How to deal with locusts

Locust is a dangerous enemy for crops, and therefore the fight against it has been going on for hundreds of years. This pest of garden crops affects all parts of plants, and in case of untimely struggle with it, the risk of losing large quantities of crop increases sharply. In this article we will talk about how to deal with the locust, about the methods of its recognition and the harm that such insects can cause.

How to recognize a locust

Locust (filly, aridas) throughout the life cycle moves along with the herd. This insect belongs to the order of Orthoptera, family of the Locust. On the territory of our country there are two most common locust species: Prus Italian and Locust Asiatic.

And the most dangerous for garden crops is considered the Asian filly.

Recognizing this insect is not so difficult.Adults reach a length of 6 cm and have an olive-brown or gray color. On the whole body of the insect are small black specks.

Locust is most often found near large rivers or lakes. Many gardeners often confuse grasshoppers with ordinary grasshoppers, as they are relatives and are similar in biological description. But these insects can be distinguished by the presence of wings and the size of the whiskers. Grasshoppers, unlike locusts, do not have wings.

Locusts often live in small herds and lead a sedentary lifestyle, which can last a large amount of time. But there comes a time when these insects gather in even larger herds and fly in search of food, thus massively striking agricultural crops.

However, if a small number of fillies live in garden crops, a problem arises in their accurate recognition. The fact is that in conditions of a small herd (up to 50 individuals), these insects behave in the same way as grasshoppers.The only differences are a brighter color and a louder crack of the wings of the locust. The most dangerous period in the life cycle of fillies is the breeding season. It is then that they are harder to detect, as they ungroup and live in distances.

But when young individuals reach puberty, the most dangerous begins - a massive invasion. And the closer to each other locusts are, the easier it is for them to gather in the herd.

Reproduction and developmental stage

At the very beginning of the breeding process, males of these insects secrete and distribute a certain hormonal substance, which has specific characteristics, which attracts females. After that, the male with the help of the genitals connects with the female and lays spermatophore at the base of the ovipositor. The mating process can last from two to twelve hours.

After the female is fully fertilized, she begins to look for a moist soil, where she lays eggs with the help of an egg deposit.It makes small holes in the soil and lays there several eggs at a time. One female is able to lay from 50 to 70 eggs.

In the process of their calculations, it releases a foamy, sticky substance that contributes to the normal development of the future generation of locusts. Small individuals of akrids begin to appear within 12-14 days. After the female completes the laying of eggs, she leaves her offspring forever. Locust-born individuals with great difficulty making their way through the layer of soil, going through 5 immediate stages in development. For the entire life cycle, the female acrida is able to lay eggs 6 to 12 times.

The stage of formation and growth of the locust embryo goes through an indirect cycle of development (when the larva differs from adult individuals in its external features). Indirect insect development cycle is divided into two types:

• Full metamorphosis. This type of development of insects is also called complete transformation. With this form of development, the larva that hatched from the egg, a certain period of time grows and develops, and then turns into a pupa. During the puppet period, the insect is in a state of complete rest. At this time, in the body of a young individual, all vital organs completely change the structure.After some time, a fully formed adult insect appears from the pupa.
• Incomplete metamorphosis. This type of development is just the same for locust. Incomplete metamorphosis implies the absence of a puppet stage and the transformation of an insect from a larva immediately into an adult insect. At the same time, the arids pass through several biologically uncomplicated development lines.

Often, the first laying of locust eggs occurs in early May, when a more or less warm temperature is established. If the number of young individuals per unit area reaches the limit values, the locust begins to develop in a different direction.

It acquires larger body sizes and wings. In this way, huge herds are formed, which are later able to infect various garden crops.

What harm is it

Large herds of grasshoppers can cause irreparable damage to crops. Adults of these insects can travel more than a hundred kilometers in just one day, striking many plants in their path. Most often, akrids infect beets, wheat, clover, barley, peas, soybeans, oats, beans, potatoes, cabbage, alfalfa, melons, tobacco, hops, cucumbers and various shrubs.

Large herds (more than a million individuals) are able to settle on large agricultural crops and destroy them in a short period of time. In such herds, among other things, a new generation will be formed rather quickly.

The herd will grow more and destroy the neighboring fields with crops. Locusts will eat everything that comes their way. In such cases, specialized control methods are needed, and the sooner the better.

Measures to combat voracious insects

There are three main methods of locust control: mechanical, agrotechnical and chemical.

Mechanical

Mechanical measures to combat these insects are ineffective, but in some specific cases, they should be applied.

With the help of mechanical measures will not be able to get rid of sexually mature fillies, but eggs laid in the ground can be destroyed.

The most dangerous period of reproduction of the locust falls in the middle - the end of August, at which time many crops are at the peak of growth.

Females lay their eggs in the ground, so the mechanical destruction is aimed at getting rid of eggs and preventing the reproduction of pests. If the harvest from the field by the end of August has been removed, then the soil needs to be dug up.

In some cases, it is advisable to use stubble burning, but this method will not be able to get rid of all the eggs, as they are at a depth of 5-7 cm, and a small fire will not be able to disperse a sufficiently high temperature to such a layer of soil.

Agrotechnical

Agrotechnical methods of dealing with the future generation of fillies are applied on large fields. To do this, with the help of a special technique, soil is harrowed and cultivated.

After such frauds, almost all laid eggs are thrown to the surface of the earth and die after some time. The struggle with agrotechnical methods is carried out in early or middle autumn, thus, it is possible to reduce the number of offspring of fillies for the next season.

Chemicals

First of all, it is important to understand what the locust looks like, and when using chemicals, all efforts should be directed towards its extermination.If there is no invasion and single-grasshoppers have settled in your garden, then there is no need to treat the soil with chemicals.

The main part of the work should be carried out after the invasion of fillies. The main thing is to respond in time (preferably in the first 5-8 days) in order to prevent pests from bringing out a new generation. Garden crops can be treated with such preparations: "Gladiator", "Tsunami", "Caesar", "Arrivo", "Karate Zeon", etc. All chemical preparations are used according to the instructions, but in maximum single dosages.If you did not have time to immediately kill the adults, and they bred, the organophosphate insecticides will help in the fight against the still young larvae. They need to be added in half the dosage to the solution with the drugs listed above. One of the most popular insecticides against acrida larvae is considered to be "Fufanon".

When the invasion of these pests is excessively active and the total average number of individuals in their herd exceeds 100 thousand, the preparations on the basis of imidacloprid will become most effective: "Confidor", "Tanker", "Image", etc. These drugs will not allow insects to harm your crops for at least 15-20 days. By the way, if, as a preventive measure, to treat the soil even before the start of planting, the risk of locust occurrence in your garden will be reduced at least three times.