How to deal with a bear in the country. Northern summer resident - news, catalog, consultations

Spoiled roots of adult plants and young shoots, leading to their death, in most cases indicate the presence of a bear, an underground pest, in the garden plot.

How to determine that a bear has appeared on the site?

If on suburban area the number of withered plants is increasing every day, and watering is carried out regularly, then most likely, a bear is in charge here. Small holes in the beds and loose mounds of earth will also tell you about her stay in the garden. Such signs of the presence of a bear are especially clearly visible after rain.

If you dig these tubercles 15 cm deep, you can see the eggs laid by the females of this insect (their size is no larger than a hemp grain). After 10 - 17 days they will become larvae, which also harm the plants.

As a rule, during the day the bears are in underground burrows, and with the onset of the evening they begin to actively break through new passages, simultaneously destroying the root system of plants that come across on the way. In addition, at this time they are looking for more comfortable habitats.

Medvedki can easily fly long distances, swim and move on the ground, so it is very difficult to catch them. You can detect a bear in the evening and at night by a characteristic sound that resembles the chirping of a grasshopper, but louder.

Insects hibernate deep in the ground or in compost heaps. Their active life begins in the spring. In May they move to the surface, in June the mating period begins, after which the chambers are prepared for laying 500 - 600 eggs. Just at this time, a lot of tubercles and holes appear on the surface of the earth, by which one can judge the presence of a bear on the site.

What does a bear look like?

Medvedka is quite easy to distinguish from other types of insect pests. It can be recognized by the following features:

• body length up to 5 cm;
• the body consists of the cephalothorax and the abdomen (the abdomen is 3 times larger);
• at the end of the abdomen there are paired processes 1 cm long;
• eyes, whiskers, tentacles (around the mouth) are located on the head;
• forelimbs with a thickened lower leg, turned inside;
• hind limbs with 4 - 5 spines;
• wings thinly scaly, longer than body;
• the shell of the head and chest is hard;
• the abdomen, head and chest are dark brown in color, the limbs are light brown.

Chemical pest control

Water with laundry soap

To get rid of the bear soapy water poured into the holes leading to its holes and passages. In this case, the insect will either crawl out and can be destroyed (for example, chopped with a shovel), or die inside the hole.

Washing powder water

Any inexpensive powder is diluted in water in a proportion of 4 tbsp. spoons for 10 liters. The holes found in the garden are poured with this solution. As a rule, 3 liters of the resulting solution are poured into one well. But it should be borne in mind that it can wash out the soil and harm the root system of plants, so it is not recommended to abuse this method.

Chemical preparations against Medvedka

These include: "Phenoksin plus", "Prestige 290 FS", "Aktar 25 WG", "Medvetoks", "Bankol", "Thunder". The granules fall asleep in the holes of the passages. The insects die the next day. You can also prepare a bait for a bear and add one of the above drugs to its composition. To do this, boil porridge (barley or wheat), add beer and the drug.

The mixture is rolled into small balls and laid out in places of accumulation of holes of insects with larvae, as well as in beds that need protection the most (for example, in beds with root crops, cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes). By the way, you can attract a bear by mixing chemicals with germinated cucumber seeds.

Kerosene

In order to get rid of the insect, along the rows of beds, the paths are sprinkled with a mixture of kerosene and sand. You can also mix 100 ml of kerosene with 1 liter of water and pour it into the passages dug by the bear. This pest can damage the roots of plants not only in the open field, but also in the greenhouse. To protect greenhouse plants with kerosene, a rope is moistened and laid around the building, in which case the smell will scare away the bear.

Zinc Phosphide and Hexachlorane

They are mixed with grains of corn, wheat, barley and evenly laid out in holes dug along the beds (it is advisable to do this before sowing or planting).

Folk remedies

Experienced gardeners and gardeners know how to deal with a bear with improvised means. Therefore, they use the following folk methods.

Traps with beer

Medvedki are not able to resist this drink. Traps are made from glass jars or bottles: a jar is dug into the ground (with an inclination), 50 g of beer is poured into it, and gauze is tied on top. Insects gnaw through gauze and fall into a trap from which they cannot get out. After a while, the jar will be densely packed with bears and it will be easy to destroy them.

Traps with honey

Another option for getting rid of the bear folk remedies may be the use of traps with honey.

They are built on the principle of the previous method, but the beer is replaced with honey, and instead of gauze, a piece of iron or cardboard is used, covering the jar only halfway. When the trap is full, it must be replaced with a new one.

Eggshell

In winter you can collect eggshell. It is mixed with vegetable oil and fall asleep in the holes dug by the bear. Such a treat can also bring the bear out of the site. You can also grind the shell into powder and mix with the ground on which the plant is planned to be planted. If the insect tastes the shells, it will die.

The use of unpleasant odors for the bear

Some scents repel these pests. These include fragrances:

• mint and garlic leaves, onion husks (spread directly on the beds);
• branches of needles, willows, alders, chrysanthemums (dug into the ground);
• marigolds, calendula, beans, flax (planted in different places in the garden);
• heads and tails of fish (buried in beds between plants).

These smells can protect against mole crickets for 2 weeks (with the exception of growing sources of smell).

loosening the earth

The soil is loosened at least 3 times a season. Digging the ground to a depth of 15 cm, you can find the holes of the bear. This kind garden work spend with a hoe, and having found nests, move the earth with insects, larvae and eggs into a bucket.

Dung heaps as bait

You can remove the pest by arranging manure traps: piles of manure must be spread throughout the area. With the onset of warm days, the bears will surely crawl into them and begin to create holes in them for laying eggs. After checking such a trap and finding insects in it, it must be burned. In this case, adults will be destroyed along with the larvae.

This is very effective method pest control. You can prepare a "wintering place" for the pest in advance. For this late autumn they dig holes in different places of the summer cottage and fill them with compost or manure. With the onset of frost, the contents of the pits are scattered with a shovel to the surface. Insects do not have time to go deep into the soil and freeze.

This insect is a formidable enemy of the garden; with its appearance, seedlings in the beds begin to wither and young shoots die. Newly planted fruit trees dry up, and spoiled root crops rot. You can get rid of it, but only if you approach the problem comprehensively.

The insect belongs to the class of large invertebrate arthropods from the order of jumping neoptera. A mature individual grows up to 7.5 cm and lives in minks, which she digs herself. The front pair of limbs, which outwardly resembles ticks, helps her in this. In addition to spikes designed to loosen the earth, the legs have auditory openings. The other two limbs, the hind limbs, help in movement, on the inside they have several sharp growths.

The insect has an abdomen, which is several times larger than the cephalothorax and reaches a thickness of about 1.4 cm. Top part covered with a hard shell, in which the head can partially hide. The mouth contains two powerful jaws designed to gnaw through the roots.

Medvedka has several pairs of wings, with the front small size and reach only the middle of the abdomen, but the other two are long and transparent with thin veins. With their help, she flies.

Why is the bear so called?

The insect got its name due to its brown color and dark brown small hairs covering the body, large sizes and sharp black claws that are located on the front paws. It looks pretty intimidating. Among other nicknames, there are the following:

• Kapustyanka- such a name was given to her because she loves to eat the leaves of young cabbage heads, potato tubers and beets.
• mole cricket- for resemblance to an insect, from the same family of jumping orthopterans, which can make sounds with the help of elytra friction, and to an animal that digs holes for itself and has strong front legs.
• earth cancer- for a hard chitinous shell and claw paws.

And also, sometimes, you can hear the nickname "top" - this is because young individuals have a gray color and pointed spikes on their limbs.

Distribution and habitat

The area where representatives of this type of pests are found covers very large area: Western Europe, except for cold countries, such as Norway, Asia - Central and Southeast, Transcaucasia and the countries of North Africa - Egypt, Morocco, Libya and others. In Russia, the insect is distributed everywhere - from St. Petersburg to the Crimea.

Medvedka does not like hot and dry places, so they live in the part where there is moisture, that is, near water bodies in sandy or clay soils. Most preferable for them is a place rich in humus, so very often the insect lives in vegetable gardens, orchards and flower beds. They like wetlands and areas with groundwater.

First, the pest settles in damp and well-manured areas of the garden, and later, if it is not destroyed, it will spread to other territories.

Types of bear

There are several various kinds, which practically do not differ from each other in any way: they have the same lifestyle, taste preferences and appearance. The difference can only be noticed if you examine their chromosome set. There are about 110 species in total, among the known are the following:

• ordinary- one of the largest group that is common in Europe. It harms all types of cereals and agricultural crops.
• African- grows up to 3.5 cm, body color is dark yellow, closer to brown. The belly is light yellow. It has small threadlike antennae.
• ten-fingered- the species is widely represented in the USA and Canada. The size is from 2 to 3.5 cm. In its natural habitat, it has an enemy - an earthen wasp, it penetrates the mink and paralyzes with a sting.
• Far East- a morphologically similar species to the common bear, common in China, Vietnam, Japan and the Sakhalin region.
• Single-thorn- differs from other species in that the thickness of its body is narrower, and the front wings have not very pronounced transverse veins. The length of a mature individual reaches 4.5 cm.

And the steppe bear is also quite famous, which lives in the south of Russia, in Ukraine and a number of other countries.

What does the bear eat and what harms the garden?

The insect is the most common pest of fruits and vegetables, they damage the root system and the entire underground part of plants: tubers, root neck and even freshly sown seeds. They also harm seedlings of ornamental and berry crops planted both in open ground and in greenhouses. Very often the pest destroys the following species:

• new potatoes;
• fodder and sugar beets;
• carrot;
• white cabbage;
• tomatoes;
• bell pepper;
• beans;
• radish;
• pumpkin;

Kapustyanka harms and gourds: watermelons and melons. He also likes to eat young shoots of sunflower, hemp and tobacco. All grain crops suffer from it: wheat, oats, barley and rye. In the southern regions, the bear damages citrus fruits, peanuts and tea.

In addition to plants, she also eats insect larvae living underground, as well as earthworms.

Medvedka lifestyle

Insects are one of the most ancient species that appeared on our planet, their remains are found everywhere and they date back millions of years. This species is very tenacious and can quickly adapt to the changing conditions of the environment where they live.

As a rule, the pest is nocturnal and does not appear on the surface during the day, spending most of the day underground. All day long, the bear digs in the soil, making moves and eating everything that comes in its way. Insects make sounds even when underground, so they give a signal to their own kind.

Their passages are located at a depth of 15-20 cm and consist of numerous burrows in which they do not spend more than a few days. The network of branches dug by the cabbage can reach great distances, they move all the time, destroying the crop with their powerful jaws.

Scientists have found that their chirping is many times louder than that of grasshoppers or crickets. The human ear is able to pick up these sounds from a distance of more than 500 m, but only in evening time. During the day they are almost inaudible, probably due to the fact that they are afraid to reveal themselves.

At night, they crawl out to the surface of the earth in order to find a new area where there is food. If necessary, insects can travel long distances - they fly and swim perfectly.

Medvedok breeding

After a long winter, when the earth warms up well and the air temperature does not drop below +10 degrees, sexually mature individuals crawl en masse to the surface looking for a mate for mating. The process itself takes place underground and at the end of it the female begins arranging the place where she will lay her eggs. Around the roots of plants, the insect digs several passages, where it arranges small rounded nests that are 8-10 cm wide. Both parents are involved in construction, then the female lays from 300 to 500 eggs.

Then the most crucial period begins, because in order for the offspring to be viable, it needs the creation of certain conditions. The female is always next to the clutch, she not only protects future offspring, but also supports required humidity and temperature.

The term for the appearance of larvae depends on how well the soil has warmed up, approximately two weeks should pass, and then gray nymphs will appear. They do not yet have wings and will stay in their burrow near their mother for about a month. After the offspring becomes independent, the female dies, and the larvae will develop for several more years until they fully mature. During this period they shed 8-10 times.

Natural enemies of the bear

Like any other insect, bears become the prey of a variety of predators:

• Birds - it can be rooks, starlings, storks, hoopoes or crows.
• Insectivorous animals - hedgehogs, lizards, moles and shrews.
• Arachnids - a wolf spider preys on grown larvae, it waits until one of them appears near its mink, then it will pounce on it and eat it.
• Predatory insects - one of the representatives of this species is a beetle that lives in Japan and China. The female looks for mink bears and lays eggs there, when larvae appear from them, they crawl inside and eat the offspring.
• Tailless amphibians - toads perfectly exterminate these agricultural pests.

Ants and ground beetles eat the larvae and exterminate the eggs laid by the adults.

Dangerous for them fungal diseases that attack the insect during the winter cold and during the thaw period. Pathogenic microorganisms can cause the death of an entire population.

Where do bears winter?

Minks dug in the ground or in manure help insects to wait out frosts. Adults dig deeper holes in the cold season than in summer. Approximately, up to 1 meter, and they do not make them strictly vertically, but at a certain angle.

The larvae also descend into the soil for wintering, but they deepen to a much shorter distance, somewhere, by 20-30 cm.

With the onset of spring, the bear comes to the surface, but not earlier than the soil temperature rises to 15 degrees.

Signs of the appearance of a bear in the garden

When an insect appears on a garden plot, after a while you can notice traces of its activity:

• Near the plants, horizontal passages are visible, located near the very surface, they become especially noticeable after watering or rain.
• Young shoots dry up and are easily pulled out of the ground, and sometimes they are severely gnawed or bitten.
• The tubers are damaged and have deep bite marks.
• There are round holes in the soil, entrances to burrows, which are surrounded by a small earthen mound.

Very often next to the damaged plants you can see the pests themselves.

How to get rid of the bear on the site and in the garden?

To date experienced gardeners accumulated a lot of tips and descriptions best recipes how to quickly deal with this insect. Among them:

• Folk methods, proven by several generations.
• All kinds of scarers and traps.
• The use of insecticides.
• Destruction by means of various mechanical influences.
• Carrying out agrotechnical activities.

The use of several methods at once will help to permanently rid the summer cottage of a harmful insect.

Folk remedies

The following methods showed the best results:

• Use of kerosene - usually diluted with water and poured into burrows or mixed with sand and scattered around the perimeter.
• Repelling with smells that the insect does not like - it can be garlic, lemon balm leaves, bitter herbs, rotten fish heads or iodine.
• Watering the soil with chicken manure diluted in water.
• Planting plants - marigolds or cloves are poorly tolerated by the bear.
• Wrapping the roots with a cloth dipped in dishwashing detergent will protect the underground part of the plant from the gluttonous cabbage.

The use of soap and washing powder helps a lot, you just need to add them to a bucket of water and fill in the vertical passages dug by the pests. This will cause the insect to crawl to the surface, and the clutch will die.

Lures also work well, for the manufacture of which you need a jar or a bottle dug into the ground up to the neck. Beer mixed with water is added to it.

Vegetable oil has a very detrimental effect on the bear and its offspring, it is added to the water and the entrance to the hole is poured with the resulting solution.

Chemicals

An excellent remedy for the fight can be porridge poisoned with various preparations. Among the most effective are the following:

When cultivating the soil, precautions must always be observed: work in a specially designed protective clothing, gloves and a respirator.

Agrotechnical measures

In order to comprehensively approach the extermination of the bear, the following recommendations must be observed:

• After harvesting, it is worth carefully cleaning the area from debris, foliage and branches. This will help to notice the pest in time.
• Dig up the garden in autumn and spring, and to a sufficient depth, with this you can destroy nests and minks. And the bear, which will scatter, can be lured with the help of a manure trap.
• Treat seeds and roots before planting.

It is always worth carefully examining the soil, destroying weeds in time and taking other preventive measures.

Biological agents

Among the safe environment preparations, but very effective against agricultural pests, can be distinguished:

• Bitoxibacillin - it has a depressing effect on the digestive functions of insects, and also reduces the survival of the next generations.
• Lipidocid - causes the death of pests from general paralysis on the 5th day after treatment.
• Boverin is an effective remedy that helps fight insects and protects plants planted both in open ground and in greenhouses.

Biological method of protection good alternative chemical preparations.

mechanical destruction

To combat harmful insects, it is recommended to dig a hole about 0.5 m deep in autumn and fill it with cow dung. This will become a kind of trap for the bear, attracted by the smell, it will settle in the pit. After the onset of frost, the contents of the pit must be scattered over the surface, which will lead to the death of the population. Then the soil should be dug up.

And you can also periodically make manual sampling, and then burn the pests.

Is there any benefit from the bear?

It turns out that the insect can serve for the benefit of man:

1. Chinese scientists have long used healing properties cabbage for the treatment of tuberculosis. Based on their research, the causative agent of a terrible disease dies as soon as it enters the body of a pest.
2. Rummaging in the ground and digging passages, the bear contributes to the enrichment of the soil with oxygen.
3. It can serve as bait while fishing.
4. Being in its natural habitat, the bear eats the larvae of other insects, which maintains balance and protects plants.

In some countries, this insect is eaten, it is fried, stewed and even pickled, and to improve palatability generously flavored with oil and seasonings.

Medvedka is an insect that feeds on plants and small animals. Most often found in well-moistened, humus-rich soil. This insect can cause significant damage to crops. Therefore, you need to be able to deal with it correctly.

Folk methods of dealing with a bear

Gardeners are constantly trying to come up with new ways to deal with harmful insects. Consider the most effective of them:

Protect yourself from the bear. To harmful insect did not penetrate the site from neighboring ones, you need to install sheets of tin around the entire perimeter, digging them in 50-60 cm. The height of the sheets above the ground should exceed 40-50 cm. Also, to protect against the bear, you can dig a groove 40-50 cm deep and fill it up her rubble, broken brick, broken glass.

Beer. Pour approximately 50 ml of foamy drink into a 0.5 liter jar. Dig it up to the neck into the ground. The smell of the drink attracts the insect, and it falls into the jar. It cannot go back.

Kerosene. Dilute 100 ml of kerosene in 10 liters of water. Pour in the evening 1.5 tbsp. in every mink of a bear. Another option is to pour 1 tbsp into a bucket of sand. kerosene, stir. This sand is laid out along the paths between the beds. It is best to combine both methods.

Honey. Coat the inside of the jar with honey and bury it in the ground up to the neck. Honey attracts insects in the same way that beer does. Similarly, sliced ​​raw potatoes and even regular sweetened water can be used.

Horse dung. In the autumn, in those places where the bear was seen, dig holes, lay manure in them. Top with earth. The insect will climb into the manure to overwinter. When severe cold sets in, you need to dig a hole and scatter manure on the ground. As a result, the bear will die.

chicken manure. A very strong remedy against the bear. Diluted droppings need to be watered by plants or poured into minks.

soapy water. Dilute 10 g of ordinary laundry soap and 50 g of washing powder in a bucket of water. Pour 500 ml of this solution into each opening of the course. If after 1-2 minutes the insect does not get to the surface, it will die underground.

Eggshell. Dry the shell, grind it into powder and moisten sunflower oil(preferably unrefined). Spread along with the seeds in the holes. Or make grooves 3-4 cm deep, put a mixture with shells and butter there. Sprinkle sand on top. Medvedka is attracted by this smell, she eats the shell with butter and dies.

Needles. Medvedka is scared away by the smell of any coniferous trees. It is necessary to sprinkle the needles between the rows of plants, or fall asleep in the holes.

Wet rags. Helps protect the stems of tomatoes and peppers. Before planting, you need to wrap the stems with damp thin cloths so that they are both underground and above it. You can also soak the rags in soapy water for greater effectiveness. Medvedka will bypass such plants.

onion peel. Make a groove 3-4 cm deep around the seedling. Put the husk into it, sprinkle sand and earth on top.

Garlic. Place a clove of garlic in each hole when planting. The pungent garlic smell effectively repels the insect.

fish heads. At least once a season, bury raw heads around the entire perimeter land plot, at a depth of 20-30 cm.

Karbofos. Mix a kilogram of any boiled grain, peas or bran with 50 g of karbofos and 30 ml of sunflower oil. Such baits are harmful to birds and pets, so they need to be buried in the ground. The bait with zinc phosphide, which is used instead of karbofos, is prepared in a similar way.

calcium carbide. Lay in each mink 5 g of carbide. Tamp the ground a little. The reaction with ground or rain water will lead to the release of acetylene, which is detrimental to the bear. If the ground is dry and there is no rain, the ground above the carbide needs to be watered a little.

mechanical method. In May-June, the bear lays eggs. It is necessary to dig up the ground in those areas where the insect was seen. eggs on outdoors are dying.

Plants against the bear

You can scare away the insect with the help of such plants:

Coriander. Sow along the perimeter of the site.

Marigold. Sow along the perimeter of the site. In autumn, when the plant dries, break off the stems and scatter them around the garden.

Alder. It is necessary to break small branches and insert them into the ground at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from each other. Insert around the perimeter.

Modern methods

Available for sale today a large number of chemicals, designed specifically to combat the bear. The principle of operation of most of them is almost the same - the insect is attracted by the smell, it eats the bait and soon dies.

Consider some of the effective tools that are presented on the domestic market:

Thunder. Finished product, which needs to be decomposed into the minks of the insect, compact the moves and pour water. After one treatment, the positive effect against Medvedka lasts 10-14 days. It is also effective against garden ants.

Bankol. Insecticide that suppresses the work of the central nervous system of insects. They cannot move, eat, and die after a few days. The drug does not accumulate in soil and water, it is safe for animals. It also works effectively at high temperatures, so it is convenient to use it in summer.

Phenaksin Plus. Granulated bait. It has an attractive taste and smell for a bear. After eating the product, the insect is guaranteed to die within 3 hours. The tool does not provide negative impact on plants and does not accumulate in the soil.

Grizzly. A tool designed specifically for the destruction of mole cricket larvae and adult insects. Pests die within 1-2 days after the treatment of the site. After that, plant protection is maintained for another 4 weeks.

Medvetoks. Means for protection of flower and vegetable crops. Produced in the form of granules with an attractive taste and smell. The insect dies a few hours after eating the product. The drug works up to three weeks. To improve the effect of the granules, it is recommended to sprinkle with sunflower oil.

Rembek. It is a chemically treated millet groats. It must be planted in seedling holes.

Boverin. A drug made on the basis of a fungus called Boverium. The product is mixed with sunflower oil and placed in the wells with seedlings. Before death, insects are selected to the surface. It is recommended to collect and burn them so that they do not poison birds or pets.

Sound repellers are also sold, the action of which is based on vibration. Their effectiveness is moderate, so it is recommended to use such repellers in combination with other means. However, the vibration that such devices emit can scare away a certain number of bears.

Medvedka is a very dangerous pest for agricultural crops. Plants with insect-damaged roots usually die. Therefore, it is imperative to deal with the bear, choosing the most effective methods. If you do not fight with the bear, then in favorable conditions it will multiply rapidly and cause more and more damage to plants.

Medvedka (aka Kapustianka, cricket-mole) is an arthropod insect that belongs to the order Orthoptera, suborder long-whiskers, superfamily cricket, family Medvedka (lat. Gryllotalpidae), subfamily Medvedka (lat. Gryllotalpinae).

Where did the name "bear" come from?

Medvedki got their name for their large size, brown-brown color, massive clawed front paws and pubescent body, which makes it possible to compare this insect with a bear. There are several popular names for these insects: cabbage, cricket-mole or cricket mole, earthen crayfish, spinning top.

Kapustyanka animal is called for the love of young cabbage seedlings. The Latin name of the bear from the genus Gryllotalpa translates as "mole cricket". This is confirmed by the similarity with the cricket in the structure of the body and in the ability to make sounds. Medvedka looks like a mole with extended brushes of the front paws and the ability to burrow into the ground. The front of the insect resembles cancer: the structure of the head, shell, mustache and paws, somewhat similar to claws. Medvedka is called a top because of the sharp claws on the front paws, resembling the teeth of a wolf.

Medvedka - description and photo. What does a bear look like?

Bears are large insects. The length of their body varies from 3.5 to 5 cm, and the thickness reaches 1.2-1.5 cm. From above, the body of the cabbage is painted in a silky brown-brown color, from below - in brownish-yellow. The body of the insect is covered with tiny hairs.

The head of the bear in relation to the body has a prognathic, or direct, location. Its axis coincides with the axis of the body, and the mouth organs, which are powerful jaws, are directed forward. Near the jaws are 2 pairs of tentacles.

The large, well-marked eyes of the bear have a faceted structure and are located on the sides of the head. Filamentous antennae grow on the head of the insect, slightly extending beyond the pronotum. They are shorter than the whiskers of other representatives of crickets.

The large and flat pronotum of the bear with lateral parts hanging down (blades) is distinguishing feature insect. The meso- and metathorax of the insect are connected. The head and front part of the body of the animal are covered with a dense chitinous shell - a device for pushing and compacting the earth when digging holes. Because of this shell, the bear resembles cancer.

The abdomen of the cabbage is thick, reaching 1 cm in diameter, consists of 10 tergites and 8-9 sternites. The apex of the abdomen has anal and genital plates. Females do not have an ovipositor. On the last segment of the abdomen there are long, flexible, covered with small hairs cerci, or caudal appendages, resembling antennae in appearance.

• The forewings are modified into short and leathery elytra, covered with thick veins. In length, they reach only the middle of the abdomen. The left elytron of insects from the cricket superfamily is always covered by the right one.
• The hind pair are long, wide, transparent, membranous wings with fine venation. In a calm state, they fan-shaped fold under the elytra and are extended along the abdomen in the form of bundles. During the flight of an insect, the hindwings take an active part, while the elytra are involved to a limited extent.

Males differ from females in the venation of the elytra. There are also wingless individuals of both sexes, but they are less common. By the way, the larvae have no wings.

By the way, the hearing aid (or hearing organ) of the bear, like many other chirping orthopteran insects (grasshoppers, crickets), is located on the shins of the forelimbs and has an oval or narrow-slit shape.

The hind legs of the insect are strong and designed for movement; 1-4 spikes are located on their inner side. The forelimbs, similar to claws, are a burrowing apparatus. The femur and tibia are greatly expanded, and the tarsus is shortened. On the lower leg there are 4, and on the foot there are 2 teeth-thorns of black color, with which the bear cuts into the ground. On the front legs of the bear there are auditory openings. They have an oval or narrow-slit shape.

What sounds does the bear make?

By rubbing the rigid front elytra against each other, the bear makes sounds that can be heard at a distance of more than half a kilometer. Stridulation, or trills, promotes communication between insects. By the way, the stridulatory apparatus of representatives of the cricket superfamily and grasshoppers differ:

• In crickets, the bow vein is located on the right elytron, and the vein against which the bow rubs is located on the left.
• The stridulatory apparatus of grasshoppers occupies a smaller area on the elytra and is not as developed.

Basically, male bears sing, but females are also able to chirp. Medvedka can make sounds both day and night, being both on the surface of the earth and underground. Calling nocturnal trills of males sound loud, their sound is sharp and low. When moving through underground passages, insects emit a shorter and dull chirring. By the way, the sound power of the bear is 1.4 mW. For comparison: in a cricket, this figure reaches 0.06 mW.

What does a bear eat?

Medvedka is the most common pest of vegetable, fruit, melon, berry, and horticultural crops. These insects damage roots, tubers, root collar, seeds, underground parts of plants, and sometimes even eat seedlings and young plants. Medvedki destroy potatoes, beets (table, sugar and fodder), cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, onions, beans, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, turnips, swedes, radishes, pumpkins, watermelons, melons, sweet potatoes, grapes, poppies, hemp, sunflowers , hops, tobacco, flax, wild strawberries, strawberries, various shrubs, parsley and other umbrella plants. Medvedki damage crops of wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, rice, millet, soybeans, chumiza, payza, and kaoliang.

AT southern regions they destroy more exotic plants: citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines, lemons), tea, cottonseed, peanuts, cotton. In nurseries and young gardens, trees such as apple trees, pears, plums, cherries, cherries, apricots, and peaches can suffer from a bear. In forests, the insect damages the roots of young oaks, beeches, pines, poplars, spruces and other trees.

If on the way of the bear there are larvae living in the soil, she will also eat them. Sometimes a bear can even gobble up another bear.

It is believed that the bears love corn, beets and potatoes most of all. However, they have the greatest and brightest feeling for cabbage, for which they are sometimes called cabbages.

When it comes to cabbage, Medvedka doesn't know when to stop. She eats the root, young shoots, and sometimes the fruits themselves.

Based on the bear's food preferences, you can protect her favorite treats from attacks.

For example, plant garlic around the perimeter of other beds, which the insect bypasses.

Where does the bear live?

Medvedki are distributed almost everywhere in Europe (except Norway and Finland), in Central and Southeast Asia, in the Caucasus, on the islands of Japan, the Philippine Islands, in India, Vietnam, China, Indonesia. Also, these insects live in North Africa, Australia, North and South America. In Russia, the bear is found everywhere - from the European part to the Far East, except for the northern regions of the country.

The habitat of the bear is wet places, meadows, floodplains of rivers and other bodies of water. Insects live mainly in underground passages. They dig in fertilized, well-heated, humus soil of vegetable gardens and melons; they are often found near irrigation canals, in swampy areas. They love places with high groundwater.

The lifestyle of a bear (kapustyanka)

Basically, bears lead a hidden lifestyle. All day they are underground, making moves in the surface layer of the soil and eating plants encountered along the way. They come to the surface only at night. The presence of bears on the site can only be determined by winding, loosened ridges of the earth, holes in the soil and completely healthy-looking plants that suddenly begin to die.

At night, the bears crawl out of their burrows to the surface and move to other areas in search of food. Sometimes they fly over considerable distances. They are often attracted to bright light. During breeding, female bears fly to the sounds made by males for mating.

Medvedka quickly digs into the ground and moves, flies and swims beautifully, overcoming even significant water barriers. The insect adapted to swimming due to the fact that the floodplain areas, the favorite places of residence of the bear, are flooded with water during the spring flood.

Medvedka breeding

Medvedki begin to breed in the spring, after a mass exit from wintering. Their fertilization is spermatophoric, like that of other representatives of Orthoptera. Mating takes place underground. Offspring appear in the summer.

Insects prepare a dwelling for their offspring: they dig complex, densely branched labyrinths around the roots of plants and, at a shallow depth (5-10 cm from the surface), arrange spherical nests about 10 cm in diameter. Individuals of both sexes take part in this process. Inside the ball is a nesting chamber the size of a chicken egg, the walls of which are well compacted. There, the female bear lays from 300-350 to 600 eggs. This is a very important period for the survival of insects, because the offspring, which are underground, are completely dependent on temperature and humidity. The female does not leave the nest, guarding it, maintaining ventilation and temperature. To do this, she clears the passages from the ground, eats up the roots of plants that cast a shadow on the nesting site. Medvedka eggs are similar to millet grains: oval, yellowish-gray, 2 mm in size.

After 10-20 days, depending on the temperature of the soil, gray, six-legged, wingless larvae (nymphs) emerge from the eggs, which live in the nest under the protection of the female for 20-30 days. At the end of this period of time, the female begins to freeze and after a while dies. After that, the larvae of the bear crawl away, dig separate holes and begin to feed. The development of larvae takes a long time, with incomplete transformation. In different regions, this period is different. In the south they develop within 1-2 years, in the north 2-2.5 years. The larva of the bear is similar to the adult, but with smaller sizes, underdeveloped wings and genitals. In the early stages of development, they are very mobile, nimble and jump well, like grasshoppers. During the period of development from the larva to the adult sexually mature individual, the bears molt 8-9 times.

Where and how does the bear hibernate?

The larvae of the bear are 2-6 instars (2-6 molts are implied) and adults overwinter in the soil, humus or manure. They burrow into the ground much deeper than in summer. Larvae deepen by 25 cm, adults - by 60, and sometimes 100-120 cm. They make winter depressions at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees. After wintering, the bears come to the surface when the soil temperature reaches 12-15 degrees.

Nest

The insect nest is truly unique! It is represented by a small underground space at a depth of 10-15 cm. Around the "family hearth" passages were dug and there are four exits to the surface along the edges.

The female laying eggs is able to close and open these passages, thereby regulating the temperature and humidity in the nest, creating best conditions for the development of eggs and newborn larvae.

In the nest, the female gnaws the roots of plants, thereby destroying all vegetation on the surface, so that the sun warms up this piece of land as much as possible.

Types of bears, photos and names.

Medvedki almost do not differ from each other in appearance and lifestyle. Some can be distinguished from each other only by the number of chromosomes.

According to the latest research and information provided at orthoptera.speciesfile.org, the Far Eastern mole cricket (lat. Gryllotalpa fossor) is synonymous with the African mole cricket (lat. Gryllotalpa africana).

common bear

common bear (lat.gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) - a widespread species. The size of the body of the insect reaches 3.5-5 cm, the length of the pronotum is 1.2-1.6 cm, the elytra is 1.3-2.1 cm, the hind femur is 1-1.3 cm. lighter, brown-yellow abdomen, covered with dense fine hairs. The head and back are almost black. Abdomen yellowish or olive hue. Widely distributed in Europe, except for the Scandinavian countries. Also, the common bear lives in Russia, North Africa and some regions of Asia: in the Transcaucasus, Asia Minor and Western Asia, the Middle East, Iran, Kazakhstan.

African bear

African Medvedka (Eastern Medvedka) (lat.Gryllotalpa africana) has smaller dimensions than the common bear: body 2.0-3.5 cm, pronotum length 0.6-0.9 cm, elytra length 0.8-1.2 cm. The color is brown-yellow above and yellow below. African bears live in Central, South and Southeast Asia, the Japanese and Philippine Islands, Ceylon and Madagascar, Korea, Far East Russia, in Australia, New Zealand, in the tropics and subtropics of Africa.

Ten-fingered bear

Ten-fingered bear(lat.Neocurtilla hexadactyla) - a variety characterized by small sizes: from 1.9 to 3.3 cm in length. Initially, these bears inhabited the Northern and Central America and from there spread to South America.

A close relative of the common bear is the ten-fingered bear. The body length of an adult does not exceed 35 mm, and the thickness is 8-11 mm. It feeds on plant roots, young shoots and leads an underground lifestyle.

The main natural enemy of the insect is the burrowing wasp, which attacks the bear in its hole, stings (with a paralyzing poison) and uses it as an incubator for its eggs.

steppe bear

steppe bear(lat.Gryllotalpastepposa) - the morphological twin of the common bear, that is, it is absolutely similar to it in appearance. The length of the insect reaches 4-5.4 cm. The body color is brown-yellow. The habitat of the bear is Moldova, the south of Ukraine, the Southern District of Russia and the south of Turkmenistan.

One-spinned bear

Single-spinned bear (lat. Gryllotalpa unispina). The body length of the insect varies from 3.8 to 4.4 cm, the length of the oval pronotum is 1.1-1.3 cm, the elytra is 1.5-1.7 cm. The body structure, lifestyle, nutrition and reproduction of this insect are characteristic for the whole family, as well as brownish-yellow color. It is a halophile, that is, it is found on saline soils along the shores of seas and lakes, as well as on wet salt marshes. Single-spined bears live in the south of Moldova and Ukraine, in Lower Volga Russia and the Rostov region, in the Crimea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan and China. Its habitat may vary depending on the distribution of solonchaks and solonetzes.

Medvedka as bait for fish

Medvedka has long been known as an excellent bait for fishing big fish. Insects must be alive. To do this, they are kept in containers with earth and air, preferably one at a time, feeding if necessary. Experienced anglers disagree on how to put a bear on a hook - starting from the head, through the chest and abdomen, or stringing 2-3 bears, piercing them through the chest. To make the bait more attractive and give off the proper aroma, the belly is cut into it. It is believed that catfish, chub, barbel, asp peck well at the bear.

Natural enemies of the bear

Well-fed slow insects are easy prey for many feathered hunters: rooks, starlings and even crows are not averse to sticking their long beak into the ground and catching a couple of bears for breakfast.

Other underground inhabitants - moles, eat larvae and adults with pleasure, do not refuse the bear, hedgehogs and lizards. Garden ants drag bear eggs into their nests, wingless larvae are destroyed by ground beetles.

Unfortunately, garden orderlies cannot cope with an overgrown colony of pests, and then it’s time for the site owners to take the initiative into their own hands and start getting rid of the bear on their own.

• Dried bear has long been used to prepare a powder that is used to make a cure for tuberculosis. Some believe that such a powder contributes to the treatment of cancer.
• In some countries of Southeast Asia, for example, in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, bears are considered a delicacy. They are used fried, stewed, pickled, with the addition of all kinds of seasonings and without them.
• In the wild, the bear is beneficial by destroying the larvae of the May beetles and other insects that harm plants.

Medvedka as a medicine

No matter how frightening the bear looks, it turns out to be very beneficial insect. ethnoscience claims: the use of Medvedka as a medicine is recognized today as very effective tool in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis! The body of these insects contains an enzyme that destroys the waxy shell of the Koch stick. In addition, it contains various minerals and vitamins, so preparations from the bear are easily absorbed by the patient's body.

Here one of the recipes:

Grind 30 g of dried Medvedka into powder, divide into 9 equal parts (3.3 grams each) - this amount is enough for one 3-day course. Take 3 times a day 15 minutes after meals, 1 part (3.3 g) mixed with sugar syrup or honey, drink water. Treatment involves 3-6 courses with a break of 10 days.

That's so bear!

Medvedka as food

Medvedka has long been a traditional dish in many Asian countries: in China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Medvedki are a delicacy in Mexico and in some African countries. Medvedka is fried, boiled, dried, dried and even canned.

In the next video: Thai peasants habitually caught a dozen bears for dinner and demonstrate that it is edible and tasty.

Video

Sources

https://nashzeleniymir.ru/medvedka

Medvedka- an insect that leads an underground lifestyle and causes great harm to seedlings and seedlings. It is capable of destroying up to 30% of seedlings in a few days. It feeds on almost all crops in the garden. While moving in the soil, it gnaws through the stem of plants at the base, damages the roots, as a result of which young, fragile seedlings die.

You need to start fighting the bear in early spring and continue the fight until the first autumn frosts. Good results are obtained by the use of insecticides, the use of makeshift traps with baits. In the article, we will consider methods for displaying a bear.

Medvedka: description of the insect

So what does an insect look like:

Stages of development of the pest:

• egg;
• larva;
• an adult.

What does the larva look like:

An adult (imago) lives one to two years. It hibernates at a depth of up to 1 m. This insect is called the "bear" for a large body with brown pubescence on the outside.

She also has several nicknames:

• "Top" - as young larvae are gray in color;
• "earth cancer" - so named for powerful developed claws;
• "kapustyanka" - a nickname given for a special passion for cabbage seedlings.

In the photo - an ordinary bear.

Medvedka inflicts irreparable harm harvest. She eats a variety of garden crops. Destroys young seedlings and seeds in the soil.

Gardeners have long been looking for the most effective way to permanently defeat the pest in the garden.

What does a bear eat in the garden:

How to determine the presence of a bear on the site?

The lifestyle of the bear is underground, it is only on a short time appearing on the surface of the ground.

Signs of the presence of a bear and how it affects plants:

1. Yellowing of seedlings and death of seedlings with proper watering. Medvedka can gnaw their roots.
2. Digs horizontal and vertical passages into the ground e, gnaws the occurring stems of vegetable and flower crops. The seedlings are lying on the ground with a broken stem.
3. From dug horizontal passages, low tubercles appear on the ground, they are clearly visible after the rain. If you dig these tunnels, you can find a clutch of eggs and an adult insect.
4. From vertically dug passages, holes are visible on the surface of the soil, sprinkled with a mound of earth.
5. In the evening and at night, the bear makes sounds by rubbing its wings against each other. These sounds are similar to the chirping of a grasshopper, but louder. The chirping is heard at a distance of 600 m from the singing bear. Therefore, it is possible to find its shelter by sound and destroy it.

How to deal with a bear?

The removal of cabbage from the garden begins in early spring, when the air warms up to +12 ° C and continues until late autumn. You need to fight insects by all available means.

Folk remedies

Tool name	How to apply?
chicken manure	It is three times more nutritious than cow's and repels the bear with the smell. Use it in spring and early summer for watering young seedlings and for dry application.
Ammonia (ammonia solution)	Ways to use ammonia: After planting the seedlings, pour water with ammonia. For 10 liters of water, take 4 tbsp. spoons of ammonia solution. Another way to deal with a pest is to wrap the stem of seedlings before planting in the ground with a cloth soaked in ammonia. Pieces of fabric are laid out between rows of seedlings. A specific pungent smell will scare away the bear from the plants.
Legumes	Plant peas and other legumes in the garden. Them root system draws from the deep layers of the soil to the upper nitrogen, which makes it difficult for the bear to breathe. Also, pea beans are soaked in Aktara, Decis or Confidor chemicals and scattered into holes, landing holes or burrows.
Leaves and husk	Leaves of garlic, mint, onion peel laid out on the beds between crops that need to be protected from insects. You can also fight the insect with the help of garlic cloves, which are added to the hole when planting the plant.
odorous branches	Branches of needles, chrysanthemums. The smell of these crops scares away the bear from the site. To combat insects, dig branches around the perimeter of the garden and between rows at a distance of 1–1.5 m.
Laundry soap	water with laundry soap or boiling water is poured into the passages that lead to the holes of the insect. Kapustyanka from such wetting either dies in a hole, or creeps out to the surface of the soil, where it needs to be destroyed.
Kerosene	Kerosene with water. Take 100 ml of kerosene per 1 liter of water and fill the discovered labyrinths with this liquid. Medvedka dies underground or appears on the surface of the earth, where it must be caught and destroyed.
	Sand with kerosene. Between the beds, sprinkle the earth with sand moistened with kerosene. The smell will repel pests. This protection is enough for a week.

Learn more about how to deal with Medvedka with folk remedies, learn from the video:

Traps and scarers

Method name	How does it work?
dung heaps	It is simple and effective to deal with a bear - scatter dung heaps around the site in early May. Insect lay eggs in them and will often appear there to care for masonry. After two or three weeks, these heaps of manure will need to be collected and burned along with the nests.
manure pits	Build pits filled with manure in the garden before the onset of cold weather. They will gather hibernate larvae and adult insects. With the onset of frost, the contents of the pit must be scattered around the garden. The insect will freeze to death in the cold.
Traps with beer or honey	Fill a three-liter glass bottle with beer to 1/3 capacity, tie the neck with gauze. Dig it at an angle into the ground. Medvedka gnaws through gauze and goes to the bank from which it cannot escape.
Lanterns	In May, during the mating season, the bear begins to fly long distances. Under the included lights in the evening exhibited container with kerosene. Like any flying insect, it flies to a light source, hits a lantern and falls into a prepared container, where it dies.
Porridge	Boil wheat or pearl barley. For 3 kg of finished porridge, add 100 ml of beer to attract the bear and the drug "Rembek", "Vofatoks" or "Bazudin" as a poison. Form the resulting slurry into balls and spread out into prepared beds and planting pits.
Rope	Inside the greenhouse or around it is laid out on the ground rope soaked in kerosene. The smell repels the insect for a week.

ultrasonic repeller

The device digs into the ground, runs on batteries. It makes low-frequency sounds that scare away the insect from the site.

You can fight a pest with an ultrasonic repeller without fear of harming animals. These sounds do not cause discomfort to pets and people. The area of ​​action of repellers is from 80 sq.m.

Chemicals

There are several ways to deal with a bear with the help of chemicals: applying a chemical to the soil, soaking the roots before planting, and adding to baits.

Name of the drug	Description
Soil preparations
"Medvetoks"	Active substance- diazinon, blocks the insect's airways. Release form - granules. The drug is poured into the soil along the perimeter of the site where it is planned to plant plants in two weeks. The poison begins to act after getting wet, so you need to water the prepared area, protection period - up to three weeks.
"Rembek"	As part of millet groats treated with boric acid, kerosene, vegetable oil. Apply the preparation between the rows to a depth of 5 cm, at a distance of 50 cm. After application, pour water over the treated area. Boric acid in the composition causes paralysis of the nervous system and death.
"Phenaksin plus"	The active substance is fenvalerate. Release form - granules, covered with an insect-attracting smell, poison is contained inside. Death occurs after two or three hours after taking the drug. Apply two weeks before planting seedlings; dig holes at a distance of one meter and add 10 pieces of granules to them. And also fight with the bear, falling asleep 3-5 granules when planting the plant in the holes.
Preparations for the treatment of the root system and seeds
"Aktara"	A drug based on thiamethoxam. Release form - suspension, granules or powder. The drug is used for root soaking and seed dressing plants before planting. The dilution rate for the treatment of roots and seeds is 1.4 g per 1 liter of water.
"Prestige"	Suspension for soaking the root system, tubers before landing in open ground. The active ingredients are imidacloprid and pencycuron. The consumption rate of the drug is 35 ml per 500 ml of water.
Chemicals to add to baits
"Bancol"	Release form - powder. The active substance is bensultap, a neurotoxin of annelids marine worms. Negatively affects the nervous system of the pest, death occurs within two to three days. For 1 kg of bait, use 10 g of Bankola. Apply to the soil to a depth of 5 cm.
"Vofatoks"	Release form - liquid and powder. Applies for soaking the root system plants and for mixing with bait. The drug blocks the work of the nervous system, paralyzes the pest, as a result of which it dies. The consumption rate of the substance for soaking is 10 ml per 3 liters of water. To add 1 kg of porridge to the bait, 1.5 g of Wofatox powder is enough.

Can't deal with pests?

Rodents, insects, pests are a great danger to human health. They are often carriers of serious diseases: typhus, rabies, tularemia.

In addition, if pests appear in summer cottages, they can ruin the entire crop or damage plants.

It has the following properties:

• Gets rid of mosquitoes, cockroaches, rodents, ants, bedbugs
• Safe for children and pets
• Mains powered, no recharging required
• No addictive effect in pests
• Large area of ​​action of the device

Preventive measures

Tips on how to deal with a bear to prevent an increase in numbers:

1. Digging the soil to a depth of 50 cm in late autumn and early spring before the ground warms up. The larvae go to winter in the soil, burrowing no deeper than 50 cm. Fight during this period by deep plowing the soil at low air temperatures, which will lead to the death of the insect.
2. Loosening the soil between rows crops from the end of May. In the process of loosening, the moves of the bear are destroyed and the laying of eggs is found. Found nests with eggs are destroyed before the appearance of larvae.
3. The introduction of baits with poison during the construction of a greenhouse. The introduction of baits into the planting holes 10 days before planting seedlings.
4. Freeing the area from large objects: logs, boards, slate.
5. Mulching the soil with bark needles, straw, sawdust. When using them, the temperature of the soil decreases, and the bear loves well-heated soil.
6. Do not scatter purchased cow dung over the area to dry. and store in a special container; be sure to disinfect it.

It is important to remember that the mullein is the main source of the appearance of the bear on the site.

Removing a bear from a vegetable garden or garden is a lengthy process that takes a lot of time. When this pest appears, you must immediately begin to fight it, choosing a convenient method.

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Conclusion

You can fight the pest in the country, I use various methods: chemicals, folk recipes. real way get rid of the bear - drive away with the help of an ultrasonic repeller.

It is much easier to prevent the appearance of a bear in a summer cottage than to remove it. To do this, every autumn you need to dig up the soil to the depth of a bayonet shovel. And also the refusal to use cattle manure will save the soil from infection.