Due to the warm weather, the Brummers sometimes left a month earlier to look for the bride or groom. The selection was still mediocre, but soon it will be teeming with cockchafers. This year is another flying year. And that only happens once every three years. Then the sometimes annoying larvae return.
All too early, the first cockchafers swarmed out for their nuptial flight: Because it was so warm, the brummers were even spotted in Upper Austria on April 8 – they will be out en masse again in the coming days and weeks. “This year is a flying year,” says Michael Fritscher of the Chamber of Agriculture – every three years the beetles swarm out in countless numbers to mate. Shortly afterwards, the female beetle lays up to 70 eggs in the soil. This develops into larvae, which become beetles again after three years.
Cockchafers have favorite places
“There are hotspots, for example in the Rohrbach district or in Grünau, where there are large deposits and the areas are becoming increasingly larger,” Fritscher explains. The beetles also cause damage during their above-ground life, which lasts up to six weeks, but especially during their stay underground. They eat the roots of grasses, but also crops and trees. “And if there are phases with little or no precipitation, it is fatal,” the expert explains. The weakened plants die. Infested areas can only be dug out mechanically to decimate the larvae.
Bark beetles are also already active
Due to the mild temperatures, another pest was also on the move earlier this year: the bark beetle. This caused two-thirds of all damage to forests in Upper Austria last year.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
