FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The cane beetle (Dermolepida albohirtum), also known as gray back cane beetle, is a species of pests of sugarcane plants native to Australia. The cane beetles feed during the night and are nocturnal. The cane beetle grub feeds on the roots of the sugarcane plant and deals significant damage in the process. The adult prefers feeding on the leaves of the sugarcane crops. This beetle can live a life of about one year. The cane beetle has a hard shell body that is light gray or white with black spotting. They have black eyes a brown or redhead.
The adult cane beetle can lay about 20-30 eggs per clutch. They can have three clutches and lay their eggs near the roots of the tallest sugarcane. From February to May, the eggs hatch and turn into grubs that feed on roots. There is no specific way to deal with the adult or cane beetle grub. Insecticides are harmful as they can also kill off useful insects. There are also no biological control efforts or options suitable for Dermolepida albohirtum and is still under research. If you enjoyed reading about the cane beetle, you could also check out the black blister beetle and the tiger beetle.
The grayback cane beetle, or Dermolepida albohirtum, is a species of beetle or parasitic insect of sugarcane plant native to Australia.
The cane beetle pest belongs to the class of Arthropods and the Dermolepida genus of the Scarabaeidae family. Their scientific name is Dermolepida albohirtum.
The current global population of the Australian cane beetle pest is unknown. The temperature of its habitat, rainfall, weather conditions, and solar radiation are some factors that influence the population dynamics of the adults. This makes it difficult to come up with a conclusive number of Dermolepida albohirtum in Australia.
As the name suggests, the grayback cane beetle is a parasite of the sugarcane plant and is found in farms in Australia. They are also found in the Philippines. This beetle is endemic and not found outside of its range.
The habitat of cane beetle is mainly in agricultural fields that are full of sugarcanes. The larvae are usually found underground.
Cane beetles are mostly solitary and are only seen together during the breeding season or after the larvae hatch together.
The average life cycle of adult beetles has three-stage and live on for one year.
The female cane beetle is an oviparous insect that lays eggs in the soil after mating. The average depth at which the eggs are laid is around 8-18 in (20 to 45 cm). Females lay 20-30 eggs every clutch and can have at most three clutches per year. The beetle grub that hatches subsequently feeds on sugarcane roots from early February to May. After it is fully fed in three to four months, it turns into a pupa and starts developing into an adult. The pupa developed into an adult within a month and emerged from the soil. Dermolepida albohirtum can delay the emerging if the weather above ground is not stable or suitable.
The conservation status of the Australian cane beetle is Not Listed, which means that the population dynamics is currently unknown. As a common agricultural pest, the numbers should be mostly stable and not threatened in any way.
*Please note the main image and this image are of a sugarcane beetle that belongs to the same family as the slender cane beetle. If you have an image of a cane bettle please let us know at [email protected].
Adult cane beetles are white in color and have small dots of black all over their body. The grubs of this insect are also small and white. They have six legs, black eyes, and a brown or red head.
The gray back cane beetle looks like an average beetle, and its color pattern is not particularly attractive. Overall, they are not very cute and they damage crops.
The cane beetles communicate using chemicals and pheromones. The pheromone system is very advanced, and they can use scents to convey different messages.
The average length of a cane beetle adult is about 0.4-0.6 in (10-15 mm). They are about ten times smaller than their predator, cane toads.
There are no studies that have estimated the flying speed of cane beetles.
The weight of a cane beetle is almost negligible.
There are no specific names for male and female adults.
When the egg hatches, the baby beetle is known as a larva. After the larvae stage is the pupa and then finally an adult. The larvae are also known as the cane beetle grub.
Adult cane beetles mostly rely on leaves of the sugarcane plant in Australia. The grubs are present below the soil surface and feed on the roots of sugarcane and lead to a lot of damage like stunted growth or even death. The main predator of Dermolepida albohirtum species is the ground beetle, ants, and wasps.
Adult beetles are not directly harmful to human beings. The grub that hatches from eggs in the soil attacks the roots of sugarcane plants and fields. The adult beetles feed mostly on the leaves. This may lead to lower productivity of sugarcane, leaf damage, stunted growth, and even death. The resulting reduced productivity sabotages the quality, which in turn economically affects human beings. Since they live underground, it is difficult to use insecticide as it will also remove useful insects. Biological control of cane beetles is still in development.
Cane beetles are agricultural pests and would not make a good pet. There have been talks of controlling the species through predators as the beetles can lead to the death of sugarcane plants. If you do notice a cane beetle in your garden, it is best to beware and check your garden for signs of damage.
The cane toad was introduced into Australia in early 1935 from Central America and South America to reduce the population of cane beetle adults. The introduction of this toad was an attempt to control the population of cane beetles or the French cane beetles. However, the introduced cane toads are not native to Australia and from a totally different environment of South America. Although the cane toad turned out to be a successful predator, or biological control of the cane beetle, they preferred other food and became an invasive pest themselves. The cane toad population increased so much that it leads to the decrease of natural native predators such as quolls or marsupial cats and are in need of control measures.
Beetles, in general, are pollinators of different plants and flowers, which makes their ecosystem role very important. Beetles like the dung beetle can also help in the introduction of nutrients and useful material into the soil when they bury their dung. They are decomposers in forests and help reduce populations of insects like caterpillars. The ladybird beetles are predators of aphid pests and are known to hold some commercial value for this reason. The ground beetles can help control the population of weeds by eating the seeds in the soil.
Yes, cane toads do eat cane beetles. However, they prefer other food and have a vast number of potential food sources. The cane toad looks for food using smell and can even eat dog food! The cane toads have become an invasive pest and have toxins that other native animals are not immune to. Due to the magnanimous diet of this animal, control measures have been issued.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods with our water beetle facts and darkling beetle facts.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring on one of our free printable cane beetle coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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