Garden pests: leafworm. Common types and methods of dealing with them

Leafworm is a very large family, all of which are pests of cultivated plants. Only larvae are harmful, and they are so voracious that in a relatively short period they can significantly reduce both quantitative indicators and the quality of the crop.

Characteristic

An adult leaflet is a winged insect (butterfly) with a thick pubescent body. The wingspan usually does not exceed 2.5 cm. The front wings are wide, triangular or in the shape of a trapezoid, the castal edge is curved, the apical angle is pointed, and the hind angle is rounded. On the front wings we clearly distinguish a bright pattern characteristic of each particular species. The wing length is several times the width. In a calm position they are folded pterygoid. There are a pair of eyes and a simple antennae on the head. Some species on the antennae have tufts of bristles.

The greatest activity of leafworm butterflies is observed in the morning and in the evening, however, those insects that live in mountainous regions and northern regions can fly throughout the day. In general, their activity depends on many indicators - this is humidity, and air temperature, and light, and other natural and climatic factors.

On a note! For representatives of most species, artificial light, especially ultraviolet radiation, is very attractive.

Larvae

Leafworm larvae appear in early spring. These are worm-shaped caterpillars with a body length of about 1-2 cm. There are 8 pairs of legs, with the help of which the pest moves rather quickly through the body of the attacked plant and spreads throughout the garden.
The head capsule of the larva carries 12 simple ocelli - 6 on each side. On the lower part of the oral apparatus are mandibles and spinning iron. With the help of the last caterpillar, cocoons are built and folded leaves are folded into tubes, inside of which they subsequently hide. As for nutrition, the larvae of the first and second age prefer mainly buds, buds and upper parts of young shoots. Older parasites are predominantly leaf-eating and at the same time their development occurs in plant lumps and tubes. However, confinement to such a diet is not absolute - depending on the species, insects can change the menu and move from one plant to another within a year.

Pupation can occur in various places: in the cocoon, in the surface layer of the substrate, in the plant litter, directly on the culture where the feeding took place, in the crevices of tree bark, etc.

Development features

Active propagation and successful development of leaf moths is facilitated by certain conditions: increased humidity and air temperature, which is in the range +19 ... 24 ° C. Those insects that live in temperate zones can go to the hibernation at various stages of development: from eggs to adults.All stages overwinter in a state called diapause, and thanks to it, parasites can tolerate a significant decrease in temperature - up to -40 ° C. Usually, the wintering season, like the pupation process, takes place in secluded places: in the soil, under a layer of snow, in the fruits, seeds and stems of plants, under the bark of trees and even in places where the harvest is stored.

Leafworms living in tropical regions can develop continuously. Such species fall into a diapause state only in extreme cases - with a rapid decrease in humidity in the dry season.

Leafworms, who live in the northern regions of the Russian Federation, produce one generation in one growing season. At the same time, the diapause in these insects can be quite noticeably delayed - up to two or three years. Insects that live in central Russia belong to polycyclic species; such in one year can give two generations, and if you move south - three or four generations per year.

Most common types

Modern science knows more than 10 thousand species of leaflets, representatives of which can be divided into pests of berry, fruit and ornamental crops, forests and vines. Consider the description of some leaflets of each type.

1. The rosette leaflet is capable of parasitizing both on ornamental and berry shrubs, and on fruit trees. Insects located in the steppe regions attack mainly stone fruits, in the forest-steppe zone and woodland - pear and apple trees. In a year this parasite gives one generation, hibernates in the egg stage. The rosette leaflet can be recognized by the following characteristics: an adult butterfly has a thin abdomen and a relatively small wingspan of about 1.4-2.2 cm. The front wings are presented in the form of a trapezoid, their color can vary from ocher-yellow to dark brown. The hue of the hind wings is taupe. The larva is no more than 2 cm in size, the body is translucent, its color is variable: from light green to dark olive.
2. The grape leaflet can damage both grapes and some other crops. It is known that this insect can parasitize on deciduous and coniferous trees, as well as on fruit and berry plants. In its diet there are: grapes, juniper, plum, blackberry, aspen, oak, pine, persimmon, mandarin, wild strawberry, eucalyptus, etc. Caterpillars that come out after wintering are harmful. They gnaw at the foliage, skeletonizing it and entangling it with cobwebs. Sometimes larvae also damage young shoots and petioles. In one year, this insect can give two generations. Winters at the caterpillar stage of the first age. The wings of a butterfly of a grape leaflet have a buffy-yellow or golden-green color and a grayish-brown pattern composed of spots. Sometimes spots may be fuzzy or completely absent. The larva is about 1.8-2.2 cm long. The upper part of the body of the caterpillar of the grape leaflet is painted dirty green, the lower part is usually lighter.
3. The grapevine leaflet is another very dangerous enemy of vineyards, which is also able to successfully develop in other crops, for example, raspberries, hawthorn, buckthorn, currants, etc. This pest infects fruits, flowers, and ovaries. It reproduces very actively and in one year can produce three, sometimes four generations. A small cluster butterfly is small with a wingspan of no more than 1.5 cm. The main color of the front wings is brown-brown or brown-olive, pattern: lead-gray strokes, bandages and ocher-yellow spots. The hind wings are gray. The body length of the larva does not exceed 1.2 cm. Its integument is yellow or olive green with a grayish tint.
   

   Important! If you do not take timely steps to protect the vineyards, you can lose about 45% of the crop, and with a large number of colonies of the parasite and all 100%!

4. Hawthorn leafworm harms foliage of stone fruit, fruit and forest trees.It damages hawthorn, mountain ash, apple, cherry, pear, plum, blackthorn, linden, hazel, ash, etc. It gives one generation a year and hibernates in the egg phase. An adult is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of up to 2.7 cm. The front wings are painted in gray-brown. The dark brown pattern consists of spots and a bandage. Hind wings monochromatic - brownish-gray. The caterpillar has dark gray or greenish-black integuments. The body length of the larva is about 2-2.3 cm.
5. Spruce leaflet develops on all types of spruce. The adult butterfly is small - the wingspan usually does not exceed 1.6 cm. On the front wings, painted in gray-brown color, there is a pattern consisting of strips of lead shade. Hind wings are painted in gray-brown color, have a light fringe. On the abdomen, clearly visible light stripes. The caterpillar has a yellowish-white body and a light brown head. Damages cones and eats seeds that are inside them. The development of one generation of this type of insect takes from one to two years. A spruce leaflet overwinters at the caterpillar stage in damaged cones.
   

   On a note! With a large number of insects, the number of damaged cones reaches 80%. As a result of parasitism of the leafworm, their appearance does not change, but such cones give insignificant germination!

6. The green oak leaflet is a leaf-eating parasite that damages oak. The pest can be recognized by the following signs: the wingspan is from 1.8 to 2.3 cm, the color of the front ones is bright green with a thin yellow stripe, the rear ones are painted gray. The length of the body of the caterpillar does not exceed 2 cm, the color of the integument is pale green or gray-green. It is active in the spring, due to which around the last decade of June, the eaten leaves have time to recover, but at the same time lose their resistance to powdery mildew, and therefore are often damaged by it. Shoots suffer more: they do not have time to get lignified by winter and are exposed to frostbite.
7. The fruit leaflet harms woody and shrubby plants that are pink. These include: cherry, apple, hawthorn, pear, mountain ash, cherry plum, apricot, etc. The butterfly of the fruit leaf moth is relatively small - the wingspan does not exceed 1.7-2.3 cm. The color of the front wings is brown-brown or dark gray, on the inner edge are small white spots. The size of the caterpillar is about 1.8-2 cm, the covers are painted in dark green or gray-green.

Biological insecticide control of the parasite

Biologically active agents are capable of destroying the leaflet, the advantage of which over powerful chemicals is that they can be used at any stage of plant development. They are absolutely safe for insects that take part in pollination, and do not accumulate in the soil, in the fruits, or in the body of the plant itself. Thus, processing with these drugs is possible both during flowering and immediately before harvest.

Quite good results in the fight against caterpillars of the leaflet on fruit trees and berry bushes show such means as:

• "Lepidocide";
• "Bitoxibacillin";
• "Dendrobacillin."

Chemical gardening

Chemical measures against leafworm are considered the most effective. However, when working with them, it is important to strictly follow the instructions in the instructions and change the drug from time to time, as the pest may develop resistance. In addition, such processing is recommended in cases where there are many parasites - more than five caterpillars on one branch.

So, in this case, two types of insecticides can be used: contact and systemic. The former are less toxic, but do not always give the expected result. The second ones are more aggressive, but their effectiveness is many times higher, even if there are a lot of pests.

With a slight infection of the garden against the leafworm, the following drugs are usually used:

• "Alatar";
• "Fufanon";
• Karbofos;
• "Dursban";
• "Atom";
• Ditox
• "Actellicus."

If the infection is total in nature, then in this case you can not do without the help of synthetic pyrethroids and powerful insecticides:

• Aivengo;
• "Chord";
• Kinmix
• Inta-Vir;
• Alfacin;
• Fastak
• Fury
• "Rovikurt";
• "Fatrin."

Important! Pyrethroid drugs are used at a temperature not exceeding + 23 ° C. At higher thermometer values, these tools do not work. And it is advisable to use them only as a last resort, when other measures have been ineffective!

If we talk about methods of combating a bunch of grape leaves, then treatment from this type of pest should begin in February. At the end of winter, shoots and supports must be moistened with plenty of working solution of Nitrafen. The second treatment is carried out during the growing season using one of the above preparations, and the third - no later than 30 days before harvest. Biological it will be an insecticide or a chemical - you decide, here it is advisable to proceed from the intensity of infection.

Folk recipes

If there are few pests in the garden, then in such a situation it is quite possible to get by with folk recipes. Such products are suitable for processing berry bushes and fruit trees. For example, the struggle with the currant leaflet is often based on the use of plant decoctions and infusions - the basis here can be wormwood, garlic, onions, tomato and potato tops.

• A decoction of wormwood. We fill a half volume bucket with freshly collected grass and pour to the top of the water. We leave everything for two days, after which we set it on fire and bring to a boil. With a minimum gas supply, cook everything for about half an hour, let cool at room temperature and filter. We add more water to the ready-made broth to make 20 liters, and use it for spraying.
• Decoction of tomato tops. Rhizomes and tops of tomato in an amount of 2 kg are poured with five liters of water and left for 3 hours. After the specified time, bring the infusion to a boil and cook on low heat for half an hour. Let it cool, filter, carefully squeezing the tops and rhizomes, before processing, we dilute the finished product in half with water and add 40 g of soap to each bucket of the preparation.
  

  On a note! Concentrated broth of tomato tops can be stored in tightly corked bottles throughout the year, but only in the storage place must be cool!

• The infusion of tobacco. A pound of shag, pour ten liters of boiling water and leave for two days. Filter through a fine sieve, squeeze out the tobacco well and increase the volume of the drug by adding the same amount of water. For every 10 liters, add 40 g of laundry soap. This infusion helps to deal with the leaflet, both on berry bushes and on the apple tree, pear, cherry plum and other fruit trees.
  

  Important! Tobacco infusion is poisonous, therefore, when working with it, personal protective equipment should be used!

• Infusion of potato tops. Fresh potato tops in the amount of four kilograms are poured with a bucket of water and left for 3-3.5 hours. After the specified time, we filter the product, squeeze the raw materials and add 45 g of chopped soap. We use a ready-made tool for processing the garden from the leaflet.

All of the above folk remedies are very effective against voracious larvae, if you use them several times a season. It is important to spray infected plants before the flowering period and immediately after this phase.

In the fight against butterflies, leafworms usually use liquid traps based on a solution of honey, bread kvass or jam. The selected filling is poured into liter jars or plastic bottles cut into two parts, filled by ¼, and hang them on the trees.

If the leaflet wound up on an apple tree, then at the beginning of the season it is better to carry out processing with chemical insecticides. Folk recipes in this case are useful only during fruiting.In this case, chemicals must be used three times: the first time at the very beginning of the season, the second - before flowering and immediately after its completion the third.

In parallel, it is desirable to manually remove folded leaves, inside which the caterpillars of the apple leaflet settled. In summer, it is recommended to treat with pyrethroids not only foliage, but also the soil in the peri-trunk zone. And when the fruits begin to pour, the chemical treatment is stopped and they resort to biological preparations and folk recipes.

Try not to lose sight of the moment the leaflet appeared in your garden and immediately take care of its destruction. Timely measures taken will prevent the spread of the pest throughout the territory of your personal plot and will allow you to save the crop in full.