The insect world is diverse. Unfortunately, there are some beetles among them that make life difficult for the hobby gardener. They devour the vegetables in the garden or contaminate the stock in the house. Once they are there, the person concerned needs patience.
The vine weevil causes great damage in the garden
pests in the house
Many beetles in the home are material and storage pests. To prevent an infestation of such harmful insects, you should store dry products such as flour, pasta and oatmeal in tightly sealable glass jars. Larvae can be killed with a heat treatment at 60 degrees in the oven or by exposure to cold in the freezer for several days. Ventilate regularly, because beetles don't like draughts. All cracks must be sealed, as these offer ideal hiding places.
bread beetle
Their larvae prey on starchy foods, eating biscuits and rusks. They can eat their way through paper and plastic packaging. Chocolate, books and pictures also show signs of being eaten if there is a massive infestation. Since the bookworm does not pose a health risk, infested food is generally edible.
bacon beetle
In nature, these animals feed on animal remains such as carrion. If they get into the apartment, their offspring develop into storage and hygiene pests. Biological waste, bird feathers, grain products and textiles are on the diet of the bacon beetle larva. If the food is interspersed with excrement, it can lead to gastrointestinal problems after consumption.
pests in the garden
Bugs in the garden can be beneficial or harmful. While beneficial insects control insect pest populations, some voracious beetle species affect crops and ornamental plants. To prevent pest infestation, you should strengthen the plants with plant manure.
Colorado potato beetle
Both adult beetles and their offspring feed on leaf tissue. In the event of a severe infestation, the voracious insect pests only leave the skeleton of the plant. They can destroy entire stocks within a short period of time. The animals prefer nightshade plants such as potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. Dry and warm conditions favor spread.
This helps against potato beetles:
- pour one kilogram of fresh horseradish with ten liters of water
- Place the jar in a sunny spot and leave for a week
- spray infested plants with manure
vine weevil
This weevil leaves marks on the leaves of ornamental plants. While the plants cope well with leaf losses, the beetle larvae make life difficult for them. They live in the substrate and feed on the plant tissue in the root area. This disrupts the water and nutrient supply, causing the plants to gradually die. Nematodes of the genus Heterorhabditis are an effective means of control, used between April and May or August and September.
tips
Neempress cakes, which you dig into the substrate around the plants, have a deterrent effect on the beetle brood.