Grubs are coming soon

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This year is another flight year for the cockchafer - and then the grubs come again

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, krone.at-Grafik)

Due to the warm weather, some of the bugs were on the move a month too early to find a bride or groom. The selection was still sparse, but soon it will be teeming with cockchafers. This year is another flying year. And that only happens every three years. Then the sometimes annoying grubs arrive again.

The first cockchafers swarmed out far too early for their nuptial flight: because it was so warm, they were spotted in Upper Austria as early as April 8 - and they will be out and about again in droves over the next few days and weeks. "This year is a flight year," says Michael Fritscher from 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. These develop into grubs, which become beetles again after three years.

Cockchafers have favorite spots
"There are hotspots, for example in the Rohrbach district or in Grünau, where there are large populations, and the areas are getting bigger and bigger," explains Fritscher. In their above-ground life, which lasts a maximum of six weeks, the beetles also cause damage, but most of all during their time underground. They eat the roots of grasses, but also crops and trees. "And if there are also periods with little or no rainfall, it's fatal," explains the expert. The weakened plants die. Infested areas can only be dug up mechanically to decimate the grubs.

Bark beetle also already active
Another pest is also on the move earlier this year due to the mild temperatures: the bark beetle. Last year, it was responsible for two thirds of all damage in the forest in Upper Austria.