Who is the hawthorn? Description of the pest and methods for its destruction in the area

Hawthorn gives gardeners a lot of trouble. Its caterpillars eat leaves and buds of fruit crops. Despite its name, this butterfly harms apples and pears a lot: damage will inevitably lead to a decrease in the number of crops. Avoiding this will help the application of methods to combat this pest.

Insect description

Butterfly hawthorn is a rather large insect. Its wingspan often reaches 65 mm. They are painted white and black, and dark veins are clearly visible on the surface. The peculiarity of this species lies in the uneven arrangement of scales on the wings: the closer to the edge, the smaller their number, so visually it seems that the color is slightly worn out and as it were shaded. In hawthorn females are always larger than males.

The adult caterpillar of the hawthorn has abundant pubescence. It can be recognized by a pair of orange stripes and three black stripes located along the back. The sides and abdomen are less noticeable: gray. The length of the caterpillar before pupation is approximately 4.5 cm.

The hawthorn cannot be called exacting to the place for turning into a chrysalis: sometimes the caterpillar is climbed to the man’s buildings located near trees, or fences; but more often prefers branches and trunks of apple trees, pears, bird cherry, hawthorn, honeysuckle. The pupa itself has an angular shape, reaching a length of 2 cm. It is painted in various shades of gray, and there are black spots on its surface. The pupa is securely attached to the branches and trunks of fruit trees using special sticky threads in the form of a spider web.

Butterfly hawthorns have a wide habitat, living in Eurasia and North America. Especially often they can be found in the forest-steppe regions and in the northern part of the steppe zones.

Life of the hawthorn

Hawthorn needs moisture. Therefore, butterflies prefer to stay close to natural or artificial ponds, wetlands, water meadows. Hawthorn leads a daytime lifestyle, flying in the daytime from flower to flower and eating their nutritious nectar. Well-developed wings help her easily overcome long distances, and therefore adult individuals often move away from their birthplace.

Scientific studies have shown that if more than 70 mm of precipitation falls in June and July, then the number of hawthorn butterflies increases markedly.

The hawthorn experiences winter in the form of a caterpillar of the second or third age. To do this, she creates a special shelter in the form of a nest, folded from the leaves of a tree. They are interconnected by a sticky cobweb. Such nests hang, attached to thin branches. They are clearly visible after the leaves have fallen, which is what gardeners use for destruction.

In each nest sits 10–70 caterpillars, additionally insulated with a white cocoon. In early spring, when the buds begin to bloom in the trees, the caterpillars of the hawthorn come out and begin to feed on young greenery. At first, the individuals try to stick together, but then they crawl apart. Next comes the time of pupation and transformation into an imago.

What harm does she do?

Hawthorn is a garden pest. She prefers to choose plants belonging to the Rosaceae family (or Rosaceae) to feed her caterpillars. And it includes many fruit crops: apple tree, pear, plum, cherry. Even grapevines, walnut trees, and blueberries are at risk.

The loss of leaves leads to the fact that the amount of nutrients in the trees is reduced by 15% due to the tracks of the butterfly hawthorn.

Caterpillars eat not only young leaves, but also buds and buds of plants, which causes irreparable harm to them. The yield is reduced, and the resistance of the trees themselves to frost and disease is getting worse. If the summer is wet, then the hawthorn begins active reproduction, and its caterpillars are able to make the plant completely naked.

Ways to fight

The fight against hawthorn is the right solution for a gardener who cares about the health of his fruit trees. In time to find out about the presence of the enemy on the site, you need to inspect the landing.

If nests were found, then they need to be assembled - by hand or using a stick, knocking to the ground. After that, they should be burned immediately so that the caterpillars do not have time to crawl around the site. They can also be collected from branches and leaves with subsequent destruction. When the caterpillars sit too high, a film is laid on the ground under the tree, on which the pests are shaken.

Chemicals

Chemical measures to combat hawthorn - the most effective way, yielding results in a short time. But do not forget about safety: many insecticides are toxic to future fruits. Therefore, before starting use, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the instructions for the drug, and accurately follow all points; including dosage and treatment time.

The first treatment, which can also be done for prevention, is carried out in the early spring after the snow melts. An effective and simple remedy: a solution of copper sulfate and urea. It not only relieves planting of overwintered pests, but also prevents the appearance of pests in trees. You can prepare the solution as follows:

1. Dilute 500 g of urea in 5 l of water.
2. Mix the solution well.
3. Pour 100 g of copper sulfate.
4. Add another 5 liters of water so that the total volume becomes 10 liters.
5. Spray the crowns of trees and the ground under them with the resulting fluid.

Also in the period before flowering and after it can be used:

• "Altar";
• "Chord";
• "Herald";
• Kinmix
• Inta-Vir;
• "Thiophos";
• "Metaphos";
• "DDT".

To take poisonous chemicals should be with a large infection of the site with hawthorns. It is possible to determine that the time has come for “heavy artillery” by the number of nests in spring (more than 4) and the degree of damage to trees in summer (from 10% of leaves).

Biological

Today biological products for agricultural pest control are gaining popularity. Organisms of microscopic sizes are present in them: bacteria, viruses or fungi. Also, the biological method is to plant on the site certain types of insects that destroy the pest.

Against hawthorn, drugs such as Actofir and Bitoxibacillin will help. They affect the intestines of butterflies, and after 4-7 days, insects die on the treated area. Use such funds repeatedly and at any time, because they are safe for plants.

Folk remedy

Many gardeners do not risk using chemicals, preferring folk remedies. Their use is also advisable when the number of tracks does not pose a serious threat to planting. Well established infusion of onions, garlic and shag (tobacco leaves). It’s easy to cook it:

1. Each of the ingredients (chopped garlic, onion husks, chopped leaves) take 200 g and mix.
2. Pour the resulting mixture with 5 l of boiling water.
3. Leave to infuse for 90 minutes (1.5 hours).
4. For spraying, dilute in 15 liters of water and add 300 ml of liquid soap to keep the composition on the trees longer.

Pungent odors scare away caterpillars and butterflies.

Agrotechnical measures and prevention

Birds are the natural enemies of hawthorn butterflies and their larvae. Therefore, an effective way to fight is to attract them to the site. So, you need to make several birdhouses and hang them in the garden. Regular inspection of trees, as well as feeding plantings with organic and mineral fertilizers will help you escape from hawthorn;

Combating hawthorn will require effort and attention. It lasts throughout the growing season: you just need to know at what time this or that procedure is appropriate. One manual collection of tracks will not be enough: the use of folk or biological agents will also be required. When they do not produce results or the defeat has acquired tremendous proportions, chemical insecticides should be used.