Goose fruit: how to deal with a pest

More than 2,000 species of beetles, outwardly similar to weevils, belong to the family of pipelines. Many representatives of the group are pests of fruit stone fruits and pome crops. One of the most common species is the Goose fruit. Adults feed on buds, buds, young shoots and ovaries. Mass reproduction leads to significant crop losses. Agrotechnical measures and chemicals are used to control the pest.

Morphological description of the species

Goose fruit (Rhynchites basshul) is a representative of the family of pipelines, a genus of rhinitis (Rhynchites). The beetle belongs to the group of fruit pests. Its size is 4.5-6.5 mm, given the rostrum - 10 mm. The body is brightly colored, there are two scales of sparkling colors: purple with gold and green, golden copper-red. The rostrum, antennae and paws of the extremities are purple. The head is small, the eyes are convex, oval. The width of the head exceeds the length.

The rostrum is cylindrical, expanded at the apex. The oral organs are located proboscis. There is no upper lip; maxillae move horizontally. On the outer edge of the mandibles is a series of denticles. Antennae long and straight, located on the rostrum. Consist of 11 segments, ending with a 3-segmented mace.
The upper part is covered with light hairs, the lower is dark. The base of the elytra is rectangular; the shoulder tubercles are well developed. The lateral parts are almost parallel, and the top is rounded. The sculpture is small-meshed with dotted punctures. The points are round. The hips are thickened, there are no notches and keels on the tibia, the foot is 4-segmented, the claws are fused at the base. Hind wings well developed, bugs fly.

Sexual dimorphism

Females are noticeably larger than partners, they have a direct proboscis. The rostrum is longer than that of males. This is due to the peculiarities of the ovipositor. On the first segments of the female abdomen there are yellow-white hairs. In males, the abdomen is violet-red, shiny, without hairs.

Distribution area

The heat-loving species is widespread in southern Europe, in Central Asia and North Africa, in the Caucasus, Iran, and the Mediterranean. It occurs in Western and Eastern Europe before Kursk.

Lifestyle & Reproduction

Adults hibernate in crevices of tree bark or under fallen leaves. In mid-April, with established warm weather, they leave their sleep. For them, the average daily temperature of + 8 ° is enough. Goose go to feed on buds, buds and leaves. They almost completely gnaw out the contents of the kidneys. Adults appear before the flowering of apple trees.

Information. Goose fruit is capable of destroying all vegetative buds on seedlings of fruit trees in a short time.

Breeding

In late May, insects begin to multiply. Mating is timed to the end of flowering of fruit trees. To lay the eggs, the female gnaws a small chamber 2-3 mm in green fruit. One white, watery, 1 mm egg is laid inside. The hole is closed with a stopper of excrement.It is with them that spores of a fungal infection get into the fetus. Several eggs are placed in one fruit in different places. The female gnaws the stem to loosen the fetus and cause premature fall.

Information. In one large apple, the female goose lays up to 30 eggs, covering them with the skin of the fetus and its own excrement.

The period of development of the embryo takes 6-8 days. The development of offspring lasts about a month. The larva is slightly curved, fleshy. with soft integument. The head capsule is well developed. Antennae composed of two segments, the first strongly convex. There are no simple eyes. The body is white, the head is brown. Chest legs are absent. Spiracles are located on the abdominal sternites. The larva is able to eat only a rotten fruit, so part of the offspring dies.

Having reached the last age, the larva leaves the remnants of the fetus and burrows itself into the ground. At a depth of 10-15 cm, she arranges an earthen chamber and pupates. Dolly of white color, length 6-7 mm. Mustaches and extremities are clearly visible. A month later, a young goose appears. Beetles immediately leave the soil and climb fruit trees. They feed on leaves, fruits, green shoots until late autumn. Only with the onset of frost, they hide in the cracks of the bark or descend to the near-trunk circles, where they bury themselves in leaves and plant debris.

Information. The life expectancy of a goose fruit is 65-80 days.

A feature of the species is the delay in the development of larvae. Not all of them pupate in the first year. Part of the offspring in the earthen cradle falls into diapause. Metamorphosis occurs in the summer of next year. Pests are characterized by one-year and two-year generation. Especially a lot of larvae remain in diapause under adverse climatic conditions: low temperatures, lack of precipitation.

Malware

Goose fruit is a polyphage, the insect eats various garden trees. The main harm is done to apple trees, but apricots, cherries, plums, peaches, quinces are also under threat. Adults harm more than larvae. Kidneys damaged by adult goose fruit turn brown and fall off. Sometimes deformed ovaries develop from them. Biting the leaves leads to their premature decay in June-July. Leaf fall adversely affects the vegetative development of the fruit, the yield is reduced. In some cases, losses are up to 100%.

Fruits with beetle punctures become clumsy. Part falls off, is eaten by larvae or rots. Pests spread moniliosis spores across the fruit. In years with abundant flowering of gardens, the harm seems insignificant, but if the ovaries are a little insects significantly affect the productivity of trees. The economic threshold for harmfulness is 15% of the kidneys eaten up in the green cone phase.

Pest Control Methods

Beetles pose the greatest danger in the garden for plums, apple trees, cherries, peaches. The fruits damaged by it are infected with rot - moniliosis. To reduce the number of insects allows the timely start of the fight. A whole range of methods has been developed to effectively deal with pests.

Agrotechnical measures

The following measures are recommended for the destruction of pests:

• Loosening of the soil in near-stem circles, preventing the development of pupae.
• Collection and burning of fallen leaves and carrion.
• Autumn digging of sites near trees and plowing aisles.
• Cleaning trunks from dead bark, whitewashing with a lime solution.
• Arranging root traps from straw or fallen leaves treated with insecticides.

Mechanical methods

In gardens on household plots, pests are controlled by mechanical methods:

• Shaking off adults. Under the trees, a canvas (tarpaulin, synthetic film) is spread out or shields are laid out. To knock down insects, poles covered with burlap are used. The fabric prevents bark damage. They hit the branches with six, insects fall on the litter. Collected pests are destroyed by dumping in a bucket of water.Work begins early in the morning, while the beetles are not active. At temperatures above + 10 ° they will not fall, but fly apart. Before the flowering of trees, it is advisable to carry out 5-6 procedures, every week. Insects are shot down not only on apple trees, but also on other trees.
• In early spring, hunting belts are arranged at the top of the tree. This is the period when the bugs after hibernation crawl to the kidneys for feeding. The base of the belt is made of cardboard or burlap. A non-drying adhesive is applied to the surface. After flowering begins, hunting belts are removed and burned. The minus of the method is that beneficial insects can also stick.

Chemicals

With a massive damage to the garden, the goose fruit can not do without treating the trees with chemicals. If more than 8 beetles are found on the plant, pesticides must be used. The crowns of apple, pear, plum, cherry and other trees are sprayed with insecticides: pyrethroids, organophosphorus compounds. Among the recommended drugs are “Fufanon”, “Iskra-M”, “Intra-Ts-M”, “Fitoverm”. The processing procedure is performed before flowering and after completion. With a significant damage to the garden, additional spraying of branches and trunks is performed in the fall.