Moth butterflies - pests of garden, berry, ornamental crops

Fluttering butterflies fascinate with their lightness, carefree. However, these air creatures are not as harmless as they seem at first glance. The moth is a representative of the large family Geometridae, a malicious pest of trees, shrubs, plants. Some species, under favorable conditions, are capable of mass reproduction, causing serious harm to agriculture and forestry.

Characteristics of moths

The moth moth, which is also a surveyor, is distinguished by a narrow weak body and wide wings, the span of which varies from 1 to 5 cm. On average, it is limited to 3 cm. The color is mostly nondescript and corresponds to the habitat of the insect, providing reliable masking. The peak of flight activity occurs at night.

Interestingly, in most species of moths, females do not fly, since their wings are poorly developed. This fact is often used in the destruction of pests.

Moths have no eyes. They are guided by the perfect nervous system and a special Johnston organ, which analyzes the fluctuations of sound waves and the direction of air flow. Through this body, butterflies evaluate the environment and communicate with each other.
Considering the structure of the insect, the question involuntarily arises of how the moth breathes. On the sides of the butterfly are spiracles. When inhaled, air enters the respiratory tubes and is delivered to all organs through a dense network of branched tracheas.

The oral apparatus of adults is designed in such a way that they can only eat flower nectar of plants. Harder food: leaves, stems, their weak proboscis is not able to gnaw.

What does a moth caterpillar look like

Adult moth does no harm to plantations and even benefits by pollinating flowers. The indirect harm of the butterfly lies in the laying of eggs, from which the gluttonous offspring appears. The moth caterpillar can be distinguished by the following signs:

• the length of the thin body varies in the range of 5-7 cm;
• the abdominal legs characteristic only for this species: on the seventh and ninth segments of the abdomen;
• during movement, the caterpillar bends like a loop in the middle part of the body and moves the abdominal legs to the chest legs, then strengthening, it pulls the body forward, which gives the impression that it measures the ground.

The characteristic movement of the moth caterpillar has much in common with measuring the distance with the fingers (span), which is reflected in the name of the family.

The color of the tracks is different. They disguise themselves as foliage, tree bark. At the moment of danger, a protective posture is taken: the body is pulled out at an angle to the surface on which the abdominal legs are located and held. In this position, the moth caterpillars can be easily mistaken for a dry knot.

The young generation eats, depending on the species at different times of the year: in spring, summer, autumn. They eat buds, buds, stems, plant leaves. Most of them are omnivores and only a few of them limit the diet to one culture.

Malicious species of moths

The moth family has more than 23,000 species. About 2500 live in the CIS. Among them there are many pests that eat vegetative and generative parts of plants, thereby impairing their growth, development, and quality of fruits.

Pine moth

It lives everywhere where there are coniferous trees. The pine moth has the same body structure as all representatives of this family, its color is distinguished:

• males are dark brown in color; on the wings there are small inclusions of white or yellow hue and a large triangle at the base;
• the wings of females are rusty with yellow spots;
• a young green caterpillar with a yellow head; its size does not exceed 3 mm; as it grows older, it acquires a yellow-green color with white longitudinal stripes and grows to 3 cm;
• the green pupa is 12-14 mm long; at the end of the pupation stage it becomes dark brown.

Caterpillars of pine needles feed, in its absence they do not neglect cedar, fir, spruce. In dry summers they begin to multiply actively and can destroy large areas of coniferous stands. Trees after the invasion of pests lose their crown, weaken, dry out and are not of value to the industry.

One pine moth caterpillar eats 3.5 kg of needles.

Mating begins in early summer. The female lays 28-30 eggs in rows, 4-7 pieces in each.

The moth tore off

The moth peeled not very picky in food and with pleasure harms all fruit trees. Rosehip, willow, hazel, blueberry, birch do not bypass their attention. What a gluttonous look looks like:

• male with straw-yellow wings with black dots, span reaches 5 cm, willingly flies into the light; years begins in mid-September;
• females without wings, white body with black spots; while the male flies, crawls into the trees closer to the apex and lays yellow eggs under the kidneys;
• brown or yellow caterpillars emerge from eggs in April and eat around the kidneys, causing damage to orchards.

The female moth peeled is capable of laying from 200 to 800 eggs.

Green moth

The large green moth is quite large in size. The wingspan is 45-50 mm. Freshly pupated butterflies are rich in green with transverse white stripes. As you age, the color of the wings fades.

Inhabits throughout Europe in shrubs and forests. Prefers hazel and birch, but does not neglect other deciduous trees. Young brown caterpillar 25-30 mm long. Winters in the soil, under the bark. In spring, it turns green with brown spots - reminders of the old color.

Tailed moth

Widely distributed in the western part of Eurasia. The tail moth has a distinctive feature - small tails on the hind wings. The young butterfly is yellow-lemon in color, which quickly dims and becomes creamy. Brown caterpillars with characteristic protrusions in the form of cones.

It is rare to see a butterfly moth tailed, due to its short life cycle. The short years begin in late June and end in early July.

Gooseberry moth

It lives everywhere, with the exception of northern latitudes. The gooseberry moth is distinguished by the original coloring of the wings, which varies from white to rich yellow shades. The pattern is variable and most often represents a wavy line on the front wings.

It feeds on the leaves of shrubs. Before pupation, the caterpillar folds a leaf with a tube, fastening it with a cobweb.

Butterflies are active not only at night, but also during the day. Their years are observed throughout the summer period.

Oxfin moth

The butterfly does not differ in large dimensions and colorful coloring. Wingspan 20–25 mm of a nondescript beige color with a scarlet border. The sorrel moth prefers moist areas, feeds on buckwheat plants, sorrel, and highlander.

Two generations appear in a year.Caterpillars of dark violet color, on the back there is a light streak. The color of the pupa is grayish-brown.

Clover moth

Color and shape are very variable, due to the wide range. The background of the wings varies from white to yellow. There are 2 regenerations per year. Clover moths are found mainly in meadow fields.

Flower moth

The flower moth affects barberry, hawthorn, thorns, fruit trees. The color of the front wings of the butterfly is gray, brown in color with brown stripes and dark spots. It hibernates in the pupal stage, from which a light green caterpillar with a red dorsal stripe appears. Gnawing leaves, holes in the flowers.

Flower moths can destroy 25% of the foliage.

How to deal with moths

Measures to control moths are determined by the type of pest and the degree of infection. Mechanical methods are very laborious, but also the safest:

• in the morning hours the caterpillars from the foliage are shaken off on the litter and destroyed;
• in order to prevent egg laying by flightless females in late summer and early autumn, sticky “hunting” belts are applied to the trunks; it can be paper rings, automobile rubber circles, lubricated with non-drying glue, adhesive tape for flies; at the end of November, belts are removed and burned;
• collection and destruction of fallen leaves under plants, leaves entangled in cobwebs, in which moth pupae are located.

Agrotechnical measures for the destruction of moth pupae:

• digging the soil in near-stem circles not only in the autumn period, but also in the summer;
• loosening of the surface layers of the earth until the end of April and from the first decade of September;
• regular removal of moss, dead parts of the bark from the trunks;
• whitewashing of trees with garden mortar in early March and October.

Insecticidal treatment is carried out in the case of a large number of caterpillars in the spring. Spraying is carried out before flowering plants. To destroy pests, solutions of Karbofos, Zologna, Neoksina, Decis, Fitoverm are used.

Moths have biological enemies: rider insects and tahini flies. To attract them, sunflower, clover, decorative onions, and fatselia are planted on garden plots.

Thematic video