The large oak barbel is a beetle insect that belongs to the barbel family. This species is of Mediterranean origin. It is found in the southern and central regions of Europe, in the north of the African continent and in Asia Minor. On the territory of the post-Soviet space, the beetle is common in countries such as Ukraine and Belarus. Often it can be found in the Caucasus. The oak barbel beetle is predominantly found in mixed parks and forests and in old, overmature oak forests. Often, insects settle on lonely standing trees.
What does a beetle look like?
Among the various species of the barbel family, the oak barbel is considered the largest. We will analyze the description of this insect in more detail:
- The barbel has a length of 23 to 65 mm. Body color black-brown.
- Tips of elytra red-brown.
- Large wrinkles cover the chest shield, on the sides of which there are sharp spikes.
- The oak barbel has a very long mustache. In the female, their size corresponds to the length of the body, but in the male it is 1.5 times larger. To the touch, the mustache and abdomen of the insect have a silky texture.
Entomologists,engaged in the study of insects, use the above data signs to compile special tables.
Description of the insect in the larval stage
Beetle larvae are quite large: length - about 90 mm, and thickness - from 17 to 22 mm. The body is colored yellow-white or cream. The head is brown-red, with three eyes. The larva has very powerful jaws, they are painted black. The chest part is very wide, and the back is covered with chitin. Outgrowths located on the back and abdomen help the larvae move along the passages and holes made in the tree.
Insect Enemies
In nature, the barbel oak has many enemies. The woodpecker is considered especially dangerous, which feasts on beetle larvae living in wood. Some insects belonging to the order Hymenoptera (for example, encyrtids) can parasitize on beetle eggs. Barbel larvae are preyed upon by some species of predatory beetles:
- karapuzik;
- clicker;
- pestryanka.
Insect lifestyle
You can meet an adult insect from May to September. The oak barbel is especially active in the summer season. It mainly flies during the daytime, but with the onset of hot weather, you can see the beetle in the evening. Most often, insects live on trees that secrete a special juice - gum. It attracts beetles, which flock to the plant to feast. barbel oaksettles in a tree, gnaws entire tunnels in its trunk, because of which the plant “weeps” (exudes juice).
Despite the fact that the female beetle lives only 3 months, during this period she is able to lay up to 100 eggs. Place of masonry - cracks in the tree bark. The beetle looks for a suitable plant with the help of its long whiskers.
After 2 weeks, larvae emerge from the eggs. They penetrate the bark of the tree and live here throughout the summer period.
The most suitable trees for the beetle are:
- old oak;
- elm;
- hornbeam;
- beech.
Beetle larvae develop very slowly. In the second year of life, their length is from 50 to 60 mm, and in the third year it reaches 100 mm. Before pupating, the larva digs tunnels in the wood. The length of the passages can be up to 50, and in some cases even 100 cm. Its size is approximately 10 cm by 3 cm. In the lullaby, the larva makes a hole through which the adult beetle will subsequently emerge. With the help of wood fibers and bark, the exit is clogged.
In the cradle, the larva passes into the pupal stage. During the same year, an adult is hatched. The beetle spends the whole winter in its cradle, and in the spring it gets out of its hiding place along specially prepared passages.
The entire development cycle, from egg laying to the formation of an adult, takes 3-4 years and depends on weather conditions and the condition of the tree in whichinhabited by an insect.
Beetle listed in the Red Book
More recently, when there were a large number of oak groves in Europe, this species of beetle was one of the most malicious pests of the forest. Numerous insect colonies accumulated in one tree, and this led to the death of the plant. Beetles made many moves in the wood, thereby violating its structure. The plant began to dry from the top of the crown, and after a while it completely died. When diseased trees were identified, they were cut down, and a layer of bark was removed from the stumps.
The disappearance of oak forests has led to a significant reduction in the population of longhorn beetles. In the 1980s, this insect was classified as a protected species.
Oak barbel is protected by law in countries such as:
- Germany.
- Czech Republic.
- Poland.
- Slovakia.
- Ukraine.
- Lithuania.
- Belarus.
On the territory of Armenia, this type of barbel is included in the list of protected insects.
Man's economic activity often causes the death of various animal species. Many of them disappeared from our planet without a trace. People should think about the irreparable damage they cause to the environment, and urgently take action.
