The presence of this insect can be recognized by the squares of withering plants and the slightly marked streaks of raised earth above its underground corridors. While digging the pavements, it nibbles at the roots it encounters and picks up young plants that dry up and wilt.Turkucie is the most harmful in frames, gardens and allotments.
There are most of them in gardens with moist and humus soil, near the composters. The adult insect is approx. 5-7 cm long. Larvae and adults hibernate in the soil at a depth of 0.5-1 m.
Turkuk choose places with higher soil temperature for wintering. This fact can be used to combat these pests.In the fall, we dig pits about 60-100 cm deep and fill them with horse manure or leaves.Manure can be covered with a thin layer of soil or leaves.
Turkucie bury themselves in manure or leaves and spend the winter there.In winter, when the soil is not frozen, excavate these pits and remove the turtles that are hibernating there.When it is frosty, we can spread manure on the beds, then the insects wintering there will die.
During the growing season, we can bury 5-liter drink bottles with the tips cut off in several places in the garden. The top of the bottle must be at the same height as the soil surface.The distances between the buried bottles should be connected with horizontally arranged boards.
Insects in the garden
Turkucie stay in their underground corridors during the day, and at night they come to the surface of the soil.As they reach the plank, they walk straight to the trap-bottles placed in the ground . In the morning it is enough to empty the bottles.
You can pour a small amount of water into the containers.Turkucie do not like frequent loosening of the soil and the smell of alder.In the beds, we can place alder twigs at a distance or pour alder bark decoction every 2-3 days.
