Muravezhuk - motley fighter of bark beetles

In spring and summer, colorful insects run busily along the trunks of conifers. This ant-hunter hunts bark beetles. He is a typical member of the motley family. Brightly colored beetles with a large head and hairy body inhabit a wide variety of rainforests. Palearctic species are inferior to them in size and richness of colors. The adults and ant larvae are predators preying on small inhabitants of tree trunks.

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The genus of ants (Thanasimus) belongs to the motley family, the winged wing order. The group consists of several species of insects that differ in small nuances of color. The most common is the common ants (Thanasimus formicarius) or ant motley. Its length is 7-10 mm. The body is oblong, slightly flattened. The head is large, equal in width to the prothorax. Powerful jagged mandibles adapted for tearing soft tissue prey.

Interesting fact. For agility and manner of movement, the insect is compared with an ant. Predatory habits defined his nickname - the bark beetle.

The black shiny head is covered with dots and black and white hairs. The clublike tendrils and palps are brownish. Antennas consist of 11 segments, the club is 3-segmented. The front of the chest is red, the rest is black. The elytra at the base are rectangular, tapering at the end. The main coloration is black with two light transverse bandages. Around the shoulders is a red patch. The upper band is narrow, curved, the lower wide. The stripes are covered with long white hairs. The wings are transparent, light brown, well developed. Abdomen uniformly red.

Tibiae and femurs black; fore tarsus coarsely carved. Type of limbs - jogging, they are densely covered with bright bristles.

Distribution area

Ant ants are found everywhere where there are coniferous forests and bark beetles. They are found in Europe, in North Africa. In Russia, beetles live in European regions, Crimea, the Caucasus, and Siberia. In some regions, the use of wood-based chemicals has reduced the number of ant variegations.

Lifestyle & Reproduction

Adult ants hibernate under the bark of coniferous, sometimes deciduous trees. In spring, they get out and begin to fly between the trees. Hungry beetles look for bark beetles and other wood pests. Predators are active during the day. Worried insects fall to the ground or fly away to a neighboring tree. The main diet consists of a bark beetle typograph, which massively populates spruce forests. Harmful insects destroy hundreds of hectares of plantings. Due to its food specialization, the bark beetle is considered a very useful species.

Adults live 4-10 months. They are distinguished by a quick reaction. Seeing the typographer, the motley rushes to the prey and grabs its forelimbs. With strong mandibles, the beetle breaks the bark beetle. Predators look for insects by secreted pheromones, can expect them to exit at the air holes. Ants settle on adult trees, often choose sites with fallen trunks. It is in these places that most bark beetles live.

Breeding

Male and female variegated mates mate repeatedly throughout the season. Egg laying lasts from April to June.Females lay eggs scattered or in small groups. The masonry is placed under the bark in the ventilation holes of the bark beetle. The total fertility of the bark beetle is 20-30 eggs. Larvae appear in a week. They live secretly, crawl in the passages of bark beetles or make their own.

The larva is pink, the head is dark brown, with a strong chitinous cover. The shield is brown. On the head are 5 simple eyes and powerful jaws of a predator. At the first age, the body of the larva is covered with a lot of hair, after several links their number decreases. The abdomen ends with a fork-like outgrowth, helping to move under the bark.

Information. With a population density of 3-5 ants per square meter. dm insects can kill up to 70% of forest pests.

Larvae develop slowly, their life cycle is 2 years. In the process of growth, the offspring and eggs of bark beetles, goldfish, and longhorn beetles eat. Small predators are able to attack the young imago of the typographer until the covers of their bodies have solidified. In total, the ant motley diet includes 27 species of bark beetles. The ant larva is active and voracious; every day it eats 2-3 typograph larvae. Before pupation, a special chamber is constructed. The cradle is covered with mucous mass. Young beetles leave the shelter only the next year.

Ant ants are used as a biological method of controlling pests of bark beetles. Parts of the bark with wintering bugs are removed from the trees, collected and sent to the outbreaks of mass breeding of printers.