Mustache oak - an insect listed in the Red Book

A large oak barbel is a hard-winged insect that belongs to the family of beetles. This species is of Mediterranean origin. It occurs in the southern and central regions of Europe, in the north of the African continent and in Asia Minor. The beetle is spread in the post-Soviet territory in countries such as Ukraine and Belarus. Often it can be found in the Caucasus. Beetle of oak barbel is mainly found in mixed parks and forests and in old overmature oak forests. Often, insects live on lonely trees.

What does a beetle look like?

Among the various species of the beetle family, oak barbel is considered to be the largest. The description of this insect will be discussed in more detail:

• Mustache has a length of 23 to 65 mm. Body color is black-brown.
• The tips of the elytra are red-brown.
• Large wrinkles cover the breast shield, on the sides of which there are sharp spines.
• Mustache oak has a very long mustache. In females, their size corresponds to the length of the body, while in the male it is 1.5 times larger. The mustache and abdomen of the insect have a silky texture to the touch.

Entomologists involved in the study of insects use the above characteristics to draw up special tables.

Description of the insect in the larval stage

The beetle larvae are of fairly large size: the length is about 90 mm, and the thickness is from 17 to 22 mm. The body is colored yellow-white or cream-colored. The head is brownish-red, with three eyes on it. The larva has very powerful jaws, they are painted black. The thoracic part is very wide, and the back is covered with chitin. The spines located on the back and abdomen help in moving the larva along the courses and holes made in the tree.

Enemies of the insect

In nature barbel oak has many enemies. Especially dangerous is the woodpecker, who is eating larvae of the beetle, living in wood. Some insects belonging to the order of the Hymenoptera (for example, encircidae), can parasitize the beetle eggs. Some species of predatory beetles hunt for larvae of barbel:

• Karapuzik;
• Click-cake;
• Pestrel.

Lifestyle of the insect

You can meet an adult insect between May and September. Particularly active is barbel oak in the summer season. Mostly it flies in the daytime, but with the onset of hot weather you can see the bug in the evening. Most often, insects live on trees that give off a special juice - gum. He attracts beetles that fly to the plant to eat. Mustache oak settles in a tree, gnaws through whole tunnels in its trunk, because of what the plant "cries" (exudes juice).

Despite the fact that the female beetle lives only 3 months, during this period it is able to postpone up to 100 eggs. Place of masonry - cracks in the tree bark. A suitable plant beetle searches with the help of its long mustache.

After 2 weeks, larvae appear from the eggs. They penetrate into the bark of the tree and live here throughout the summer period.

The most suitable for habitat of the beetle are such trees:

• an old oak;
• elm;
• hornbeam;
• beech.

The beetle larvae develop very slowly. In the second year of life, their length ranges from 50 to 60 mm, and the third reaches 100 mm. Before pupating, the larva digs in the wood of the tunnels. The length of the strokes can reach 50, and in some cases even 100 cm. At the end of the long tunnel, the barbel must build a oval-shaped lapel for itself. Its size is approximately 10 cm by 3 cm. In the lullaby, the larva makes a hole through which an adult beetle will subsequently leave. With the help of wood fibers and bark, the outlet is clogged.

In the cradle, the larva passes into the pupa stage. During the same year, an adult is taken out. In his cradle the beetle spends the whole winter, and in spring it is selected from its hiding place by specially prepared courses.

The entire cycle of development, from laying eggs to the formation of an adult, takes 3-4 years and depends on the weather conditions and the state of the tree in which the insect dwells.

The beetle listed in the Red Book

Quite recently, when in Europe there were a large number of oak groves, this species of beetle was among the most malicious pests in the forest. In one tree numerous insect colonies accumulated, and this led to the death of the plant. Beetles did a lot of moves in the wood, thereby violating its structure. The plant began to dry from the top of the crown, and through time completely died. When revealing diseased trees, they were cut down, and a layer of bark was removed from the stumps.

The disappearance of oak forests led to a significant reduction in the population of beetles. In the 1980s, this insect was classified as a protected species.

Mustache oak is protected by law in countries such as:

• Germany.
• Czech Republic.
• Poland.
• Slovakia.
• Ukraine.
• Lithuania.
• Belarus.

On the territory of Armenia this species 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 without a trace from our planet. People should think about what irreparable damage they do to the environment, and urgently take action.