A large number of different species of “little life” live in the forest biocenosis. The name “forest pests” can be called conditional, since insects, fungi and bacteria mainly attack old, diseased trees. However, massive damage to tree species also occurs due to the pathological reproduction of one or another type of pest. They are divided depending on which part of the plant they harm.
Forests are constantly attacked by various pests
What pests of needles and foliage are there?
In the forest this is the most numerous type of pathogen. They can often be seen on trees in their adult or larval stages. They feed on foliage, needles, partly buds and flowers. They are characterized by the occurrence of population outbreaks, which usually takes place over 7 generations and includes development, peak and attenuation. They can cause the greatest damage to the forest during the period of peak population outbreak. The main types of pests of needles and foliage include:
- butterflies;
- weavers;
- sawyers;
- leaf beetles;
- elephants;
- blisters.
Their pathological activity impairs plant nutrition and contributes to the partial or complete death of some branches and fruits.
Insects are carriers of human pathogens
Some insects, especially blood-sucking ones, are carriers of pathogens that cause dangerous diseases in humans and animals.
House flies that fly into a person's home carry pathogens of typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera and other dangerous diseases, and roundworm eggs on their paws from sewage to food (available for them to visit).
Malaria mosquitoes carry malaria pathogens.
They can be distinguished from other mosquitoes by their position: the common mosquito holds its body parallel to the surface on which it sits, while the malaria mosquito holds its body at an angle. The larvae of the malaria mosquito, having risen to the surface of the water, hold their body parallel to the surface film, and the larvae of the common mosquito - at an angle to it. The number of mosquitoes is reduced by draining swamps and breeding fish that eat mosquito larvae and pupae.
Their natural enemies are of great importance - insectivorous birds (swallows, swifts) and dragonflies.
Dangerous blood-sucking insects include lice and fleas. The human louse parasitizes humans. Lice cause severe itching in humans. When feeding, they can transmit typhus pathogens to the host. Fleas are carriers of plague pathogens. Plague microbes enter their bodies by sucking the blood of sick rats, gophers and other rodents, as well as people.
Who destroys tree trunks
Forest stem pests are dangerous because they cause damage to the stem part of the plant. Penetrating into the bark of the plant and deeper, they make their passages there, deteriorating the quality of the wood and promoting the formation of rot and infection in the form of bacteria and fungi. Some parasites spend almost their entire life inside the tree trunk, eating it from the inside, while others periodically come to the surface and can be seen on the tree bark.
Tree trunks are most often affected
Damage to tree trunks is caused mainly by beetle-like species of insects; they affect weakened trees, but can also spread to healthy plants. The beetle is a pest of gardens and forests. This depends on the pollution of the forest zone, population outbreak, and the number of young animals in the planting. The main types of forest pest beetles include:
- bark beetles;
- goldfish;
- barbel;
- weevils;
- horntails;
- woodworms.
By introducing itself into the stem tissue of a plant, this type of parasite weakens the plant’s immune system, making it vulnerable to infections.
Insects: their benefits and harm to humans and nature, habitat
What harm do insects cause?
External influences on the body
In every part of the planet, people have been fighting insects since ancient times, which cause harm to health and cause great damage to the economy.
In rare cases they may be beneficial.
There are a large number of insects harmful to humans. Blood-sucking insects are especially dangerous; they can spread pathogens of dangerous diseases. Aedes mosquitoes spread the Zika virus.
This virus is very dangerous for pregnant women, since the virus is transmitted from an infected mother to the fetus and at birth the child may have microcephaly.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now banned women from traveling to Central and South America and has also designated the virus as an international threat.
Also, an ordinary fly that has flown into a room can be a carrier of dangerous diseases, including dysentery and cholera.
The tsetse fly causes great harm to the inhabitants of Africa - almost all domestic animals die from its bite, while for humans the bite is not fatal.
Another very serious pest for humans is the typograph bark beetle.
They cause damage to the economy, destroy forests on a large scale, and also destroy wooden buildings.
Only qualified help will solve any problems with insects.
Various types of mosquitoes bring a large number of problems to humans, of which the malaria ones are the most dangerous. Dragonflies and some species of birds help humans in the fight against these insects.
In some regions of Africa there are mosquitoes, the bite of which can cause great pain in both humans and animals.
Large numbers of these insects can enter the mouth and nose, as well as the eyes.
Lice and fleas are also carriers of serious diseases - typhoid.
They are mainly found in animals: cows, pigs, birds and rats.
In livestock farming, horseflies and gadflies cause enormous harm. They cause milk production, as they do not allow animals on pastures to eat normally.
Living in a room with cockroaches and bedbugs also causes great trouble for the owners.
Cockroaches are very prolific, and some of them can carry pathogens of dangerous diseases. Therefore, observing sanitary standards in the room, and, if necessary, carrying out sanitary treatment will help you forget about unpleasant insects once and for all.
What insects damage roots?
These insect pests of the forest chose this part of the woody plant for the reason that they lay eggs in the soil. By eating the root system, they impair the nutrition of the tree. This leads to thinning of wood tissue, leaves and branches turning yellow and dying, and weak fruits being formed that cannot produce viable offspring. This is one of the most dangerous types of parasites for forests and forest plantations. These insects include:
- wireworm;
- lamellar beetle;
- darkling beetles.
The wireworm lives in the ground and eats the roots
What have we learned?
When studying this topic in 7th grade biology, the main thing should be highlighted: harmful insects are very numerous and their harm is varied, people use various pest control measures.
Source: https://sprint-olympic.ru/uroki/biologija/9384-nasekomye-vrediteli-lesa.html
Harmful insects cause enormous damage to the forest. There are more than a million species in the world, and in the forests of our country there are about 50 thousand.
Silkworm caterpillars attack almost all trees and eat their foliage. The forest is also damaged by the larvae of moths and leaf rollers, pine cutworms, goldentail butterflies, and various moths.
The tops of pine trees affected by bark beetles appear trimmed. Flat bugs suck the sap of young pine trees.
Many insects damage tree roots. The cockchafer is especially dangerous. It multiplies quickly and is difficult to control. Usually it is shaken off the trees during the day, on which it sits motionless until the evening, and destroyed. The larvae of the cockchafer live in the ground and harm the roots of trees there, so the soil in the nursery must be dug up before sowing the seeds. They also resort to treating the soil with pesticides.
Diptera gall midges disfigure the shoots of young trees, forming swellings on them. Aphids and scale insects suck juices from the tissues of trees and plants.
Some mushrooms, especially honey fungus, also harm trees. The tinder fungus that settles on tree trunks is very dangerous. Its mycelium, once inside the trunk, destroys the wood and causes rot.
To combat numerous forest pests, first of all, measures are taken to prevent the mass reproduction of insects: they remove windfalls, dead wood, residues from tree felling, and remove the bark from temporarily left felled trees and stumps.
Very good methods of pest control are biological. After all, insects have many enemies. These include birds. A family of tits destroys about 4 thousand caterpillars over the summer, and two redstarts destroy 7.5 thousand. During the period of feeding their chicks, the blue tit destroys 24 million insect eggs. Small birds eat an amount of food per day almost equal to their own weight. While destroying pests, birds at the same time feed the forests with their droppings. It is necessary to help useful birds settle in the forest, worry about their safety, preserve berry bushes and undergrowth for them so that small birds can build nests there and raise their chicks, not cut down spreading trees with hollows, hang birdhouses, nest boxes, and feed our feathered friends in winter.
Moles, hedgehogs, shrews, and bats exterminate harmful insects. Ants, forest nurses, are of great benefit. 2–5 anthills per 1 hectare of forest are enough to rest assured that it is in good condition. Very useful insects are predators: riders, harvesters, ground beetles, praying mantises, spiders, beauty beetles, wasps, flies, cows, etc., which eat harmful insects.
In pest control, parasites and pathogens are used - fungi, bacteria, viruses. There are also preparations that can be used to destroy forest pests (see Biological plant protection).
Chemicals are also used to control harmful insects, most often chlorophos. But they are used in cases where for some reason it is impossible to use biological control agents and the forest is threatened with death.
If trees are infected with tinder fungi, then it is necessary to cut off and burn the fruiting bodies of the fungi, or better yet, bury them in the ground to a depth of at least 25 cm.
Damaged areas on trees are covered with waterproof putty or oil paint. Hollows infected with fungi are cleaned of rot and their walls are disinfected with a weak solution of copper sulfate (100 g of sulfate per 3.5 liters of water). Then the hollows are filled with clay or cement and compared from the outside with the surface of the trunk.
If there are weevil beetles near young coniferous trees, then trapping ditches are dug around the area and the weevils crawling there are destroyed. Drying and twisted shoots of young trees, damaged by them, are cut off and burned. Branches with nests of spider mites should also be cut and destroyed.
The forest has an equally dangerous enemy - fire. Thousands of hectares of forests are destroyed by forest fires. Therefore, fire in the forest must be handled carefully.
Schoolchildren, members of school forestry departments and green patrols, help adults protect the forest from pests and diseases.
Source: https://yunc.org/%D0%92%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8_%D0%B8_ %D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B8_%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B0
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969—1978.
See what “Forest pests” are in other dictionaries:
Forest pests - (beetles) (from the Mei Encyclopedic Dictionary ... Wikipedia
Forest pests are species of herbivorous animals (insects, ticks, ungulates, rodents and others), the populations of which can damage the target functions of the forest and forest products. Source: Rosleskhoz dated March 24, 1998 N DO 1 17 5/59 Official terminology
forest pests - miško kenkėjai statusas Aprobuotas sritis miškų ūkis apibrėžtis Organizmai (mikroorganizmai, bestuburiai arba stuburiniai gyvūnai), kenkiantys miško medžiams, mažinantys jų prieaugį, bloginantys jų kokyb ę ir darantys nuostolius. atitikmenys: engl … Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)
forest pests - miško kenkėjai statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Gyvūnai, daugiausia vabzdžiai, pažeidžiantys miško medžius ir krūmus. Skirstomi į penkias grupes: spyglių ir lapų, liemenų, jaunuolynų, šaknų bei vaisių ir sėklų. atitikmenys:… … Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas
PESTS OF FRUIT AND BERRY CROPS AND MEASURES TO COMBAT THEM - In the Far Eastern region, horticulture as an industrial sector was formed relatively recently, and over the 30 years of its existence, the assortment of fruit and berry crops has been periodically improved. In the Primorsky Territory the following zones are distinguished... ... Insects are pests of agriculture in the Far East
POTATO PESTS - In the Far East, the main damage to potatoes is caused by the spotted or potato ladybug (Epilachna vigintioctomaculata Motsch.). Many researchers, studying the biology and distribution of the pest, indicate the possibility of further expansion... Insects are agricultural pests of the Far East
Pests and diseases of European beech - This article lacks an introduction. Please add an introductory section that briefly describes the topic of the article... Wikipedia
Animal pests are animals that cause any harm to humans directly (for example, by parasitizing on them or transmitting pathogens to them) or indirectly, causing damage to livestock, crop production, forestry, etc. Directly... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Wood cutting - This term has other meanings, see Wood cutting (story) ... Wikipedia
THE USSR. Wildlife resources - the USSR occupies one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves of commercial fish and game animals. Based on their use, the activities of such important sectors of the economy as fishing, sea animal hunting, and hunting are built. Of 125... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Source: https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/bse/76210/%D0%92%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0 %BB%D0%B8
Insects are garden pests. The apple flower beetle, strawberry weevil, raspberry beetle, apple codling moth, gooseberry moth, and aphid cause great harm to garden plants.
The apple flower beetle in spring feeds on the buds of apple trees and some other fruit plants. Soon, the female beetles lay eggs (one at a time) in the resulting buds. In almost every unopened and already dried bud one can find either a yellowish legless larva or a pupa (Fig. 152). By mid-summer, the beetles crawl into cracks in the bark, and in the fall they crawl into fallen leaves and overwinter there.
The strawberry weevil damages strawberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Shortly before these plants bloom, the females gnaw a hole in the side of the bud and lay an egg inside. The hole is sealed with a plug of excrement and the peduncle is gnawed. In this case, the peduncle breaks, the bud hangs and dries out. The larvae develop by feeding on the contents of the bud and pupate here. One female damages about 50 buds when laying eggs.
In the spring, the raspberry beetle eats holes on raspberry leaves, buds and nectaries of its flowers. Females lay single eggs in flowers. The worm-like larvae that emerge from them bite into the fruit stalk and eat away the fruit drupes. Damaged fruits (“wormy berries”) wither and rot. Pupation of beetle larvae occurs in the soil.
Gooseberry moth is a butterfly. Females lay eggs in the buds and flowers of currants and gooseberries. The hatched caterpillars bite into the resulting berries and eat away their contents. During the period of its development, one caterpillar damages about eight berries, which turn red prematurely, and the berry bush becomes as if engulfed in fire (hence the “fire”).
The apple codling moth is ubiquitous in gardens, the caterpillars of which develop in apples. The last instar caterpillars overwinter in cocoons under loose tree bark, in cracks in supports. Pupation occurs in the spring. The flight of butterflies usually coincides with the end of the flowering of apple trees. Their females lay eggs at the base of the fruits that set.
Insects are forest pests. One of the most dangerous pests of gardens and forests is the gypsy moth. Clutches of eggs of this butterfly, similar to pieces of felt, can be found on the lower part of tree trunks and stumps. In autumn, larvae develop inside the eggs and remain in them until spring. In the spring, caterpillars crawl out and eat the leaves of various trees, shrubs and grasses. During years of mass reproduction of this pest, trees in gardens and forests may completely lose their leaves.
In coniferous forests, the pine silkworm causes significant damage. During the development period, one caterpillar of this butterfly eats up to 900 needles. The caterpillars damage mainly pine, less often spruce and larch.
On deciduous trees (oak, birch, maple), the leaves are damaged by cockchafers, and their larvae, which develop in the soil for 3–4 years, gnaw off the roots of young trees. Weakened trees are attacked and damaged by bark beetles. The wood of trees is destroyed by longhorned beetles.
Measures to reduce the number of insect pests. On the territory of our country there are about 700 species of insects that are dangerous pests of agriculture and forestry. The simplest methods of combating them are mechanical: crushing the eggs of cabbage butterflies, destroying beet weevils in trapping ditches, shaking off apple and raspberry flower beetles onto a tarpaulin, collecting and destroying the egg-laying eggs of the gypsy moth.
The use of agrotechnical methods of protecting plants from pests is widespread: timely sowing or planting of plants so that they have time to grow stronger and become resistant to pests, careful harvesting, depriving harmful insects of food, destruction of cruciferous weeds near fields and vegetable gardens, on which the first generation feeds cabbage butterflies. The reduction in the number of insect pests is facilitated by digging up the soil in autumn, placing trapping belts on the trunks of fruit trees and their subsequent burning, regularly collecting fallen apples, etc.
When there is a mass proliferation of certain pests, chemical methods of combating them are often used: pollination and spraying of plants with toxic substances. However, the use of chemicals often causes the death of many beneficial insects and birds.
Currently, biological methods of plant protection are becoming increasingly important: protection and attraction of insectivorous birds, bats, breeding of insects - natural enemies of insect pests, the use of biological preparations that cause insect diseases.
Source: https://bio-learn.com/zhivotnye/tip-chlenistonogie/vrediteli-sada-i-lesa
The presentation on the topic “Insects of the forest” (grade 7) can be downloaded absolutely free on our website. Project subject: Biology. Colorful slides and illustrations will help you engage your classmates or audience. To view the content, use the player, or if you want to download the report, click on the corresponding text under the player. The presentation contains 12 slide(s).
Who harms the fruits
These are forest pests that live off the ovaries, buds and fruits of the plant. By introducing themselves into the reproductive parts, insects eat them out completely from the inside or cause significant damage. Also, fruits and ovaries are eaten by insects that feed on leaves and needles, mice, squirrels and other small forest rodents.
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Fruit pests are also known to be resistant to bacterial and viral infections due to their highly dispersed populations. These insects have little contact with each other. The main parasites of fruits include:
- codling moth;
- weevil;
- gall midge;
- blastophages;
- egg-eating riders;
- small forest rodents.
By eating fruits and ovaries, insects cause significant damage to the process of reproduction and the formation of a healthy gene pool of the forest.
Types of caterpillars
There is a huge variety of caterpillars that damage foliage and needles. They suck out the nourishing sap, causing the green mass of plants to curl and dry out. These pests overwinter in the leaves, and with the arrival of spring, hordes of caterpillars hatched from eggs migrate to the trees, destroying young foliage. Among other types of caterpillars, one can name moth, hawthorn, silkworm, leaf roller, etc. But it is worth dwelling in more detail on silkworms as the most numerous, diverse and dangerous pests.
What pests are considered the most dangerous?
These include:
- aphid;
- silkworm;
- locusts;
- root pests.
One of the most dangerous types of pests that cause great harm is aphids. They are
dangerous because during the period of mass reproduction they can cause severe damage to the forest, up to its complete destruction. They quickly destroy the green parts of plants or undermine the roots. The recovery period after this may take several years.
General information
The earth is inhabited by huge hordes of insects - from 2 to 8 million species. Of these, more than 700 thousand are pests. They reproduce very quickly and in large quantities. Typically, females lay more than a hundred eggs, and cutworm butterflies lay more than a thousand. In addition, some types of pests can reproduce two to three generations per year. Such a number of individuals can affect the quality of the crop or destroy large volumes of plantings, and sometimes cause real natural disasters.
Thus, there are cases from history when hordes of locusts massively destroyed huge areas of crops, dooming people to starvation. Nowadays, humanity has armed itself with many methods of combating insect pests, however, they cause huge losses to cultivated plants.
How to recognize mass infection
It occurs as a result of pathological reproduction of the pest population. Parasitic insects, fungi and bacteria always exist in the forest zone, however, they mainly inhabit only sick and old trees, serving as a kind of “orderlies” of the forest.
If pathogenic reproduction of pests is observed not only on weakened plants, but also on healthy trees and young trees, then this indicates the presence of mass damage by the pest. Certain measures must be taken to stop the outbreak.
This video will tell you in detail about different forest pests:
What causes the spread of forest pests
Herbivorous insects are an essential link in the food chain of the forest biocenosis. Under normal conditions, their vital activity should not cause damage to the ecosystem. But with the uncontrolled reproduction of some types of pests, massive plant death can occur, which leads to serious consequences:
- many species of mammals and birds that live on trees and feed on their fruits will begin to die;
- some types of insects will crowd out others;
- rotting wood will cause the spread of lichens, fungi and bacteria.
From an economic point of view, there will also be negative consequences - the volume of wood suitable for sale will be significantly reduced.
How to control pests
Among the main types of control against tree parasites are:
- Carrying out sanitary and preventive measures. These include cleaning the area after cutting down trees. Using tree traps to catch pests and then burning them. Proper cutting of trees. Proper combination of various tree crops in the forest and selective breeding of species resistant to various parasites.
- Treatment with insecticides. This measure is used to treat forests during mass reproduction of the pathogen. Treating seeds, seedlings and soil against pests before planting. Using chemicals to combat them is an extreme measure, since not only the pathogen dies, but also other beneficial insects.
- Attracting insectivorous birds. Creating favorable conditions in the forest to attract birds that eat parasites to the forest. One representative of birds is capable of destroying up to several thousand insects per day; in addition, birds fertilize the forest soil with droppings.
- Breeding anthills. These insects prevent the proliferation of pathogens in the soil and inhibit the increase in the population of many pests of the roots of woody plants.
How to protect our forests
The life and spread of forest pests is controlled by the forest protection service and forest pathologists. They monitor forests, identify cases of uncontrolled reproduction of dangerous insects and take measures to prevent their further spread. Pest elimination is carried out in the following ways:
the use of biological control methods (attracting natural enemies of insects: birds, insectivorous mammals, viruses and pathogenic bacteria); chemical treatment; mechanical method (killing insects manually, installing traps); physical method (using ultrasound, electric current, etc.)
Most often, these methods are used in combination, which allows for the most effective pest control.
Insects parasites of domestic animals
Horseflies and gadflies cause great harm to livestock.
Female horseflies suck the blood of animals. When there are many of them, cows, sheep, and goats eat poorly on pastures and reduce milk yield. Gadflies have undeveloped mouthparts and do not feed. The larvae of many species of gadflies are parasites of animals and humans. Female bovine botflies attach their eggs to the fur of cows. The hatched larvae penetrate the skin, make their way deeper and pass through connective tissue layers through many internal organs.
Grown-up larvae migrate under the host's skin and cause the formation of purulent nodules with fistulas. At the end of development, they fall out of the nodules and pupate in the soil. Domestic animals are parasitized by lice (pig, cow, dog), fleas (dog, rat, bird).
