Medvedka: photos, description, how to fight

Medvedka is a dangerous pest that not only looks intimidating, but also can destroy most of the vegetable crops. At the first signs of the appearance of an insect in the garden, it is necessary to begin to comprehensively fight it, this guarantees a good result and the preservation of the crop.

Bear: description

It is a orthoptera insect 5 cm in length, large individuals of 6 cm or more are found. The body is covered with small hairs. The cephalothorax is 3 times smaller than the soft, thick, spindle-shaped abdomen, at the end of which there are cerci - thin appendages. The carapace in the upper part of the body is hard, like that of crustaceans, and helps to compact the soil when digging tunnels and partially protects the head. There are mustaches on it, two complexly arranged eyes on the sides, an oral apparatus with powerful jaws and four tentacles at the edges. The color of the upper part of the chitinous layer is dark and brown; the abdomen has a lighter yellow hue.

The forelimbs with short claws designed to dig tunnels in the ground are very different from the rest. Hind legs for jumping are rarely used, however, the bear can rise to a great height of 3-5 meters.

In order to fly, there is a pair of wings with membranes and veins that, when folded, look like thin harnesses and often exceed body length. On top are two short leathery fans that are not involved in the rise in the air. It is thanks to the friction of these elytra that the insect makes sounds that can be heard at a distance of up to 0.5 km. Thus, males invite females to mate. The larva of the bear does not fly.

Due to the fact that adults move quickly on the surface of the ground and underground, fly, swim and jump high enough, they are considered the oldest species of insects on earth. Due to its skills, structural features of the body and nutrition, the pest has several names: cabbage, bear, earth cancer or mole cricket. Life expectancy of 3-5 years.

Reasons for the appearance

Medvedka prefers to settle in well-groomed areas with loose and nutritious soil. In hard and lean soils, an insect is also found, but much less frequently. Often, gardeners themselves provoke the manifestation of a pest, using manure to fertilize the beds, in which larvae and adults are found.

Bear harm

Medvedka most often affects vegetables, especially the underground parts of seedlings; she does not feed on weeds and grass, preferring cultivated plants. Most often affected:

• Tomatoes
• radish;
• beet;
• potatoes;
• cucumbers
• shrub roots
• flowers
• parsley;
• carrot;
• cabbage;
• eggplant;
• pepper;
• melons;
• radish.

The peculiarity of the bear is that most of the time it spends underground, digging moves in the ground, building nests for laying eggs. It prefers a moist and loose substrate, in such conditions it is located not far from the soil surface: 5-10 cm, if there is little moisture it can dig into a depth of 0.5 m or more.

Cabbage wintering also takes place in the soil, very far from the surface for about 2 m. With the arrival of warm weather, rapid and massive reproduction begins. The appearance of the bear in the garden is indicated by areas with cut vegetation, the females remove it to better warm the masonry in the ground. The eggs mature in 10-14 days and at first the larvae feed on the mother’s saliva, and after 7-8 days they increase in size and begin to bite stems, tubers or the root part of plants along with adults. The offspring are very gluttonous and also cause great damage to the crop. An insect can alone destroy up to 14-15 bushes per night.

The best time to deal with the pest is spring or autumn.

In warm regions, the bear does not mind eating tea, citrus fruits and peanuts. In the garden, apple, pear, cherry, apricot or peach trees may be affected. On the territory of the forest are young oaks, pines, spruces. The larvae of the jaw are poorly developed, so they feed on small insects, seeds and young roots of plants.

Effective methods to combat the bear

Fighting the bear in the area is quite difficult, but necessary, because if you do not start to destroy pests in a timely manner, you can lose most of the crop in the beds. Many methods will have to be applied throughout the summer season, and sometimes 2-3 years in a row. Today, there are many effective methods: from setting traps and catching pests manually to using chemicals.

Mechanical methods

They are considered very simple, it is enough just to dig a site well in places where the bear cubs are concentrated in the ground. Discovered individuals and egg-laying are subject to destruction.

It is good to carry out loosening of the soil in the autumn after harvest or in early spring. The quality of land plowing is very important, the more thoroughly this procedure is carried out, the less number of bears will be able to appear in the next season. A large number of destroyed nests and underground passages will make the insect look for a new habitat in other areas.

An effective method is that in which 8-10 drops of sunflower oil are poured into the detected vertical passages, which will prevent the bear from breathing underground. After water is added, if the soil is dry, a whole bucket of liquid may be required, these actions will lead to the pest drowning or crawling to the surface, where it will be easy to catch.

You can dig into the soil to a depth of 25-30 cm stakes of aspen or alder, 2-4 cm thick and always with a layer of bark. The distance between the posts should be 1-2 m, during the season they will need to be replaced with fresh ones 2-3 times.

Setting traps

An effective method for pest control is to place traps on the site, many of them can be made with your own hands from improvised tools at home. Below are some simple ideas:

• Plastic containers with partially rotted manure laid in it at a depth of 0.5 m. It is easy to destroy the pest, you just need to scoop the mullein during the first frost, insects, larvae and egg laying die. In the spring, such traps are best checked after 20-25 days, disposing of insects that have fallen into it.
• Glass jars dug into the ground at the places where the bear’s moves were detected. She, not noticing the trap, will fall into it. You can also half fill the container with water, a humid environment will become an additional bait.
• A transparent container coated on the inside with honey at ¼ height, deepened in a substrate and covered with an iron or plywood sheet with a layer of straw on top.
• A 0.5 ml bottle with beer (100 g) poured into it, dug at an angle, in a hole made in moistened soil. The neck, it is better to tie it with one layer of gauze, should not look out of the ground. The recess is covered with metal or tile. The trap can be replaced or moved to another place after 7-10 days.
• Thick cardboard laid out on the beds before planting vegetables and flowers. Under the sheets, over time, passages appear in which, having shown some sleight of hand, you can catch parasites. The main condition is to act silently and quickly. Also, to create warm areas, fabric, ruberoid or black film that attracts the sun's rays well is suitable.
• Large beets or carrots buried completely in the ground to attract adults. Bait granules, for example, Medvedox, should be placed nearby.

Another option is the extermination of insect mixtures in which toxic substances are added. Boil pearl barley, buckwheat or oatmeal, add 1 tbsp. l sunflower oil, mix and pour in the ampoule of the drug Regent or B-58. Add half a teaspoon of porridge to the ground and place it near each entrance to the underground burrows of the insect. It is best to use a poisonous mixture in the spring when seedlings of vegetable crops appear.

Instead of grains, you can take pieces of stale bread treated with an insecticide.

Ultrasonic scare devices

The modern method of repelling the bear’s attacks is the use of ultrasonic devices:

• Chiston III;
• Tornado 0ZV.01;
• Topaz.

The principle of their action is the generation of special waves that cause insects in a sense of danger and panic. This method also helps to drive moles, shrews and snakes from the site and is completely harmless to pets and humans. There are models that work on solar or alkaline batteries, one device is enough for 4-6 acres of land. However, gardeners note the low efficiency of this method and the high cost of fixtures.

Folk methods of struggle

Instead of chemicals, many gardeners prefer to use folk remedies to fight the bear, this is due to their availability, ease of manufacture at home.

The most common tips are:

• Eggshell. Grind and add 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil with a smell, spread in grooves and holes during planting and sowing seeds. This mixture will also be a good fertilizer.
• Tar. Add 2-3 tbsp. l into boiled water sawdust and mix. After spread to a depth of 2-3 cm from the surface of the substrate.
• Ammonia. 1 tbsp. l 10 liters, water the planted crops from a watering can, trying not to get on the leaf plates. After the solution is absorbed, you need to create a mulching layer on top. For long-term protection, it is necessary to perform another 1-2 irrigation with an interval of 10-12 days. You can use this method when growing vegetables in a greenhouse.
• Kerosene. Add a few drops to the sand and mix, spread the resulting mixture at the entrances to the tunnels of cabbage. For the same purpose, naphthalene can be used.
• Soap. Pour into holes and destroy the pest after it appears on the soil surface. You can use just 50 g washing powder per bucket of water, it is better not to do a large concentration, as this can damage the plants on the site. However, experienced gardeners are advised to use a solution of tar or household.
• Unrefined oil. Instill 0.5 tsp in holes in the ground. and add water, preferably from a hose.
• Iodine. Dilute and treat the substrate, 20-40 drops per 10 liters.
• Onion peel. Make tincture and water the intended moves.
• Garlic. Put a crushed wedge into each well when planting.
• Chicken droppings. Dilute 200 gr per 10 l and pour between rows. The nitrogen contained in the mixture will greatly impede the survival of the substrate in the substrate for the earth cancer.
• Barrier made of plastic containers. Cut the bottles into rings and place them in the ground around the seedlings.
• Fish heads. Bury at the edges of the garden, the strong smell of decaying product will scare away adults.
• Marigolds, chrysanthemums and calendula. Plant along the edge of the garden. Spread coniferous branches or sprinkle a bed of strongly smelling needles.
• Nylon stockings. They should be wrapped around the root system, this method is convenient in that as the young seedlings grow, the tissue will easily stretch.
• Intimidating devices from improvised means. Dig a metal pin, a thick wire 30-40 cm long. Next, on the rods you need to attach aluminum cans upside down or tin lids on laces connected in a garland. Thanks to the wind, noise and ringing are created, which, spreading far underground, will scare away pests.
• Mulching layer of light straw.

Biological products

If there is no desire to use chemicals, you can try biological products that do not poison the soil and plants:

• Boverin. Infects a pest with a fungal disease. Safe for humans, animals and birds.
• Bio bed. The drug is also harmless, contains natural ingredients with strong odors.
• Nemabakt. As part of the spores of the fungus that causes the death of the pest. Do not use at temperatures above +25 ° C, store in the refrigerator.

In the fight against a pest, a bear can also help natural enemies:

• Larra wasps;
• crows and starlings feed the chicks with these insects;
• ants feed on cabbage eggs;
• hedgehogs, moles and lizards eat both larvae and adult individuals.

Chemicals

In the event that other methods of combating the pest have been tried, and folk remedies do not give a positive effect for one or 2 seasons, you should resort to chemical preparations that will help get rid of the bear in the area.

Some gardeners suggest using drugs that destroy the Colorado potato beetle against the bear, however, such drugs are not cheap and ineffective.

You should also try on the site sprinkling holes in the soil with 5 grams of calcium carbite. After for the appearance of a reaction with the formation of acetylene, which is detrimental to the bear, watering is mandatory.

Another important rule: all work on the site, watered with chemicals, can be carried out only after 7-8 days.

Mr. Summer resident advises: prevention of the appearance of a bear

Due to the rapid reproduction, vitality of the insect and structural features of its body, it is quite difficult to fight the bear. To prevent the appearance of cabbage, the following preventive measures should be performed:

• Do not use fresh manure as fertilizer.
• Place the seedlings roots when planting in open ground in cups made of plastic bottles with a cut bottom.
• Form a mulching layer on the beds. Needles are good.
• Add chicken droppings to compost heaps, which will prevent the bear’s larvae from multiplying and appearing.
• Sow marigold seeds around the perimeter of the beds or just bury leaves or flowers in the soil. You can also use chrysanthemums with a specific smell that does not like earthen cancer.
• Plowing the ground before the onset of frost, cold air is harmful to the egg laying of the insect.

Medvedka is a serious pest that creates many problems and destroys the crop, however, knowing the characteristics of cabbage, its lifestyle and familiarizing itself with the variety of ways to deal with the pest, you can choose the most convenient and effective.

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