How to get rid of bean kernels in an apartment

Bean kernels have chosen such an unpretentious crop as beans. The pest was introduced from South America to Crimea at the beginning of the last century and quickly spread throughout the post-Soviet space with a warm climate. The beetle infects plants in the fields, migrates with grains to the vaults and often ends up in an apartment with a bag of contaminated beans purchased. Whether a grain is dangerous for a person and how to get rid of it - let's understand.

How does a bean kernel look and what it eats

Bean kernel - a small beetle from the family of grains (among the closest relatives - pea and four-spotted kernel) The brownish oval-shaped body is covered with copper-colored hairs. The insect differs in miniature sizes of 2-5 mm, so it is difficult to study it in detail without a magnifying glass. If you look at what the bean seed looks like in the photo, you will notice that the beetle has short elytra covered with gray spots. The hind legs are equipped with sharp teeth.

Interesting!

Insects are very thermophilic and low temperatures are detrimental to adults and offspring. At a temperature of 0 ° C, the larvae die after 30 days, adult beetles after 15 days. At temperatures below 12 ° C, the activity of bean kernels ceases instantly.

Pests overwinter in storages inside the grain or in the field under plant debris. Awakening occurs in the spring, when the ambient temperature reaches 12-15 ° C. Bean kernels have outstanding flight qualities. In search of food supply, it is able to cover a distance of up to 3 km.

Before the beans ripen, the insects feed on legumes, pollen. In the absence of food, grains can do without food for up to 3 months. A massive invasion of pests on a bean plantation is noted after the completion of the flowering phase.

Features of propagation of bean kernels

Under natural conditions, the propagation of bean kernels occurs during fruit ripening. The female gnaws a groove in the bean seam and lays 15-20 white oblong eggs in it. The length of the embryo does not exceed 0.2 mm. The fertility of one female varies from 60 to 200 eggs. Beetle caryopsis is quite whimsical and its reproduction is possible under appropriate conditions:

• optimal humidity 60-70%;
• ambient temperature 15-30 ° C; at higher temperature conditions, eggs die;
• the presence of a nutrient base.

  

In the warm season, embryo development lasts 7-14 days, with lower 35-40 days. Spawning larvae of bean kernels penetrate deep into the bean and then into the grain itself. Newborns have 3 pairs of legs, differ in mobility and the presence of bristles. Several tens of larvae can coexist in one bean seed at the same time, they eat the contents of the bean and gnaw tunnels in it. The maturation stage of the larva lasts 3 weeks and ends with pupation.

The young beetle easily gnaws a hole in the bean and leaves it. The full cycle of the development of the caryopsis ends in September, October, and most often the larvae penetrate the storage with the harvest.

Important!

In the field, the female gives 2 generations, in the southern regions 3-4. In heated rooms under favorable conditions, insects breed year-round.

What harm do bugs do?

Beetles do not attack people, do not bite, but the harm to humans from them is significant. Infection of plants leads to a decrease in yield. Bean caryopsis begins to harm plants even at the stage of their growth, damaging early crops. There have been cases when the bean yield has been reduced by 70%. In addition to beans, insects do not mind eating chickpeas, soybeans, peas. The photo shows beans damaged by beetles.

Important!

Larvae eat out nutrients from grains, fill them with their waste products, which makes beans unsuitable for crops and consumption. If contaminated beans are stored in the warehouse, the entire crop will be compromised.

How to deal with bean pests

The methods of struggle in an apartment with a caryopsis are reduced to detecting the source of infection and disposal or saving the legumes. It is not necessary to use insecticides, as the larvae are inside the product. You can’t eat infected fruits because they contain insect waste products.

Home methods to get rid of bean kernels are based on the application of critical temperatures at which the pest dies. Storage of the harvest in the cellar, in which the temperature is below 0 ° C, will prevent the development of larvae. In the apartment, you can keep the collected beans in the refrigerator or warm in the oven for an hour. These procedures will allow you to get rid of insects in the early stages of infection and to avoid damage to the product.

Field pest control in the field involves the following activities:

1. Visual inspection of seeds before sowing. To identify infected beans, the seeds are dipped in saline for 7-8 minutes. Floated grains are rejected.
2. The use of insecticides in the ripening phase of the fruit.
3. Timely harvesting.
4. Harvesting plant debris.

The set of measures outlined above will help minimize bean infection with such a small but very harmful insect.