the essentials in brief
- Rapeseed beetles are oval, 2 mm in size, have a blue, green, black or purple, shiny metallic shell.
- Home remedies for rapeseed beetles in the apartment are lemon scent and a yellow trap with water and washing-up liquid.
- Biological control agents are in the garden Rock flour,(€ 12.33 at Amazon *) Collecting, shaking off and yellow peels as well as the predators Parasitic wasps(€ 69.90 at Amazon *) and ladybugs.
What do rapeseed beetles look like?
Rapeseed beetles (Brassicogethes aeneus) belong to the family of gloss beetles and are mostly called rapeseed beetles. The beetles can be recognized by their oval body 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters in length. What is striking is a shiny metallic chitin armor that shimmers in blue, black, green or purple. The legs and club-shaped antennae are brown.
also read
- Identifying small black beetles - tips for indoors and outdoors
- Recognizing Colorado beetles and fighting them naturally - profile, home remedies and lots of tips
- Hibernate the dwarf palm: inside and outside
Yellowish-white larvae are slender, 4 millimeters long and have short bristles. Three short, black-brown legs on each side of the body and a brown head characterize the appearance. Rapeseed beetle larvae hatch from milky-white, tiny eggs and moult several times.
Why are rapeseed beetles harmful?
Rapeseed beetles are accused of two habits. Meals and family planning nip any sympathy in the bud with farmers, hobby gardeners and carpenters. A look at the way of life makes it clear why the shiny mini-beetles are assigned to the pests:
Disastrous propagation strategy
Rapeseed beetles lay their eggs in buds
From a cool 10 ° Celsius soil temperature, rapeseed beetles become active and leave their winter quarters under a layer of leaves or Sward. Starved, the gloss beetles fly to young plants for ample refreshment of leaves, flowers, pollen and nectar. On warm spring days with 18 ° Celsius and more, mass flights with a nuisance character are not uncommon. Immediately afterwards, rapeseed beetles dedicate themselves to their fatal reproduction strategy in these steps:
- Mated females bite a hole in bud
- 1 to 6 eggs per bud are laid on stamens and pistils
- Larvae hatch within 4 to 7 days
- The larvae feed on nectar and pollen for 27 to 30 days
- Damage: pitted, dried up, empty buds, premature flower fall, stunted, measly pods
Adult larvae drop to the ground, dig two to three centimeters deep and pupate. After about two weeks, the young rapeseed beetles hatch from their pupal cradle. This process takes place in June, just before or during the rapeseed harvest. The young beetles complete their maturation feed on various wild and cultivated plants before they go to their winter quarters in August.
Numerous food and host plants
Rapeseed beetles also attack roses
Rapeseed is the preferred, but certainly not the only, plant that is desirable to the rapeseed beetles eye throw. Cruciferous vegetables with yellow or white flowers are primarily attacked. The following table lists typical useful and ornamental plants that suffer from a plague:
| Crops | Botanical name | Ornamental plants | Botanical name | Wild herbs | Botanical name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapeseed | Brassica napus | Roses | pink | Rockcress | Arabis |
| Turnips | Brassica rapa | Gold lacquer | Erysimum suffruticosum | White mustard | Sinapis alba |
| radish | Raphanus raphanistrum | Fragrance stone rich | Lobularia maritima | Barbara herb | Barbarea vulgaris |
| radish | Raphanus sativus | Ribbon flowers | Iberis | Shepherd's purse | Capsella |
| Vegetable cabbage | Brassica oleracea | Night violets | Hesperis | Schöterich | Erysimum |
Adult rapeseed beetles do the real damage when they feed on the buds in spring or bite holes in the bottom of the buds. Larvae only feed on pollen and nectar, which does not seriously damage the affected plants.
Tips
Yellow panels are useless for the purpose of identifying and controlling pollen beetles. The beetles are attracted by the bright yellow color. In contrast to Cherry fruit flies and other pests, rapeseed beetles with their chitin shell do not stick to the special glue. For this purpose, there are extra yellow bowls with a close-meshed grid as a cover so that bees and other insects do not fall into them.
What can be done against rapeseed beetles in the house?
Rapeseed beetles are stubborn companions who do not like to be chased away. The beetles often get into the house well hidden in a bouquet of wild flowers they have picked themselves. If you have discovered the rapeseed beetle in the apartment, you do not have to tolerate the uninvited guests. The following two home remedies have proven to be effective for a poison-free fight. How to get rid of rapeseed beetles indoors:
Lemon scent
It is thanks to the persistent research of accomplished entomologists (entomologists) that the lemony scent can drive away rapeseed beetles. The following home remedies chase away the pests never to be seen again:
- Lemongrass
- Lemon wedges
- Bowls filled with lemon juice
- Citronella products such as soap, candles, scented oil
A positive side effect: the lemon scent makes other pests and pests run away in the house, such as ants, spiders or Mosquitoes.
The following video impressively demonstrates why lemon scent has a disgusting effect on rapeseed beetles:
Youtube
Make rapeseed beetle trap yourself
Their predilection for the color yellow becomes fatal when a self-made trap is used. The trap is copied from the yellow peel that farmers use to determine the infestation in the rapeseed field. Take a yellow bowl, optionally made of plastic or glass. Half fill the bowl with water and add a drop of washing-up liquid to break the surface tension. If you place the trap near infested plants, the beetles cannot withstand the attractiveness for long, fall into the water and drown.
What helps against rapeseed beetles in the garden?
The manual removal of rapeseed beetles is tedious but effective
Rapeseed beetles do not mind if rapeseed does not grow in the garden. If the favorite plant is not available, the beetles quickly set their sights on useful plants and beauties of flowers. Primarily cruciferous vegetables, especially vegetable cabbage species, are very popular with pests as a source of food and nursery. Rapeseed beetles ruthlessly eat rose petals in the flowerbed. Insecticides are not approved for the home garden and in any case do not achieve any noteworthy results. The following overview summarizes what really helps against rapeseed beetles in the garden:
- Collecting: in the early morning collect the cold-stiff rapeseed beetles with two fingers
- Shake off: Spread out the foil and shake off crawling bugs
- Rock flour: infested plants thin with Rock flour pollinate
- Engage predators: Birds, Parasitic wasps, Ladybug
A mulch blanket made of straw reflects the rays of the sun and irritates rapeseed beetle when approaching. The effectiveness of vegetable oil solutions as a natural control agent is controversial in private allotment gardens. Buds sprayed with oil-water stick together so that it is difficult for them to open. The milk of lime propagated as a control agent in some instructions is tricky to use because it is in water It deals with dissolved lime, which is primarily used as a wall paint and actually has no place in the natural garden.
Digression
Attract parasitic wasps - put an end to the rapeseed beetle plague
Ichneumon wasps are a miracle weapon in the fight against rapeseed beetles
Ichneumon wasps are the secret heroes in the fight against rapeseed beetle plague. The filigree insects parasitize the larvae and reduce the infestation pressure in the field and bed by up to 50 percent. So far, nine parasitic wasp species are known in Europe that are helpful to farmers and hobby gardeners in the control of pollen beetles. In order for the beneficial insects to find their way into your garden, it is important to consistently avoid pesticides of all kinds. Umbelliferae invite parasitic wasps to linger, such as parsley, fennel, carrots or hogweed. A homemade one Insect hotel(€ 11.33 at Amazon *) the gossamer natural beauties cannot resist.
frequently asked Questions
How to get rid of rapeseed beetles in the apartment
Lemon scents have been shown to be effective in driving rapeseed beetles out of the home. Lay out lemon wedges, add lemon juice to the mopping water or put lemongrass in the house, rapeseed beetles take a break. A tried and tested home remedy for rapeseed beetles in the apartment are yellow bowls, which you fill with water and a drop of washing-up liquid.
How long do rapeseed beetles live?
As a rule, rapeseed beetles live around 14 months. Rapeseed beetles overwinter once in their life in leaf litter and loose layers of soil. In early spring, the beetles leave their winter quarters and first devote themselves to rape and spring flowers when they mature. Mated females soon lay their eggs in buds and flowers. Once a lady beetle has placed her 250 to 400 eggs, her life is coming to an end.
Can rapeseed beetles bite?
Rapeseed beetles have powerful mouthparts for feeding and laying eggs in buds. Considering a body size of 2 millimeters, the teeth are tiny. The pearly whites are enough to bite into delicate flowers and young leaves. The attempt to bite into human skin is of course doomed to failure for rapeseed beetles.
What helps against a rapeseed beetle plague in the rose garden?
If rapeseed beetles infest the rose garden in droves, we recommend an XXL version of the yellow trap, which works well in the home. Buy one yellow bucket for every 10 to 20 square meters of infested area. Fill this bucket two-thirds full with water and one to two tablespoons of dish soap. Cover each bucket with a close-meshed grid (8 mm x 8 mm) to prevent bees from falling into it. Rapeseed beetles are attracted by the yellow color and sink into the water because the detergent breaks the surface tension. Replace dirty water.
Can rapeseed beetles fly?
Yes, rapeseed beetles have a well-developed flight apparatus. The shiny metallic chitin armor protects transparent wings that carry a rapeseed beetle up to 3 kilometers through the air. This is a major reason why home gardens near canola fields often have to struggle with a beetle plague in vegetable and rose beds.
Tips
Seven-spotted ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) like rapeseed beetle larvae to eat. Did not enough of the red lucky beetles with the distinctive dots show up in your garden? Then you can increase the population of beneficial insects and breed ladybugs yourself. Breeding farms and specialist dealers offer complete breeding sets with eggs or Ladybug larvae.
