Some Biophenological Characteristics of Blossom Feeder Epicometis hirta (Poda, 1761) in Sheki-Zagatala Zone

Coleoptera occupies a special place in the class of insects that annually cause great damage to agricultural plants. Of particular agricultural importance among these pests is the shaggy bronze, belonging to the family of Scarabaeidae. The damage caused by this pest to the stone fruit trees of the Sheki-Zagatala zone, the dynamics of development in horticulture, periods of activity in agrocenoses and phenological calendars have not been studied in detail. The article reflects the results of research on the ecology of the shaggy bronze. The study of bioecological and phenological characteristics of stone fruit pests in the Sheki-Zagatala zone was carried out on stationary fields in 2017–2021. The material was collected in agrocenoses and biocenoses during the year. The collection and identification of species, the conduct of experiments, and the mathematical processing of the results were carried out by methods generally accepted in entomology. As a result, it was established that the shaggy bronze develops in one generation in the Sheki-Zagatala zone. Pests go into diapause during the pupation period. Although the seasonal dynamics of the flight of the shaggy bronze is a curve with one peak, the daily dynamics of flight is a curve with two peaks. In spring, there is a one-peak curve, and in summer, a two-peak curve, depending on the weather temperature. The results of the research can be taken into account in the development of integrated pest control measures.