Gray long-whiskered beetle – coniferous forest orderly

You may encounter a gray long-whiskered beetle at your dacha, if, of course, the dacha is located on the edge of a coniferous forest. Most of all, this beetle prefers pine forest or mixed forest with a predominance of Scots pine.

It is on fallen pine trunks or stumps that you can most often see this colorful insect, shown in the following photo.

As you can see in the picture, the long-horned beetle is actually both gray and long-haired, so the beetle fully lives up to its name.

What harm does

The large oak longhorn beetle is one of the most dangerous wood pests.
The damage it causes to the tree is already obvious after the beetle larvae reach one year of age. When there is a large concentration of insects, the color of the foliage and its condition changes, it becomes withered. Young shoots also dry out, which hinders the growth and development of the plant. Therefore, it is advisable to get rid of the pest. Damaged wood can subsequently only be used as firewood. Therefore, in the old days, when a large population of beetles was discovered in an oak forest, they tried to quickly get rid of the infected stands by uprooting or sanding all the remaining oak stumps. However, these days there are not so many perennial oak forests left, and the formerly large mustachioed pest has become no less a rarity. In connection with which it was even included in the Red Book.

The main reasons for the appearance

The appearance of rats is not without reason. The rodent differs from other pests in its intelligence and cunning. Often the “war” with them drags on for a long time, but this happens due to the wrong approach to exterminating them in a chicken coop, barn or home. You need to start looking for reasons with:

the condition of the premises where the chickens are kept;
street conditions (yard);
the presence of other outbuildings (your own, neighbors’).

If the neighbors do not have order in their yard or sheds, then the rat house may be located there. Individuals come to feast on eggs and other products. It is difficult to immediately determine the location of the rat house. Often the passages reach 500 meters or more.

The second reason: insufficient cleanliness, odors, droppings. Irregular cleaning leads to the spread of odors that predators can hear from a kilometer away. After the first visit to the barn, the rat determines the risks, the number of threats, and the amount of food.

Interesting fact! Disinfection specialists note: a rat can give birth to more than 40 individuals in one year. At the same time, it creates comfortable conditions for the offspring. Therefore, he builds not one, but 2-3 houses, where there are food supplies. This helps protect rat pups from starvation and makes it possible to further expand the family (The most effective ways to get rid of an earthen rat).

Sources

Law and Economics No. 01/2013; Justitsinform - M., 2013. - 149 p.
Mikhail Alekseevich Mityukov Constitutional meeting of 1993: the birth of the Russian Constitution: articles, speeches, interviews, documents, diary and notebook entries (1993–2012; Prospekt - M., 2000. - 459 p.
Velikanova S. E. Land law. Answers to exam papers; Scientific book - M., 2009. - 522 p.
Kirillov A. A. Commentary on the Federal Law of July 20, 2012 No. 125-FZ “On the donation of blood and its components” (item-by-item); Justitsinform - M., 2013. - 527 p.
Kushaev Rashid To a free Europe!: monograph. ; Publishing solutions - M., 2022. - 415 p.

Nutrition

What the longhorned beetle eats depends on the type of insect and its habitat. So the woodcutter feeds mainly on pine needles, leaves or pollen. The longhorned bark beetle eats the bark of young branches. Such dietary nutrition promotes the proper maturation of germ cells.

The black house woodcutter gnaws wood, causing irreparable damage to wooden buildings, which is the danger of the barbel to humans. After all, the favorite habitat of pests can be:

floor boards and ceiling rafters;
window frames and wood trim;
attic beams and partitions made of wooden beams.

The woodcutter beetle itself does not pose a danger to humans. It can only cause damage to his property.

Protection of relic woodcutters

Photo: Relic woodcutter Red Book of Russia

The Ussuri longhorned beetle is the smallest species of the longhorned beetle family. Small populations of this insect inhabit broad-leaved, mixed types of forests. Today, this type of insect is protected by law. It is listed in the Red Book of Russia due to a significant decline in populations in their natural habitat. Longhorned beetles are classified in the second category and are recognized as a declining species.

Scientists have named the three most significant reasons for the reduction in the number of relict woodcutters: deforestation, uncontrolled catching of adult individuals by exotic lovers, and deliberate cleaning of forests from pests (woodcutters harm the wood).

The destructive effects of these factors led to the rapid extermination of beetles. Today, relic woodcutters are protected by law. On the territory of their natural range, trapping and hunting of adult beetles is strictly prohibited. If this rule is violated, a person may receive a fine. Longhorned beetles have also been introduced into many Russian nature reserves, where scientists can monitor their populations and more carefully protect them from illegal catching. In addition, the government began to control deforestation in order to preserve the habitats of these insects.

The relic woodcutter is one of the most unique species of longhorned beetles; it is a very large and beautiful representative of beetles. Large dimensions, extraordinary appearance, long mustache - all this makes this insect unique in its kind. This is not to mention the fact that it itself is recognized as a living “fossil”. Unfortunately, in recent years the number of these beetles has decreased significantly. All this requires people to quickly take effective measures to protect woodcutters in their natural habitat.

Number and trends of its change

In the northern part of the region it is not uncommon and in places numerous; south of the Oka it is a local and rare species. In the Tula region. at least 8 key and system-forming habitats are known in forests and old plantings with an area from several tens to approximately 300 hectares; the preservation of 2 adventive coenopopulations in pine plantings in the Plavsky district (late 1980s) requires clarification; their presence in the former Bogoroditsky district has not been confirmed. From 1 to several beetles were sometimes observed in stations. The density of adults in coenopopulations does not exceed 2-5 individuals/ha; population outbreaks characteristic of more northern regions have never been recorded in the region.

A little bit of biology

Longhorned beetles have fairly small sizes (from one to several tens of millimeters), a flat body and mustaches, which are the main organ of smell. The color of lumberjacks is usually brown or dirty gray; less commonly, the longhorn beetle is black. The photo allows you to examine the insect in more detail.

The larvae of the pest are characterized by particularly powerful jaws, thanks to which they can handle both hard wood and soft metal with a cable-type coating. However, the beetles do not eat the latter so readily, preferring wooden structures and stacked boards.

The female barbel lays her eggs (from 200 to 400 pieces) in recesses or cracks in the tree, and after 7-14 days the larvae are born, which instantly activate the process of destroying the tree.

It is worth emphasizing that it is almost impossible to immediately notice a tree disease, since the larvae lead a hidden lifestyle. So, you can understand that your wooden house has succumbed to the harmful effects of longhorned beetles only when the real results of their work (destroyed and loosening wood) are visible.

Methods for controlling miniature pests

Pests often enter the house along with wooden building materials.

Inconspicuous, almost invisible beetles rarely attract the attention of people who are focused on work. Therefore, a few tips will help you spot your worst enemy before he takes action:

Unusual crackling of wood during daylight hours indicates that a longhorned beetle has settled under the bark of an uncleaned trunk. Noise at night indicates the presence of larvae in the structure of the felled tree.
If winding miniature tunnels are visible on the surface, this is a sign of an infected product.
The bark can be easily removed from the surface of the trunk, which means the beetles are somewhere nearby.
Brown or yellowish dust indicates large colonies of pest larvae that feed abundantly on wood.

To eliminate longhorned beetles from wooden structures, it is necessary to perform the following work:

cleaning contaminated surfaces with a brush;
removing wood dust with a vacuum cleaner;
preparing the insecticide according to the instructions provided;
processing various recesses, crevices or holes on a wooden structure using a spray gun.

To ensure 100% effect of the chemical, the room is tightly closed for 3 hours. After this period, be sure to ventilate for at least 6 hours.

How to get rid of longhorned beetle using chemicals

If longhorned beetles are found in the house, you need to immediately take measures to destroy them. In order for wood to last as long as possible, it must be processed before building a house. As a rule, they use a fumigation method based on phosphine gas. If the tree has not been treated, then beetles will definitely appear. Then you will have to do a series of actions.

For example:

First of all, it is necessary to check the extent of damage to the wood. To do this, take a screwdriver and use it to pierce the wooden structures. If the tool easily fits into the wood, then it is better to replace such structures.
Those structures that the beetle has not yet reached must be treated with special liquids. Before this, wooden structures are cleaned with a wire brush, after which all dust and sawdust must be removed with a vacuum cleaner. After this, the surfaces are treated with an insecticide. Before this, everyone living in the home is evacuated and the windows and doors are tightly closed.
In cases of severe infection, syringing is carried out. To do this, holes are drilled in the wood with a thin drill, in increments of 3 cm, and an insecticidal solution is injected into them using a syringe.

There are many products available on the chemical control market to kill all types of insects. In such cases, it is better to choose liquids, since they can penetrate the wood structure and destroy the larvae there.

What types of insecticides are there:

Contact action. Insects and their larvae die upon contact with the chemical. These products are rarely used, since working with them can cause poisoning.
Intestinal action. If it enters the intestines of an insect or larva, the substance leads to death. Based on such components, baits are made, which include an insecticide and an aromatic substance to attract insects.
Fumigants. They emit gases that are toxic to insects.

You can use the following against longhorned beetles:

Empire-20.
Tree healer.
Antibug.
Antishashelin.

Rules for the use of insecticides

When using insecticides, you must adhere to a number of rules. For example:

Residual agents are applied to surfaces using spray guns. These substances are practically safe for people and pets, so you can return to the room within a few hours after treatment.
To treat hard-to-reach places, a different method is used. To do this, holes are drilled and a toxic substance is supplied through a thin tube to the problem area. After this, the hole is filled with wax or paraffin. After some time, the wood will be saturated with the product and the larvae will die. This treatment requires leaving the premises for several days.
If the walls are made of thick logs, then it is better to use a product such as Lignofix I-Profi. A hole is drilled in each beam, every 5 cm from top to bottom or vice versa. The distance between the rows is up to 1 m. Then a syringe is taken and insecticide is applied to each hole. After some time, when the product is absorbed into the wood, the operation should be carried out a couple more times. After completion of the procedure, the holes are sealed with sealant.
When buying a remedy for longhorned beetles, you need to make sure that the product will help, since it is intended specifically for such purposes.

Prevention measures

To prevent longhorned beetles from causing damage to your structure, you must:

carry out a thorough inspection of the wood for the presence of holes made by insects,
if damage is detected, use special protective equipment,
keep the room dry, since excessive humidity is one of the favorable living conditions for insects,
for preventive purposes, wooden surfaces must be periodically treated with special insecticidal agents,
for construction, use material that is not infested with insects, this is easy to verify when the wood is cleared of bark,
If wooden structures are heavily infested, they should be replaced with new elements.

By periodically carrying out these simple measures, you can protect your home from pests.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-YvybHrQ2g8%3Frel%3D0

No. 3 [Bulletin of Tomsk State University. Biology, 2016]

The scientific journal was separated into an independent periodical publication from the general scientific journal “Bulletin of Tomsk State University” in 2007. Published quarterly. Included in the List of Higher Attestation Commissions

In general, the fragments of long-whiskered and short-whiskered dipterans are similar. Small scales of representatives of long-whiskered dipterans of the Diptera family (Chironomidae) were found in large quantities in the samples; e – antennae of long-whiskered dipterans (Сhironomidae); f – the base of the antennae of the Diptera Thus, on the territory of Poland, the most important component of the diet of the two-colored leatherback is considered to be long-whiskered. The most common and most abundant are long-whiskered Diptera, beetles and homoptera (cycads).

Preview: Bulletin of Tomsk State University. Biology No. 3 2016.pdf (1.0 Mb)

No. 10 [Aviation collection, 2011]

Supplement to the magazine “Modelist-Constructor”, published since July 2003. A specialized magazine for fans of aviation history and aircraft modellers.

Each issue is a mini-monograph about domestic or foreign aircraft designs. Each issue contains information about the history of the creation of an airplane or helicopter, its mass production, modifications, operation, combat use and painting.

A brief technical description and drawings of the machine are provided. As well as a large number of photographs, including photographs of components and assemblies. TRANSFER OF SUBSCRIBER NUMBERS IS CARRIED OUT WITH A DELAY OF 12 MONTHS!!!

The car was dubbed “Asterix” for its resemblance to the long-moustached hero of popular French cartoons and comics.

Preview: Aviation collection No. 10 2011.pdf (0.1 Mb)

No. 1 [Engineering and technical support of the agro-industrial complex. Abstract Journal, 2010]

The quarterly abstract journal is a body of current information about domestic and foreign documents on the engineering and technical system of the agro-industrial complex. Published since 2000. The annual volume is about 1200 publications. Materials for the publication are selected from current receipts in the reference and information fund of the Federal State Scientific Institution "Rosinformagrotech" and the Central Scientific Research Center of Agricultural Sciences of the Russian Agricultural Academy. The publication is intended and can serve as a reference guide for scientists and practitioners, specialists from government bodies, enterprises and organizations of the agro-industrial complex, university teachers, as well as librarians and employees of scientific and technical information bodies. The RJ includes information about the most scientifically significant book publications and articles from periodicals and ongoing publications, thematic collections on agricultural mechanization, problems of creation, production, use and maintenance of machinery and equipment for the agro-industrial complex.

Black pine longhorned beetle (Monochamus galloprovincialis)

This species of beetle is widespread in the European part of Russia, Siberia and the Far East, and is listed as a quarantine pest. The body length of the insect is 11 – 28 mm, the body is elongated on the underside and covered with a yellowish cover. The color of the wings is brown or black, a distinctive feature is a bronze tint and the presence of several white spots, asymmetrically located across the back. For food it prefers pine trees, usually found in forest and steppe forests, where it inhabits pine, sometimes spruce, cedar and larch.

Coniferous wood is food for adult insects and larvae. Development from larva to adult in the middle zone lasts one year, in the northern regions the generation lasts two years.

Adult insects gnaw the bark of young pine trees. After fertilization, females gnaw a small funnel up to 2 mm deep in the trunk, where they lay 1–2 eggs. During the flight season, each female can lay up to thirty eggs. Each larva that emerges from the egg first gnaws a small area at the site of the notch, and then begins to move deeper into the trunk, feeding on bast, sapwood and wood. Over the course of a year, the larva gnaws a staple-shaped passage, the length of which does not exceed 30 cm. In the spring it pupates and by summer turns into a young insect, gnaws a small round hole in the wood and emerges.

Measures to combat black pine longhorned beetle:

Attracting their natural enemies - insectivorous birds (woodpeckers, swallows and others) to the area infested with longhorned beetles.
Elimination of any pests that weaken the trees.
Sanitary felling of dead trees (carried out in winter) and treatment of diseased trees.
If the number of insects is high, trees are sprayed with insecticides.
Preparing trap trees for pests, debark trap trees and destroy the larvae before they go deep into the wood.
Timely cleaning of logging areas from waste. Insects often inhabit windbreaks, remnants of timber, and discarded timber.
Fast and correct processing and storage of timber.

Kinds

Very rough estimates indicate about 26,000 species of these creatures, but these data often change. Almost every year new species are discovered from different places, mainly from the tropics and areas close to the equator. However, new species also appear in civilized Europe, exotic Asia and advanced America.

There are 583 species of them on the territory of Russia. Despite their diversity and abundance, these insects have been well studied by scientists. Most are average in size for beetles. But there are also giants among them. For example, the titan lumberjack, which lives in North America, reaches 19-22 cm in length.

There is another large species in South America - the Brazilian bigtooth woodcutter, the size of which can be 17-18 cm. The longhorned beetle from Fiji is the third largest of the large beetles known at the moment. Its size reaches 15 cm.

Lumberjack bigtooth

Of the European beetles, the largest at the moment is the carpenter's longhorned beetle, it is about 6 cm long. Russia also has a large representative of this species - the Ussuri relict longhorned beetle. He grew to 11 cm.

Relict barbel

There are 11 subfamilies belonging to the barbels. Let's talk about some of them. Their names: true longhorned beetles, laminae, longhorned beetles, parandrins, prionine longhorned beetles, spondylidins. Lamiinae include more than 13,000 species of beetles, many of which look elegant in appearance. For example, some have transverse stripes of black and greenish color along their wings.

Prionins include 1000 species. This is one of the oldest beetles. Found everywhere on earth except cold polar regions. The size varies greatly, from 2 mm to 178 mm, but mostly these are large beetles, sometimes even up to 22 cm.

Painted in brown, black, brown tones. It is to this subfamily that the giants among beetles belong: the titan woodcutter, the Brazilian bigtooth woodcutter and the Ussuri relic woodcutter.

Parandrins number 50 species and live in the tropics and subtropics. They are atypical for the family, as they have very short antennae, which are more reminiscent of staghorns. The color of their hard wings is usually red-brown or black.

The barbels or lepturines are a family of 100 genera and 2500 species. Small beetles, the wings are colored with yellow and black stripes.

Spondylidins include more than 100 species. These are nocturnal and crepuscular representatives. Their whiskers are also not very long, their size is smaller than their body. The color of the wings is blue-black or black-brown.

This longhorned beetle in the photo resembles a picture from Egyptian frescoes. It is very beautifully outlined, there is an interception in the middle of the body, the wings have a noble matte tint, a little like a bronze vase. The whiskers are segmented, the paws are very elegant. Just a model for a coat of arms.

Features of life and development of the long-whiskered gray barbel

In addition to being known as the gray long-horned beetle, the beetle has been given different names over the years: Cerambyx acernus (aka C. marmoratus, also known as C. aedelis) and Aedelis montana; at the moment, the scientific classification has approved the name Acanthocinus aedilis.

Insect Form

The body shape of male and female insects is practically the same - they differ only in size, ranging from 12 to 20 mm.

Male beetle Acanthocinus aedilis

Males are much smaller than females, although the length of their mustache in relation to the total body length is comparable to that of the sorcerer Chernomor from “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (the ratio can reach 1:5).

Another noticeable difference by which a female insect can be recognized is the conically tapering flat extension of the rear part - the ovipositor.

Body shape of a female gray long-horned beetle

The coloring of the upper half of the body of both sexes makes it possible to notice insects only when they move along the bark of trees, which they examine for suitability for life.

For the most part these are coniferous trees:

pine;
fir;
larch;
spruce.

The body coloring of the longhorned beetle consists of gray-black-brown specks and small spots.

The obligatory “trademark” of the insect is the presence on the pronotum (pronotum) of four orange-red spots arranged in a row.

In addition to being most often found on spruce trees, where it is best able to camouflage itself with the color of the bark, the longhorned beetle can also be found on deciduous trees.

Adult Acanthocinus aedilis beetle on tree bark

This is most often maple, hence the Latin species adjective in the synonym for the name: acernus - meaning maple. Another adjective: marmoratus (marble) conveys the body color of the described representative of the family of woodcutter beetles no less successfully.

Why “woodcutter”, or about insect nutrition

For all its romanticism, the name “woodcutter” does not reflect the essence of the insect’s lifestyle. Its discovery on fallen trees seems to indicate that they are “filled up” with it.

Head of a gray long-whiskered beetle

Yes, the gray long-whiskered beetle feeds on plant foods, but of a completely different quality:

pollen;
needles (leaves);
juice flowing from cracks in the bark.

Young beetles need nutrition for the final maturation of the reproductive system in order to leave behind strong offspring.

About the life cycle of an insect, or about daily and seasonal activity

The flight of beetles begins with a stable warming in April-May and ends with a cold snap in September.

Acanthocinus aedilis beetles mating

The beetles that have reached maturity mate, after which the females, using their long hard ovipositors, lay eggs (from 30 to 50) under the bark of trees, which become food for the hatching larvae.

The choice of places for laying eggs by a fertilized female is made very carefully.

Gray long-horned beetle larva

The wood of living and healthy trunks and branches is not suitable for feeding the larvae - despite the powerful jaws, the larvae can only handle fibers from trees that are already dead or at the dying stage.

As the body grows and its mass increases (and in connection with the onset of the cold season), insect larvae from the spaces under the bark slowly move deep into the tree trunk, where, upon reaching full development (about 35 mm in length), they pupate.

Gray long-horned beetle pupa

Young males and females emerging from pupae in the spring gnaw through the bark of the food tree - a new circle of life begins with difficult, reluctant flights, carried out mainly in the evenings (exclusively for feeding and mating) and waiting out the heat of the sun in secluded places during the daytime.

General entomology: guidelines for practical work

RIC SSAA

The guidelines contain sections on the main groups of animals that are of practical importance in plant protection. The educational publication presents the features of the relationship between animals and cultivated plants; morphological, anatomical and physiological features of the structure of insects; individual embryonic and postembryonic development; annual cycles of insect development, methods for compiling a phenocalendar and bioclimogram of insect development; taxonomy of insects with incomplete and complete metamorphosis; main types of damage to cultivated plants by pests; economic thresholds of insect harmfulness.

Includes two suborders: long-whiskered (antennae longer than the body) and short-whiskered (antennae are usually no longer than half). The long-whiskered families include grasshoppers, false grasshoppers, mole crickets and crickets, and the short-whiskered families include locusts. Two suborders: long-whiskered, or mosquitoes (Nematocera) and short-whiskered, or flies ( Brachycera).

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Underground enemy

Yes, I don't see anything.
It was discovered soon.

the culprit of the death of the coming harvest.
While digging up the garden, a mound of earth suddenly began to move. In the resulting hole, a cute gray muzzle with a lush mustache and a wet pink nose appeared. The animal tore the ground with strong paws with long claws. The husband rushed to the hole, but the uninvited guest quickly buried himself in the sand. Mole holes
That's how we found out

that a dangerous pest has appeared on our site - the European mole. This small animal leads an underground lifestyle.

Moles have a short, thick body

cylindrical in shape, which smoothly goes into the head.
The animal's ear openings are covered with a thick fold of skin. The mole's eyes are small, securely hidden in thick fur. These anatomical features prevent sand from getting into your eyes. Despite the absence of ears, animals have excellent hearing. Mole
Mole coat smooth

and velvety to the touch. The fur does not allow moisture and earth particles to pass through. Such a fur coat does not prevent the mole from moving along long and winding underground passages.

Moles

They love areas with moist, soft soil. They often settle in gardens and orchards. They feed on insects and earthworms. Sometimes they eat plants.

No. 4 [Forest Bulletin. Forestry Bulletin, 2011]

Previous name: Bulletin of the Moscow State Forestry University - Forest Bulletin (until 2016) / The journal is a leading scientific and information journal in the field of forestry, ecology, logging, woodworking, chemical technology and wood processing, economics of the forestry complex. The magazine publishes: articles by scientists of higher education, research institutes, foreign specialists, business managers and engineers; texts of scientists' reports at symposia, conferences and meetings; annotations and reviews of new books; journalistic and historical literary materials. Editor-in-Chief - Oblivin Alexander Nikolaevich, Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and MANVSH, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation, President of Moscow State University of Forestry, Professor of the Department of Processes and Devices of Woodworking Production, Moscow State Forestry University

18 Acanthocinus aedilis L. long-nosed barbel C, K, less often xv. ks + + + 19 A. griseusFgray long-whiskered woodcutter Thus, long-whiskered long-horned beetle, pine, spruce, large pine weevil, pine gum weevil, small forest windfall of the second and third year are also inhabited in small numbers by tertiary pests - gray long-whiskered

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Distant and near literary-critical essays

M.: FLINTA

The book “Far and Close”, in the light of the criteria of artistry, examines the problems of the creative individuality of writers who have gone down in the history of world literature: Leo Tolstoy, Yakov Abramov, Marina Tsvetaeva, Anastasia Tsvetaeva, Viktor Bokov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Varlam Shalamov, as well as well-known and beginning Stavropol poets and prose writers. The choice of names is not accidental. Literary critical essays are based on the material of personal meetings, conversations, correspondence of the author with Marina Tsvetaeva’s daughter Ariadna Efron, the poet’s sister Anastasia Tsvetaeva, with the People’s Poet of Russia Viktor Bokov, as well as on an ideological and aesthetic analysis of the work of Russian writers of the 19th - early 21st centuries, biographically and creatively connected with the North Caucasus.

Abramov, including the “ZhZL” series. – V. <…> Tsvetaeva’s 1965 publication in the “Poet’s Library” series is the same! <…> Copyright JSC Central Design Bureau BIBKOM & LLC Book-Service Agency 77  Gray long-haired leader. <…> At the same time, Vitislav Khodarev founded the series “Library of Stavropol Writers for Schoolchildren. <…> Bokova “The Gray Long-Sexed Leader...” Typewritten autograph. March 26, 1993 Published for the first time.

Preview: Far and near.pdf (0.4 Mb)

Habitats and lifestyle

They live in old coniferous and mixed forests and large plantings. They inhabit dying and freshly cut pines, cedars, and less commonly spruce and larches. During the day they can be found on trees or stumps.

The flight of beetles begins with the onset of warm spring days, from mid-April and ends in June. The beetles fly reluctantly and are not at all prone to flying away from their habitats, but they can be transported at pre-imaginal stages in commercial wood. They feed on the bark of pine shoots.

Reproduction

The female lays eggs in the lower part of the trunks of weakened and drying pines, cedar, and, less commonly, other species, as well as on freshly cut trees, windbreaks, windfall and various unbarked timber.

Type I larva is up to 32 mm long, yellowish-white, covered with short hairs, with two chitinous plates on the prothorax.

The larvae gnaw tunnels under the bark, and then some of them go to pupate into the wood to a depth of 1-1.5 cm (females), others pupate under the bark or in the thickness of the bark (males). Development, according to various sources, is 1-2 years. Young beetles hatch in September, but remain for the winter under the bark. Reproduction begins only after wintering.

Life cycle

The development of the beetle takes 2 years, and in unfavorable conditions it can take 3 years. The first longhorned beetles appear in May, but the main years are in June. Before laying eggs, they require additional nutrition on young twigs and needles. The fertilized female makes incisions in the bark, into which she lays white oblong eggs. Young larvae begin constructing tunnels in the bark. By autumn they go deeper into the tree trunk. The larva is white, legless, moves with the help of warts on the first 7 abdominal segments. In a special recess covered with sawdust, the larva pupates. The young beetle climbs out of the trunk through a hole in the bark.

Lifestyle and reproduction of beetles

The appearance of large longhorned beetles occurs in May. The beetles begin to lead an active lifestyle from the second half of June, gnawing young branches in the crowns of coniferous trees. If there are a large number of insects, this can significantly slow down the development of the tree. In this way, pests prepare the territory for themselves. A settlement on a healthy tree, which, if damaged, will release resin, will end with the inevitable death of the larva. Therefore, the large black spruce beetle prefers unsanded trunks that have been taken to a warehouse, or fallen trees.

Fertilized females of baleen insects begin to lay eggs, usually in early summer, selecting the weakest trees for this purpose. With their mandibles, they gnaw a hole in the bark, thus preparing a nutrient substrate for the future larva. In each such notch the female places no more than two eggs.

The larvae, hatching from the eggs after a while, gnaw winding passages in the bark, trying to get closer to the wood. This labor-intensive process takes them at least six months. With the arrival of spring, the strengthened larvae completely penetrate into the woody layer, gnawing long passages in it. Periodically, the larva returns to the layer under the bark to clear passages clogged with sawdust. She throws them out through the gnawed holes. In this way, these creatures protect their habitat from the appearance of fungal mold.

The larval development process takes from 2 to 3 years, depending on weather conditions. After which, the larva pupates in a specially constructed bedroom covered with small sawdust. The black barbel, formed in the pupa, climbs out through the hole it has gnawed.

At first, young beetles need additional nutrition: they gnaw the bark from thin branches, which stops the development of the tree, and sometimes even leads to its death. A large number of insects can cause enormous damage, damaging entire spruce stands. The beetle also eats linden, maple, birch and aspen wood. This forces a person to use different methods to get rid of pests.

Behavior

Beetles are active mainly during the day, slightly less at dusk and at night. The structure of their body allows them to crawl through narrow cracks in the bark and feed on living and dead wood, but they have a clear preference for the latter.

In addition to it, fallen pine needles occupy a significant place in the diet. The bark is eaten last. With a lack of coniferous dead wood, eaters are content with deciduous trees.

While eating, insects periodically make hissing sounds, rubbing the thorax and abdomen with their elytra and hind legs.

The camouflage coloring makes the longhorned beetle unnoticeable on the trunks of fallen trees.

Adults can be observed from March to the end of July. Their numbers peak in April. Sometimes, under favorable conditions, they are observed even in the fall. During spring frosts, gray longhorned beetles burrow into the forest floor.

Insect biology

Place in classification and description

The gray long-horned beetle belongs to the genus Acanthocinus of the Long-horned family. This insect, 1.5-2.5 centimeters long, has antennae, which are appendages that are several times the size of the body: in females by 2-2.5 times, in males by 5. There is obvious sexual dimorphism.

The beetle's antennae are colored to match a police baton or barrier: black stripes alternate with gray ones.

The beetle's body color is gray, as its name suggests. Specks of a darker shade are distributed throughout the chitinous cover, and on the head there are four orange dots, visible under high magnification.

Habitat and feeding habits

The beetle's habitat is quite wide - almost all of Eurasia. The main habitat is coniferous and mixed forests, mainly where there is a lot of pine. In its absence, the gray long-horned beetle can settle on many other types of trees, not only coniferous, but also deciduous.

Despite their love for pine, longhorned beetles are not dangerous pests, because they prefer to settle on dying wood:

stumps;
fallen trees;
windbreak;
rotting wood.

At the same time, beetles and their larvae feed exclusively on bark and bast, without affecting the wood itself and without causing damage to it

This is especially important when colonizing a living, strong tree with longhorn beetles.

In addition, sawdust produced when barbels feed fill the space under the bark and thus prevent other insects and their larvae from entering the tree. From this point of view, the gray long-horned beetle is a protector insect.

Reproduction and insect development cycles

The gray long-horned beetle is an insect with a full generation cycle. This means that it goes through four stages of development:

egg;
larva;
chrysalis;
imago.

The beetle goes through all stages within one year; the longhorned beetle does not have two generations. There are even years in which the complete transformation does not have time to occur and the pupae, or even larvae, disappear before winter. Beetles begin to reproduce in May, when the air temperature in the forest rises to 10-15 degrees Celsius. Mating occurs in an open space, after which the female looks for a secluded place in the wood: cracks, chips, old insect passages.

Soon, small white larvae emerge from the testicles and immediately begin to feed, quickly gaining height and weight. The body of the translucent caterpillar is covered with small hairs, and its front part is wider than the tail.

Around mid-July, the caterpillars reach their maximum growth and begin to pupate. This stage of development lasts for a couple of weeks, and in August adult insects appear. However, as mentioned above, in case of bad weather conditions, this cycle may extend to next spring.