CockchaferFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Cockchafer Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Scarabaeidae Genus: Melolontha Species M. melolontha (Linnaeus, 1758) M. hippocastani Fabricius, 1801 M. pectoralis Germar, 1824 The cockchafer (colloquially called may bug,Buzzbomb, billy witch,[1] or spang beetle, [1] particularly in East Anglia) is a European beetle of the genus Melolontha, in the family Scarabaeidae. Once abundant throughout Europe and a major pest in the periodical years of "mass flight", it had been nearly eradicated in the middle of the 20th century through extensive use of pesticides and has even been locally exterminated in many regions. However, since an increase in regulation of pest control beginning in the 1980s, its numbers have started to grow again. Contents [hide] • • 1 Taxonomy 2 Description (All of these are Scarabaeidae. Melolontha hippocastani The large cockchafer. but shorter and knob-shaped at the end in the forest cockchafer. but its pygidium is rounded. The species M. which is very rare and occurs only in south-western Germany. Melolontha pectoralis. nor with the summer chafer (or "European June bug". Amphimallon solstitiale). which has a completely different life cycle. have white grubs. Close up of a male cockchafer. Both have a brown colour. and are turf pests. which emerges in June and has a two-year life cycle. the forest cockchafer is a bit smaller (20–25 mm). The two species can best be distinguished by the form of their pygidium (the back end): it is long and slender in the common cockchafer.• • • • • 3 Life cycle 4 Pest control and history 5 Cultural references 6 References 7 External links [edit] Taxonomy There are three species of European cockchafers: • • • The common cockchafer. Male cockchafers have seven "leaves" on their antennae. showing the seven "leaves" on the antennae. The cockchafer should not be confused with the similar European chafer (Rhizotrogus majalis).) . [edit] Description Imagines (adults) of the common cockchafer reach sizes of 25–30 mm. nor with the June beetles (Phyllophaga spp. pectoralis looks similar.). which are native to North America. Melolontha melolontha The forest cockchafer. whereas the females have only six. used to occur) in unusually high numbers (10000s). cockchafers appear in a cycle of every three or four years. the years vary from region to region. which she buries about 10 to 20 cm deep in the earth. She may do this several times until she has laid between 60 and 80 eggs. The preferred food for adults is oak leaves. The cockchafer overwinters in the earth at depths between 20 and 100 cm. After about two weeks. in colder climates even five years. known as "white grubs" or "chafer grubs".[edit] Life cycle A female cockchafer Adults appear at the end of April or in May and live for about five to seven weeks. They work their way to the surface only in spring. but they will also feed on conifer needles. for instance potato roots. in which they occur (or rather. hatch after some four to six weeks. before they pupate in early autumn and develop into a cockchafer in some six weeks. and grow continually to a size of about 4–5 cm. The grubs develop in the earth for some three to four years. Because of their long development time as larvae. There is a larger cycle of some 30 years superimposed. They feed on plant roots. [edit] Pest control and history . whereas the Forest Cockchafer stays in the vicinity of the trees. The larvae. The common cockchafer lays its eggs in fields. the female begins laying eggs. In the Middle Ages. cockchafers were even served as food. the main mechanism to control their numbers was to collect and kill the adult beetles. Combined with the transformation of many pastures into agricultural land. A 19th century recipe from France for cockchafer soup reads: "roast one pound of cockchafers without wings and legs in sizzling butter.This white grub of a cockchafer was about 5 cm long. Both the grubs and the imagoes have a voracious appetite and thus have been and sometimes continue to be a major problem in agriculture and forestry.)[2] In some areas and times. cockchafers were brought to court in Avignon and sentenced to withdraw within three days onto a specially designated area. more than 20 million individuals were collected in 18 km² of forest. for instance. May bug on a windowsill near Settle. Subsequently since they failed to comply. and people had no effective means to protect their harvest. Only with the modernization of agriculture in the 20th century and the invention of chemical pesticides did it become possible to effectively combat the cockchafer. otherwise they would be outlawed. Collecting adults was an only moderately successful method. thereby interrupting the cycle. they were collected and killed. add some veal liver and serve with chives on a toast". In 1320. Sebald's novel The Emigrants. And a German newspaper from Fulda from the 1920s tells of students eating sugar-coated cockchafers.G. then cook them in a chicken soup. They were once very abundant: in 1911. A cockchafer stew is referred to in W. This gave rise to events that seem bizarre from a modern perspective. pest control was rare. North Yorkshire. Melolontha melolontha larva. this has resulted in a decrease of the cockchafer to near-extinction in some areas in Europe in the . (Similar animal trials also occurred for many other animals in the Middle Ages. In the preindustrialized era. Your father is at war Your mother is in Pomerania Pomerania is burned to the ground Cockchafer fly! The verse dates back to the Thirty Years' War in the first half of the 17th Century.. amusing themselves to watch it fly in spirals..[3] Max and Moritz shaking cockchafers from a tree. Ladybird: Maikäfer flieg. in which Pomerania was pillaged and suffered heavily. The cockchafer was the basis for the 'fifth trick' in the well-known illustrated German book Max and Moritz dating from 1865.G. tied a linen thread to its feet and set it free.1970s.. no chemical pesticides are approved for use against cockchafers. boys caught the insect.000 km² of land all over Europe. the cockchafer's numbers have been increasing again.. and only biological measures are utilised for control: for instance. At present. it is associated in Germany also with the closing months of that war. [edit] Cultural references Children since antiquity have played with cockchafers.[4] There have been five Royal Navy ships named HMS Cockchafer. The cockchafer is featured in a German children's rhyme similar to the English Ladybird. . In ancient Greece. Because of environmental and public health concerns (pesticides may enter the food chain and thus also the human body) many chemical pesticides have been phased out in the European Union and worldwide. Dein Vater ist im Krieg Deine Mutter ist in Pommerland Pommerland ist abgebrannt Maikäfer flieg! Cockchafer fly. the character Lucy rips off her clothes and faints upon being covered in a swarm of cockchafers. Since then. pathogenic fungi or nematodes that kill the grubs are applied to the soil. In recent years. Cockchafers also play a part in Hans Christian Andersen's version of Thumbelina. agriculture has generally reduced its use of pesticides. causing damage to over 1. In the novel The Siege of Krishnapur by J. Since World War II. when Russian troops advanced into Eastern Germany. Farrell. English boys in Victorian times played a very similar game by sticking a pin through one of its wings. Clonal Susceptibility: Clones RRII 105 and RRIM 600 are affected Control Measures: Spray Organophosphorus insecticides like malathion 0.1% (2 ml/l) or quinalphos 0.s Brennan and Hodgins enter the lab. dome-shaped covering. Hodgins said he came in (to the Lab) early to see if his Melolontha Melolontha had hatched. Symptoms: Small insects with an outer black. Occur on leaflets petioles and tender shoot portions and suck the sap. Occurrence: Seen generally in young plantations and nurseries in almost all rubber areas. Occurrence and damage similar to scale insects.The Binomial Nomenclature Melolontha melolontha was mentioned in an episode of Bones (tv series) entitled "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken" as Dr. severely affected portions dry up and die. spray Organophosphorus insecticides like Malathion at 0.05% concentrate . Ants and sooty mould are associated with this. Clonal Susceptibility: Clones RRII 105 and RRIM 600 are affected Control Measures: Natural enemies like insect parasites and entomogenous fungi keep this pest in check. Dr.075% (Ekalux 25EC3 ml/L) Scale Insect Causative Agent: Saissetia nigra Nietn. Mealy Bug Causative Agent: Ferrisiana virgata Ckll Occurrence: Seen mostly in nurseries in all rubber areas Symptoms: Soft bodied small insects with white mealy outer covering. When severe infestation is noted. Sometimes young plants dry up due to attack. Clonal Susceptibility: Clones like PB 217. (Provisional recommendation) Bark Feeding Caterpillar Causative Agent: Aetherastis circulata Meyr. Clonal Susceptibility: PB 86. Arfen 20 EC 1 ml/L) is also effective.1% solution. Control Measures: When the infestation is severe apply Sevin 5% at the rate of 10 kg per hectare or Fenval 0. Control Measures: Dust sulphur or spray sulphur 0. Punalur. RRII 105 and RRIM 600 are susceptible. Tjir 1and RRII 105 are affected Control Measures: Drench the soil at the base of affected plants with Chlorpyriphos 0.5g/L) or dicofol 0. Spraying the trunk with fenvalerate 0. Symptoms: The caterpillars build galleries with faecal matter and silk all over the trunk region and branches of trees. When mulch is present spray the mulch also. Symptoms: Feeds on the dead bark of trees and young plants. Minute organisms with four pairs of legs. Builds covered passageways of soil on the tapping panel and collection cup. Symptoms: Not a serious pest. Mites Causative Agent: Hemitarsonemus dorsalis Occurrence: Sporadic incidence on young rubber plants in nurseries. Generally feed on dead bark and occasionally on live bark causing exudation of latex.02% (Tatafen 20 EC. and Thrissur localities.4% dust at the rate of 7 kg per hectare (provisional recommendation) with a power duster. Deep scar found at the regions of feeding. Nedumangad.2% (Sulfex 80 WP 2. Ptochoryctis rosaria Meyr Occurrence: Nagercoil. Suck sap from the leaves resulting in crinkling and shedding. Clonal Susceptibility: Clones PB 86.Termite (White Ant) Causative Agent: Odontotermes obesus Rambur Occurrence: Dry regions of Central Kerala (Thrissur & Palakkad) and non-traditional areas like Dapchari in Orissa.05% (Kelthane 18 EC 3ml/L) . PB 235 and PB 311 are highly susceptible clones. Slugs drink latex from the tapping cut and collecting cup also.5) at the base of the infested plants or seedling beds.Slug and Snail Photo Gallery Causative Agent: Mariaellae dussumieri Grey. Repeat the application after 30-45 days if the attack continues. Clonal Susceptibility: Nursery seedlings are more susceptible. Growth of affected buds is arrested and side shoots develop giving a bunchy appearance. Thrissur and Calicut Symptoms: Feed on latex by lacerating the tender leaves and buds. Crytozona (Xestina) bistralis Beck Occurrence: Distributed randomly in rubber areas in Kanjirappally. Control Measures: Broadcast 2.5% Metaldehyde bait pellets (snail kill 2. Click to view . To repel slugs and snails brush Bordeaux Paste 10% around the stem above the bud union to a length of 30 cm.