes eat the bark of trees and shoots of ornamental shrubs in winter. To protect tree plantations from them, some drug with a specific smell that scares away animals is applied to the trunks of fruit trees for the winter. However, it is best to place wire or reed fences around the trunks.
During the years of active breeding of field mice (gray vole - Microtus arvalis) the bark of fruit trees can also be damaged by them. Rodents will gnaw her at the surface of the earth in winter. The vole eats bulbs and tubers of ornamental plants. To avoid losses, it is recommended to destroy mice in their burrows and underground passages using smoke bombs.
In gardens located next to a river or in damp secluded places, there is another dangerous pest - a water rat ( Arvicola terrestris). It gnaws at the roots of fruit trees, eats roots and underground parts of ornamental plants. Treatment of plants and soil with chemicals does not give good results. Therefore, it is recommended to invest in underground corridors dug by rodents, calcium carbide, smoke bombs or to smoke pests with exhaust gases. But all these methods give only a temporary effect, and therefore the fight against rodents has to be carried on constantly. The most effective measures are: even before planting a tree, lay a prepared hole around the entire circumference with a galvanized metal mesh with cells of about 2 cm; then the rodents cannot get to the roots.
Birds
Birds, especially the house sparrow and greenfinch, peck flower buds of currants, gooseberries, pears, apricot and peach trees in the spring. Sparrows also destroy lettuce seedlings.
Birds are the culprit behind large losses in fruit and berry yields. So, house sparrow, black and songbirds, common starling peck ripe cherries, currants and grapes. They feast on ripening pears, apricots, peaches, peck out strawberries. Thrushes also love tomatoes.
We usually scare birds away in the garden and in the field with various mechanical devices. An effective measure is to stretch a nylon net over trees and bushes; then the birds will not be able to fly at the fruit at all. You can also drive them away with the help of various optical and sound devices (crackers, scarecrows, etc.).
Protection of plants from pests
In the same way as we do, protecting plants from various diseases, we should act to protect the plantings from uninvited guests from the animal world, namely: direct the main efforts to protective measures in order to reduce the number of potential pests or at least reduce the intensity of their attack.
Precautionary measures include monitoring the condition of stored bulbs and tubers, reducing the relative humidity in greenhouses, limiting the reproduction of itchy mites, ventilating the premises and systematically spraying plants with water, which is very effective in the fight against spider mites. High-quality seedlings taken from healthy mother plants, etc., will help us get rid of nematodes.
Since pests differ from each other and in their biological characteristics, gardeners have to resort to a variety of protective measures. Sometimes the appearance of a pest can be minimized by eliminating the so-called. an intermediate host, which is often weedy wild plants. In other cases, mechanical collection of testicles, caterpillars, beetles will help; various baits will also come in handy, after which it is already easier to deal with the pest. An anthill that appears in a greenhouse is poured with boiling water. Puffs or tail stalks will also recede if we manage to lower the moisture content of the soil or sprinkle a thin layer of lime, ash, sand or crushed charcoal on its surface. To prevent over-breeding of snails and slugs, it is recommended to sprinkle the paths with quicklime, etc.
Fruits, vegetables, bulbs and tubers of ornamental plants selected for winter storage must be completely healthy, without damage, because any flaws are a gate through which putrefactive fungi and bacteria penetrate first of all.
Immediately after laying vegetables and fruits, it is necessary to create conditions in the storage facility that limit the possibility of the penetration of putrefactive fungi and bacteria there. Most of the plant products are supposed to be stored at a temperature of 2-5 ° C and a relative humidity of 85-90%. When the humidity is below 80%, a lot of water evaporates from the fruits with juicy pulp and from the roots, and when it is above 90%, fungi and, most importantly, putrefactive bacteria begin to multiply rapidly. Observing the correct ventilation regime and regulating the level of air humidity, we create the most favorable conditions for winter storage of fruits, vegetables, bulbs and tubers.
It is very important to carry out a thorough disinfection before filling the storage facility, for example, by fumigation (8 g of sulfur is burned per 1 m 3 of space), after filling all holes and cracks, and lubricating the metal parts with vegetable oil. The walls of the room are supposed to be whitewashed with lime or sprayed with 5% formalin solution. Shelves, window frames and doors are processed in a similar way. After 24 hours after disinfection, the store is thoroughly ventilated. It should also not be forgotten that tubers and bulbs of ornamental plants must be pre-treated before being placed in storage.
When laying root crops, garlic, potatoes, pome fruits for winter storage, it is necessary to very carefully select healthy specimens, since plant products intended for nutrition cannot be subjected to chemical processing. Potatoes, fruits, onions are best placed in a thin layer or even in one row on wire shelves. Onions and garlic should be kept on shelves in dry rooms where the temperature is slightly below 0 ° C.
During storage, it is assumed that all fruits, bulbs and tubers that have begun to deteriorate are timely given, and also not to store apples and pears longer than practically possible. All this will be the preventive measures against losses in storage and against putrefactive diseases affecting vegetables, fruits, as well as bulbs and tubers of ornamental plants in winter.
Diseases and pests of garden plants. Part 1 Diseases and pests of garden plants. Part 8
.The perfect place for their life- well manured, rich in humus, as well as irrigated land. In order to protect your possessions from these pests, you need to have an idea of the difference between the bear larva and the May beetle, since they can be confused by the photo. You also need to know what measures need to be taken if the presence of pests has been confirmed. This is what will be discussed in this article.
Description of the bear and features of its reproduction
In the cold season, the bears hibernate in the soil at a depth 25 cm... As soon as the soil heats up to 10 ° C, they become active and begin to harm. During the day, the bears are underground, and in the evening they come to the surface or fly into the light. These insects are different from others following physical features:
- The body is quite large in comparison with other beetles (4 cm). Above, the body color is dark brown, and below it is brownish-yellow. The beetle is covered with velvety drags.
Did you know? It is known that under good conditions the bear can grow up to 15 cm. However, there are no official registered data.
- The mouth is directed forward, the antennae are short.
- Wide elytra reaching half the length of the abdomen.
- Normally developed wings, even in a calm state, protrude from under the elytra.
- The front legs resemble shovels. With their help, the insect creates whole caves in root crops.
- The following pairs of legs are spiked.
Most often, a heap of garbage, manure or just loose soil becomes a masonry bridge. After that, the "mother" remains near the nest, thus protecting her offspring. 
Embryonic development continues until 20 days, and the larvae themselves remain in place still 30 days... On average, they turn into adults after wintering in the summer of next year.
What does a bear larva look like?
After laying the eggs, the offspring appear after 3 weeks. Visually, the bear looks disgusting, the description of the larva is quite specific, but if you know it, you can easily identify the insect and immediately start getting rid of it. 
They look like adults, but their body size reaches 3 cm., it is covered with a strong shell, while the larvae have no wings. To transform into a full-fledged adult, the larva passes 4 stages of development, on average, it lasts up to 2 years.
During this time, the insect's shell changes several times. The first food is the remains of the egg shell, and then they begin to dig tunnels and other passages to get food.
Important! Larvae cause no less harm than adults, since its diet consists mainly of small roots, seeds and larvae of other insects.
Knowing what the bear and its larva look like, it is important to get acquainted with another similar harmful insect - May beetle.
Breeding features of the May beetle
The breeding season falls in the summer. After mating, the female lays eggs in an amount 70 pcs., the depth of the bookmark is on average 15 cm... This process takes a lot of her strength and most often she dies at the end. 
Description of the beetle larva
After 35 days, larvae emerge from the eggs. Their body is whitish yellow or reddish in color. The body is thick and soft, divided into several segments and has three pairs of limbs.
The upper jaws of the mouth apparatus are located on the head. During the first 3 years of life, the larva develops and hibernates in the ground. In winter, the insect sleeps deep enough in the ground, and with the first warming it rises to the upper layers of the soil. 
The first year of life, the larvae feed on humus and tender roots of herbs. Then the roots of woody and become their main food. During feeding, the insect can crawl up to 30 cm.
Just like adults, they greatly harm the development of plants and sometimes even lead to their death.
Did you know? The larva of the May beetle of the 3rd year of life can completely eat the roots of a two-year-old pine within 24 hours.
After the third wintering, the larva turns into a pupa. This transformation lasts up to 40 days, and then emerges from it full may beetle.
Let's summarize
Let's consider what is the main difference between the bear larva and the May beetle, so as not to confuse them and correctly apply the methods of dealing with them.
Beetles live 3 years longer than beetles. In addition, the latter are more thermophilic and therefore penetrate deeper into the ground in the cold season, which means that they are more difficult to detect during digging. 
Beetles prefer roots or, and bears are plants of the nightshade family. In front, the May beetle has 3 pairs of legs and mouths, and the bear has legs in the form of shoulder blades.
Knowing about all the harm that bears and May beetles cause to plants, as well as their larvae, it is necessary to start measures and prevention at the first signs of their presence.
The fight must be carried out in a comprehensive manner, it is better to do it several times a year. Many traditional and modern methods are known today. getting rid of pests: scaring away, traps, loosening the beds, destroying the nest and destroying it with ready-made means. 
Consider several most popular:
- Agrotechnical... It consists in thoroughly digging the soil in the spring and autumn to a depth of approximately 15 cm. This helps to destroy the tunnels and makes it difficult for pests to move. In addition, in this way, egg and larvae clutches can be destroyed.
- Dung traps... It is known that these insects love manure and winter in such places. You can make holes about 50 cm in size in the fall and fill them with manure. After the first frost, excavate everything and scatter it on the ground. Thus, the pests will quickly die from the cold.
- Oil or soapy water... Oil drips into the discovered passages or is poured with water and soap from a hose. For 10 liters of water, it is enough to take 50 g of soap.
- Beer trap... A glass jar is buried in the soil so that the neck is at ground level. Beer is poured into it in 1/3 capacity. A plank is placed on top so that a gap of 15 mm remains. This smell is very attractive to insects.
- Scare away... This is done by placing coriander, garlic, chrysanthemums and needles on the site. The fish, placed in each hole during planting, will begin to exude a specific smell when decomposing, which these insects do not like.
- Physical barriers... You can protect plants from pests by planting them in cut rubber tubes of a certain diameter. They should rise 3 cm above the ground. The rhizomes can be protected with a nylon mesh in several layers, while its edges should be above the soil.
How often an unpleasant surprise awaits gardeners! They have just planted seedlings of tomatoes and cabbage, the seedlings have already begun, started to grow, cucumbers have begun to grow, and suddenly, here and there, the plants wither and fall as if cut down. What is the reason?
Fighting a bear in the garden
The first and most famous garden pest is the bear - a rather large insect that leads mainly an underground lifestyle.
During the time that I began to engage in gardening, I almost thoroughly studied the habits of the common bear. At first I didn't want to believe that she was on my site, then there was a phase of despair and wild horror, from the fact that I met her nose to nose and finally made sure that it was she - a bear! Now - I just know that it exists, and let it live, you cannot argue with nature. The disappearance of one species entails other, sometimes unpredictable consequences.
Medvedka is common throughout the European part of Russia. The natural habitats of the bear are the banks of rivers and streams. She prefers moist, loose soil. In vegetable gardens, he prefers planting cabbage, compost heaps, manure, especially horse manure.
Determine its presence on the site can be determined not only by cut plants. At the beginning of summer, especially after watering in the morning, winding exploded areas of soil are clearly visible in the beds. These are the surface moves of the bear. It is difficult to predict where she will crawl tomorrow. Running after her with a bucket of some kind of nasty is not a pleasure either. Some gardeners sit at night, watching when the bear comes to the surface to destroy it. Some gardeners buried three-liter cans of water on the way of the bear, so that they fell there, but could not get out. I remember how I laughed when I read somewhere that you can fight the bear if you drive in aspen stakes all over the garden.
I tried to plant seedlings in cut plastic bottles. But she refused it. Tomatoes are still okay, they have grown, but cabbage grew very poorly in these cut bottles. During the weeding, my cabbages flew out of the ground, slightly touching the edges of the bottles. They could not catch the edge of the root in the ground in any way.
In order not to increase the number of bears in a given area, I advise you to get rid of boards, logs - buried or lying on the ground. Also make sure that the containers of water are not leaking. Try not to bring manure from unknown places where there may be a congestion of bears. If you just have to purchase manure or humus, try not to put it on the ground, isolate it from the ground so that the bears do not crawl around the garden. Prepare a special container. In such a container, you can spill all the humus or manure with pest preparations. Also isolate the compost heaps from contact with the ground.
What to do with the beds where the bear is wielding? In early summer, in June, the bear looks for a warm, sunny place in order to make a nest and lay eggs. The nest protrudes somewhat from the ground and resembles an ordinary hummock. The only unusual thing is that next to this hummock within a radius of 20-30 cm, nothing grows. It is around its nest that the bear cuts down all the grass or other plants so that they do not obscure the nests. Medvedka often comes to her nest, checks if everything is in order. Having destroyed a mound-nest, you can see many gray-yellow eggs slightly smaller than a pea in size. This is the masonry of the bear. This is exactly how my meeting with the bear happened: I was examining the clutch of eggs, and she also came to visit them. From horror and numbness, my legs were weaned, and when she saw me, she quietly began to back away, closing herself with a claw. How terrible she is! The only thing I want is to never meet her again. So, the conclusion suggests itself: loosen the soil more often and do not neglect the deep autumn and spring digging.
One of the effective ways to fight the bear is the insecticide preparations Medvetox, Thunder or another drug designed to fight the bear and which is commercially available in your city. You need to use it according to the instructions. I'll tell you right away that it helps. In addition, when planting seedlings, I add crushed eggshells to the holes, which I collect all year.
Also, I read that you can pour sawdust around the perimeter of the beds, and deepen them a little. But I didn’t do it myself, so I cannot advise.
My assistants in the fight against the bear are cats. As soon as two cats and a cat began to live with us, I noticed that all my plants remained in place. In summer, my cats generally catch everything that moves: flies, butterflies, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars.
And if the bear gets over to the trees, so on health: let it continue to plow the expanses of its native land, improving the aeration of the soil.
If the bear is very annoying to you, then in the fall, when everything is cleaned from the garden, and frost has already begun on the soil, dig several holes up to 50 cm deep, cover it with foil and put manure there. These are the traps into which the bears should crawl for the winter. Check the holes in the morning every day, at this time the bears are slow and easy to destroy. In my opinion, this is the most realistic way to deal with a bear.
Winter scoop and methods of dealing with it
The winter scoop is a moth. I call her: Big Fat Moth. The butterfly itself is not as dangerous as its caterpillar - thick, large, gray, but it can also be light brown. It depends on the type of scoop, because there are a huge number of them - for almost every plant there is a corresponding type of scoop. On the ground, the caterpillar is difficult to see. In color, it merges with the top layer of the soil.
The caterpillar of the winter moth is the worst agricultural pest. She does not disdain anything, almost omnivorous. The caterpillar can damage cereals, potatoes, beets, onions, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage. In the daytime, the caterpillars can hide from sunlight under the leaves of plants or in the upper layer of the soil, and at night they creep out to hunt.
The damage caused by the caterpillar of the winter moth is similar to the damage caused by the bear. By the way, I saw a cut-off, fallen off bow. I thought that the bear came out. I raked the earth around the gnawed onion and saw a gray caterpillar. This is the caterpillar of the winter scoop. She, just like the bear, cuts off young plants at soil level or simply gnaws at leaf stalks, gnaws whole hollows in potatoes, beets, carrots and other root crops.
The caterpillar of the winter moth is capable of destroying seeds and seedlings in the soil, which is why the seedlings are very sparse, and bald spots appear in continuous plantings. In our gardens, caterpillars of the first generation winter scoop are harmful, damaging vegetable crops at the very beginning of summer. Caterpillars of the second generation "specialize" in sowing winter crops. How to deal with the winter scoop?
The main and effective measure to combat the winter moth is deep autumn and spring digging of the soil to a depth of 25-27 cm, which destroys the pupae and caterpillars of the winter moth.
In early summer, when the planting of vegetables has already been made, loosen the aisles more often. If damaged plants appear, rake the topsoil - you will surely find a gray, thick caterpillar. Therefore, thorough loosening of the row spacings can be considered one of the methods of dealing with the caterpillars of the winter moth.
Try to keep track of more than just your beds. Constantly mow the sides of the roads and the area around your plot. Flowering weeds are a source of food and egg-laying for winter moth butterflies.
May beetle larvae first feed on humus particles, then begin to eat up plant roots. In the European part of Russia, the May beetle prevails with a 4-year period of development. The most significant damage to plants is caused by larvae of the second and third years of development during the growing season. Plants with severely damaged roots may die.
There is a biological way to control the larvae of the May beetle - the introduction of nematodes into the soil. Get rid of the larvae of the May beetle, get nematodes: horseradish radish is not sweeter! In addition to the introduction of nematodes, there is a measure to prevent the spread of the May beetle larvae: during the autumn and spring digging of the soil, it is necessary to manually collect and destroy the larvae of the May beetle.
Also, do not add fresh manure to the soil. May beetle larvae will probably start in it. To apply to the beds, use only rotted humus, and before adding it, carefully examine and shake it up: it is better not to let the larvae get into the beds, than then look for how to deal with them.
Larvae in compost. The difference between the larvae of the bear from the larva of the May beetle and the larvae of the bronze. What do bear larvae look like? Which larvae produce compost?
Many gardeners, shoveling compost, stumble upon fat, white larvae, and such larvae are also often found under mulch in the beds. People, due to their natural disgust, fear or illiteracy, write off everything on the harmfulness of these larvae, it happens that panic begins, and without understanding they make the most incredible assumptions and often destroy everyone indiscriminately.
Last year, in an article, I talked about the larvae of the bronzovka, showed the difference between the larvae of the bronzovka and the larvae of the May beetle. Detailed article "How to distinguish the larva of the bronze from the larva of the May beetle" -
At the end of the article, she promised subscribers to take a photo of the compost produced by the larvae of the bronze. It's time to keep the promise.
To begin with, I will repeat myself and briefly tell the new readers of the site what these "animals" are, and also tell about my new experience.
Briefly about larvae in compost and under mulch.
Bronzovka larvae living in compost and under mulch feed only on dead organic matter, that is, on the mulch itself or on the compost itself. Feeding on plant debris, they produce excellent quality compost for you in the compost heap, or they do the same thing, but in the garden, eating mulch. These larvae increase the fertility of YOUR LAND.
The bronze mom knows what her children will need for nutrition, so she lays eggs in compost (preferring compost from grass and leaves) or on mulched beds.
Under the mulch you will find Bronzovka larvae.
The very similar larvae that you find on weeded beds without mulch are the beetle or beetle larvae.
May beetle or beetle larva.
These larvae will not increase the fertility of your land, they will try to leave you without a crop. These larvae eat the roots of the plants. Therefore, we look where we found the larvae.
The mother beetle will not dig into the mulch or compost, she will lay eggs where the roots of the plants will be available to her children. She will lay her eggs in a perfect (beautiful, weeded) vegetable garden. (By the way, the ideal vegetable garden is a relative concept.)
On such "beautiful" beds you will find the beetle larva.
Mole and larvae.
If you are not a subscriber, but are reading this article, then I think that you have few or no moles. (A lot is a little, this is also a relative concept, depending on what to compare with).
This is understandable, because the mole eats everything in the ground that moves! If you decide to engage in natural farming and apply "Active Mulch" - in order to get large and environmentally friendly yields, then the number of moles you will have will grow exponentially, you must be ready for this. After all, mulch is processed by earthworms as well, and worms are the main mole "yummy".
Earthworms, various larvae (including bear larvae) are included in the diet of a mole, you don't know which is worse!
Yes, what can I say. I myself did not know that there are such larvae, while moles ruled in our garden, but after a long war with moles, we found effective protection against moles -. Moles no longer bother us, but the number of bronzovka larvae is growing every year.
In order not to confuse you, a photo of two larvae. Compare.
On the left is the beetle larva. On the right is a bronze larva.
The larva of the May beetle differs from the bronzes in its large head, strong jaws, a thinner waist and this model is leggy.
But nevertheless, in the fall, you can find the larvae of the May beetle under the mulch! How did they get there? To answer this question, try to remember at what time you mulched the garden ?! You waited for the potatoes to sprout, then they huddled it, then they huddled it again, and mulched it up when the tops of the potatoes were already 40-50cm. What month was it? And in what month does the mass years of May beetles begin?
Here is the answer to the question: while you huddled the potatoes, the May beetle managed to lay eggs, and the mulch that you put on top will not prevent its larvae from eating tubers! What's the conclusion? Do not tighten with mulching, especially since hilling sprouted potatoes will not increase your harvest!
Compost, which is produced by the larvae of the bronze.
The quality of the compost is not very visible in the photo, I shot it on the video below.
Bronzovka larvae process organic matter and produce compost.
I want to say that this compost is two-thirds of the fall of apples. The apples were ours and our neighbors'. Of course, I didn’t pile a cubic meter of apples in one heap. I collected fallout every other day, it turned out 4-6 buckets, laid them out in one and a half layers, and sprinkled them with sawdust (2-3 buckets), foliage, which I always harvest in the fall (10-15cm), earth (2 buckets), ash, various organic waste that neighbors throw into the forest. Also, the waste of apples after the production of apple juice was stacked in a heap, and there were also a lot of them, more than 100 liters of juice were made. The pile rose and settled.
In late autumn 2015, when we were shifting the compost ("Compost in winter"), we poured the larvae into the middle of the Yablochnaya heap, I wrote about this last year. The larvae survived the winter normally, and over the summer they ate all the apples. And in the fall of 2016, I took a photo of the compost and shot a video.
This compost is mainly used for growing early tomato seedlings, seedling containers 5-8 liters. "The tomato harvest on June 15 in the Moscow region." - I grow seedlings not only for myself, but also for sale, by order. If the compost remains, then for growing potatoes "100 kg of potatoes from 5 sq.m." -.
If you find larvae of different sizes in the compost, this does not mean at all that you have larvae of different beetles. Bronzovka lays eggs in compost all summer, and the larvae hatch from the eggs at different times, respectively, small larvae are "preschoolers", and large ones are "senior pupils".
It would never occur to us to call a chicken a sparrow, because it is small!
The photo shows that the larvae of the bronze are of different sizes.
The larvae live for about a year and a half, the further stage of development is the pupa, and from the pupa an adult beetle.
« Fast composting. The larvae make compost in one season ”-
About the dangers of the bronze beetle.
From Wikipedia:
“… An adult beetle feeds on flowers of wild and cultivated plants, including fruit trees. Despite this, beetles are not capable of seriously damaging gardening. "
It is often written that the beetle eats the stamens of flowers and the fruits on the trees are not tied.
Perhaps this is so, but I did not notice any harm from the beetles.
The difference between the larva of the bear and the larvae of the May beetle and bronze.
Medvedka is very rare here, mainly it is brought in with manure. Having found larvae in compost or in a garden bed, people first of all assume that these are bear larvae.
The bear loves to live in compost, which is made from manure, therefore, when buying manure, remember that along with the manure you can buy a bear, or her eggs, and this is completely free. In addition, the bear has wings, and there is no way to insure your garden against her visit. Everyone knows what a bear looks like.
What do bear larvae look like?
We have a bear very rarely, apparently our climate (Moscow region) is too cool for her, therefore, to find a photo of a bear larva, I decided to use the Internet. To my surprise, many sites give completely incorrect information, the authors of the articles show photos of the larvae of the bronzovka and the larvae of the May beetle, while claiming that these are bear larvae.
Let's open Wikipedia:
“…. The female bear makes a nest at a shallow depth in the ground, the domed vault of which usually rises somewhat above the earth's surface - to ensure better heating of the clutch by the sun's rays.
There are hundreds of eggs in a clutch, of which larvae emerge, with a body shape reminiscent of an adult, only much lighter. The larvae grow for several years, the nymphs have wing rudiments ... "
The larvae are shaped like an adult!
And on many sites we are offered pictures in which the larvae resemble a thick, white worm!
Let's try to get to the bottom of the truth.
Bear eggs look like this:
And here is the owner of the nest herself. This photo was shared with us by photographer Stanislav Shinkarenko.
Root pests of cultivated plants are the most insidious insects. Gardeners and gardeners cannot always notice or foresee their appearance in a timely manner, and it is only by stunted growth that root damage can be diagnosed.
By sucking out the juice and drilling the rhizomes, insects deprive the plants of the opportunity to receive nutrients from the soil. Foliage and young shoots gradually die off, plants wither and die.
It is quite difficult to get rid of the multiplied pests. The easiest way to protect beds and flower beds is preventive root treatment before planting.
Click Beetle Larvae
Centipedes
Centipedes are natural orderlies of the garden and vegetable garden. However, their congestion is becoming a big problem. 
The main diet of insects is the remains of decaying vegetation. But with a lack of food, they become interested in various cultural plantings. For example, strawberries.
The safest way for a person to fight is the arrangement of traps. Pits are dug near the beds, where wire cages with carrots or potatoes are placed.
Large colonies of insects can be destroyed by treating the soil with a solution of Aktellika, Fitoverma or Aktara.
On strawberry and strawberry beds, processing is carried out before the berries ripen.Earthworms
Earthworms are the main soil formers, contributing to its aeration and moisture.
They feed on the remains of plants, but they pose some danger to immature garden and flower crops. Actively moving in the ground, worms can damage thin roots and cause plants to dry out. Indoor flowers can suffer the most from worms.
It is almost impossible to fight these insects outdoors. But it is quite simple to protect indoor flowers from their effects. To do this, the pot is placed in a bowl of water for eight minutes. The worms begin to choke and crawl out on their own.
