There are plants that the cockchafer cannot tolerate, the author of the Zen channel “Volga Garden” spoke about this. These include mustard, rapeseed and oilseed radish. Their roots secrete substances that repel female cockchafers. They will no longer lay eggs on your site.
Just sow them all the free areas, row spacing and tree trunks. Don't leave any space blank. When the plants reach 30 cm in height, mow them down and plant them into the soil.
A pleasant side effect: green manure plants improve the structure of the soil and saturate it with nitrogen.
An alternative option is an infusion of onion peels. It also repels adult beetles, creating unpleasant conditions for them. Just pour 200 g of husks into 10 liters of warm water, leave to steep for 5 days, strain and water the beds. For 1 sq. meter is enough 3 liters. Repeat treatment every 2 weeks.
For the most resilient: deep digging
Dig up your area with a shovel full. The larvae of the cockchafer will appear on the surface. Carefully comb through all clods of earth. Collect them in a separate container and burn them – or give them to the chickens as a treat.
Life hack: early in the morning, cockchafers are still sleepy, so you can shake them off the trees onto film, collect them and burn them.
What is not recommended to use
During flowering and fruiting, aggressive chemicals cannot be used. Otherwise, harmful substances will accumulate in berries and plants.
Do not wait until the cockchafer begins to multiply en masse in your area. It is easier to hatch it (and therefore the larvae) in the early stages, in April – early May. The collected larvae cannot be sent to the compost heap: they will overwinter in it and return to the site again.
