Lepus europaeus, O. cuniculus

Brown hare, rabbit

Description

The hare weighs about 2.5 - 6.5 kg. Its natural habitat is country land, an open landscape, especially agriculture fields, meadows, forest edges, where it is very well camouflaged due to its brown color. They rarely are found in dense forests or open grasslands. Fallow crop fields may provide suitable habitat. He is a very good runner, he can run at speeds of up to 40 km / h and in short periods even up to 70 km / h. The hare lives solitary or in small groups.

In fall and winter, they clip twigs and gnaw bark from trees and shrubs, particularly when snow is deep.

The hare damages and consumes the bark, bast, and sapwood of trees by stripping. On the tree\'s trunk at the height of approximately 0.5 meter (above the height of the snow), there are clear traces of gnaws in the bast or sapwood part. A stripping can damage a part of the trunk girth, resulting in the physiological weakening of the damaged tree. In addition, fungal diseases can attack the tree as a secondary pest in the wound place. The availability of further secondary damages increases, and if the tree survives, the trunk quality is permanently reduced. If a bark stripping damages the entire circumference of the trunk, the conductive tissues are interrupted, and the damaged tree dies. In the spring (April - June) - the period of sap flow, the hare also damages the trunk by peeling.

In the case of roe deer bites, the width of the gnawing tracks is 0.7 až 0.9 cm.

Very similar damages are causee also by relative species European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Symptom

Rabbits damage woody plants by gnawing bark or clipping off branches, stems, and buds. Young plants are clipped off up to 50 cm above the height of the snow, and large trees and shrubs may be completely girdled.

Tree Species: Peach, Cherry, Oak, Gooseberries, Pear, Apple Tree, Rowan, Whitebeam, Lime, Apricots, Currant, Rose

Part of a plant- attacked: Tree trunk

Pest significance: Very harmful

Pest Category: Animals

Invasive Species: No