Hemm cantharides (lytta vesicatoria) huwa insett li jappartjeni għall-ordni Coleopterafamilja Meloidae. In Italy this parasite is present in all regions, as well as in the rest of Europe, and is also called fly Spanjol u officinal cantharide. Cantharidae are interesting beetles in two respects. First of all, for the potential damage they can cause to the vegetation of numerous tree species. Furthermore, due to the particular use made of it in medicine, thanks to the active ingredient cantharidin.
In this article we see, therefore, what are the salient features of the lytta vesicatoriathe biological defense of the trees it infests and its curious use in modern and popular medicine.
Description of the cantharide
Hemm lytta vesicatoria it is an elongated beetle, 15-20 mm long. The color is typically metallic green, with golden reflections or variations in green-blue. The head is heart-shaped, the chest slightly narrower than the head and the rest of the body. The elytra (wings), each of which has two longitudinal ribs, almost entirely cover the abdomen.
What plants does cantharid attack
The cantharid is a rather polyphagous insect. It typically lives on the siġar irmied u fuqsiġar ta 'but frequent attacks are also recorded on: privat, lelà, Maple, luq, Siġra tal-elm, naqracatalpa, roses and begonias.
Damage to vegetation
The damage of the cantharid is caused by the adult forms of the insect that devour the leaf limb of the host plants, starting from the highest branches and sparing only the largest veins. Damage to vegetation can be significant if the trees are young and the infestation is massive. In this case, the risk is that the tree is completely defoliated and therefore stops its development. For crops of agricultural interest, the greatest risk is in the recently planted olive groves, for this reason the insect is also called cantharides of the olive tree.
Life cycle of Lytta vesicatoria
Adult cantharides make their appearance in woods and olive groves in late spring, from mid-April to the entire month of June and beyond. Insects are active in the hottest hours of the day and act in a gregarious way, gathering to feast in a group on the vegetation of the same plant. Their presence is “perceived” by the acid odor they emanate.
After mating, the females lay an average of 50 eggs, which are laid in holes made in the ground a few centimeters deep.
The newborn larvae, called triungulini, remain in the ground and go in search of apid hymenoptera nests (bumblebees, megachilus, osmias). Once inside, the cantharid larvae feed on the food reserves and directly prey on the larvae and pupae of the hymenoptera. After having made a moult, they transform into type II larva and, upon reaching maturity, they deepen into the ground to transform into ipoteka. At this stage they will survive the winter. They will then pupate the following spring to give birth to new adults. Therefore the lytta vesicatoria makes only one generation per year.
How to protect trees from cantharides in a biological way
The biological defense of trees is necessary if young plants are massively attacked, especially the olive tree. If the trees are still small in size, manual removal of the cantharide may be valid, placing newspaper sheets around the neck of the tree and shaking the crown firmly. This operation is to be done in the hot hours of the day, when the cantharides are most active.
On adult plants this option is not easily practicable. If the degree of infestation is worrying, with large parts of the vegetation affected, it is possible to resort to treatments permitted in organic farming with piretru naturali (li ssib fi ħwienet speċjalizzati) U azadirachtin (which you can also find in stores dedicated to the agricultural sector).
Cantharides in medicine
At the beginning of the article we mentioned the medicinal uses of cantharide. These properties are already recognized by the official medicine of the nineteenth century. In practice, adults are raised, which are then dried and pulverized to extract the active ingredient cantharidin, contained in the soft parts of the insect. This active ingredient has blistering properties, that is, it causes the formation of blisters for anti-inflammatory purposes. This property is useful in the case of diseases such as pleurisy, pericarditis and bronchial affections and is used in pharmacology with controlled dosages.
In the past, in folk medicine, cantharidin it was recommended as an aphrodisiac, and remedy for impotence, a kind of natural viagra. Although effective in this sense, it is also to be considered dangerous, as its action is due to the irritation it causes in the mucous membrane of the urethra when it is expelled with the urine. Effective dosage is detrimental to kidney function, among other things.
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