Harmful centipede - mosquito that threatens plants

Crane is a family of mosquitoes called karamors. Large two-winged insects inspire fear in people who are afraid of their bites. The fears are groundless, the representatives of the family have a soft proboscis, unable to bite through the skin. Adults are harmless to humans, and larvae are malicious pests of crops. During mass reproduction, a harmful centipede spoils cereals, flax, and vegetables in fields and household plots.

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Harmful centipede (Tipulapaludosa) refers to the order of dipterans, the genus of centipedes or cararam. Adults are familiar to people. These are large mosquitoes with excessively elongated limbs. Insects often fly into the room or circle at night near light sources. Caramors seem dangerous, but they do not bite or eat blood.

The main designation of the species has several synonyms, because of the habitat, the harmful centipede is called marsh. Flax became one of the favorite food plants of the mosquito larva, therefore it is called flax in the literature. The body length of the imago is 20-24 mm, the wingspan is up to 40 mm. The color is gray or brown. The head is elongated, its front part forms a rostrum. Large facet eyes are located on the sides, simple eyes are absent. In the lower part of the forehead are antennae, consisting of 14 segments.

Oar-shaped wings are painted brown with a darker rim along the front edge. The hind pair of wings has been reduced; they have turned into a ground beetle, an organ that helps the insect balance during flight. The limbs are thin and very elongated due to the legs and feet. Large spurs on shins.

Interesting fact. Autopsy is typical for long-legged mosquitoes - discarding an insignificant part of the body. When the enemy attacks, they sacrifice long limbs.

Sexual dimorphism

It is easy to distinguish males and females of harmful centipedes in appearance. Females are distinguished by a rusty-brown color, shortened wings and the presence of an ovipositor at the end of the abdomen. Males have long wings, the body is gray. In addition, insects differ in the structure of the genital organs.

Habitat and habitat

Swamp elderfish is a widespread species, it is found throughout the European part of Russia, excluding areas of the far north. Mosquitoes live in Western Europe, the Urals, in the temperate zone of Asia, North America. Caramors settle in forests, parks and other biotopes with tree plantings. Necessarily in the place where the harmful centipede lives, there should be a fresh reservoir - a lake, a swamp, a pond. Insects select areas with a soil moisture level of at least 55%. Mosquitoes can be found in the irrigated fields of the steppe zone, but they live in drier regions.

Lifestyle & Reproduction

Adult caramors feed on nectar, dew, or exist at the expense of nutrient stocks made by the larva. Their offspring is one of the most dangerous pests of agricultural crops. Harmful centipede is active at night. One generation develops per year. Years of imago begin in silt and lasts until September; peak occurs in August.

Information.With mass breeding, which is facilitated by rainy weather, a malfunction of the drainage system, floods, larvae seriously damage whole flax, vegetable crops, seedlings in nurseries.

Larvae of the third age remain for wintering in the upper layers of the soil. In the spring, with the onset of heat, they begin to actively eat. Crops on high peatlands and heavy acidic soils are severely affected. A multi-pest pest gnaws at the root part of plants and leaves near the ground at night, and hides in the hole during the day. Partially or completely, the larvae eat a stalk of flax, potatoes, beets, zucchini, corn, clover, legumes, and various herbs in the meadows. Affected plants lag behind in growth or die off completely. Among the crops, bare patches are formed.

Breeding

After mating, the female ovipositor makes holes in the dense layers of soil overgrown with grass. Eggs up to 2 mm long have a smooth black shell. Their development time is 10-15 days. Females are very prolific, have time to lay 500-1000 eggs. The rate of development and survival of the embryo is affected by soil moisture. During drought, many eggs are not viable.

Larvae of the harmful centipede are not amphibians as offspring other types of mosquitoes. They are born and develop on land, in a moist substrate. At the first age, they mainly eat humus, skeletonize the leaves of plants, but do not cause serious harm. Larvae are worm-shaped, cylindrical in shape. Painted earthy gray. The offspring does not spread far from the place of birth. At an older age, they reach a length of 35-44 mm.

The front of the body is narrow, the head is small, underdeveloped. At 2/3, the head capsule is immersed in the prothoracic region. There are no chest legs on the body. For movement in the back of the body there is a pusher with a pair of lateral outgrowths. Three pairs of identical outgrowths are visible near the spiracles. By early October, larvae molt twice and go deep into the soil for wintering. In the spring, continue to develop. Comfortable conditions are the temperature of 16-18 ° and soil moisture 55-60%.

Information. The full cycle of larval development takes up to 11 months.

After intensive feeding, the larvae pupate. This happens in July. Pupa size 28-30 mm, brown color. On the abdomen there are transverse rows of small spikes. The pupal phase lasts 12-15 days. In the second half of July young adults emerge from the earth.

Methods of struggle

Agrotechnical measures and the use of special chemicals will help protect crops from the pest.

Agrotechnical methods:

• Drainage of swampy meadows and fields.
• Deep autumnal plowing after harvesting.
• Regular care of the drainage system, water level control.
• Liming of acid soil.
• Disposal of weeds between seedlings and along the edges of irrigation canals.
• Plowing row-spacing during laying eggs by female centipedes.

Chemicals

Seeds are recommended to be treated with heptachlor and hexachloran. Before the larvae reach an older age and become insensitive to poisons, it is necessary to lay out traps. Sawdust and corn bait is treated with heptachlor. They are laid out in the fields in early spring or autumn. In the infected gardens during the planting of seedlings, granular agents based on the enteric-contact insecticide diazinon are placed in the soil. Such drugs are used against weevils, wireworms, and bear cubs. The most famous "Thunder", "Medvetoks".

In the fields, the larvae are destroyed with a 12% solution of hexachloran. The substance is sprayed in the evening when pests appear for feeding. In some cases, they resort to the biological method of ridding the field of pests - nematode larvae are released into the infected area by natural enemies.