Lilac hawk moth butterfly and caterpillar. Lilac hawk. Breeding hawks at home

hawks (Sphingidae). Listed in the Red Book of the Smolensk region.

Large butterfly, wingspan 90-120 mm. Unlike most hawks, at rest it keeps its wings extended along the body. Inhabits forest edges, bushes, parks and gardens.

The flight of butterflies is in June-July, butterflies have one generation. In the south of the range it gives two generations: I - April-June, II - July-August. The flight is fast. It has a well-developed proboscis, the length of which is approximately equal to the length of the butterfly's body. At dusk, it sucks nectar from flowers without landing on them. It flies well at night.

The caterpillar reaches up to 100 mm in length and 30 mm in thickness, develops from July to September. It feeds on lilac, privet, ash, spirea, viburnum, honeysuckle, currant, apple tree, meadowsweet, pear, cherry, elderberry, raspberry, jasmine, mountain ash, common volzhanka, snowberry, barberry.

The pupa is brown, large, with a long cover for the proboscis - the cover of the proboscis is spaced. The pupa hibernates in the soil. Some pupae winter twice.

It is found in Western Europe, Asia Minor, Mongolia, Northern China, and Japan. In the CIS, the range is the European part, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, South Siberia, the south of the Far East.

Sources

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An excerpt characterizing the lilac hawk

“Look, she taught me cleverly, follow her to the fortress!” Ruin the houses and into bondage and go. How! I'll give you bread! voices were heard in the crowd.
Princess Mary, lowering her head, left the circle and went into the house. Having repeated the order to Dron that there should be horses for departure tomorrow, she went to her room and was left alone with her thoughts.

For a long time that night Princess Marya sat at the open window in her room, listening to the sounds of peasants talking from the village, but she did not think about them. She felt that no matter how much she thought about them, she could not understand them. She kept thinking about one thing - about her grief, which now, after the break made by worries about the present, has already become past for her. She could now remember, she could cry and she could pray. As the sun went down, the wind died down. The night was calm and cool. At twelve o'clock the voices began to subside, a rooster crowed, the full moon began to emerge from behind the linden trees, a fresh, white dew mist rose, and silence reigned over the village and over the house.
One after another, she imagined pictures of the close past - illness and the last moments of her father. And with sad joy she now dwelled on these images, driving away from herself with horror only one last idea of ​​​​his death, which - she felt - she was unable to contemplate even in her imagination at this quiet and mysterious hour of the night. And these pictures appeared to her with such clarity and in such detail that they seemed to her either reality, or the past, or the future.
Then she vividly imagined the moment when he had a stroke and he was being dragged from the garden in the Bald Mountains by the arms and he was muttering something in an impotent tongue, twitching his gray eyebrows and looking restlessly and timidly at her.
“He wanted to tell me even then what he told me on the day of his death,” she thought. “He always thought what he said to me.” And now she remembered with all the details that night in the Bald Mountains on the eve of the blow that happened to him, when Princess Mary, anticipating trouble, stayed with him against his will. She did not sleep and went downstairs on tiptoe at night and, going to the door to the flower room, where her father spent the night that night, she listened to his voice. He was saying something to Tikhon in an exhausted, tired voice. He seemed to want to talk. "Why didn't he call me? Why didn't he allow me to be here in Tikhon's place? thought then and now Princess Marya. - He will never tell anyone now all that was in his soul. This moment will never return for him and for me when he would say everything that he wanted to express, and I, and not Tikhon, would listen and understand him. Why didn't I come into the room then? she thought. “Perhaps he would have told me then what he said on the day of his death. Even then, in a conversation with Tikhon, he asked twice about me. He wanted to see me, and I was standing there, outside the door. He was sad, it was hard to talk with Tikhon, who did not understand him. I remember how he spoke to him about Liza, as if alive - he forgot that she was dead, and Tikhon reminded him that she was no longer there, and he shouted: "Fool." It was hard for him. I heard from behind the door how, groaning, he lay down on the bed and shouted loudly: “My God! Why didn’t I go up then? What would he do to me? What would I lose? Or maybe then he would have consoled himself, he would have said this word to me. And Princess Marya uttered aloud that affectionate word that he had spoken to her on the day of his death. “Dude she nka! - Princess Marya repeated this word and sobbed tears that relieved her soul. She saw his face in front of her now. And not the face she had known since she could remember, and which she had always seen from afar; and that face - timid and weak, which on the last day, bending down to his mouth in order to hear what he was saying, for the first time examined closely with all its wrinkles and details.

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chrysalis scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animals
Type:	arthropods
Class:	Insects
Squad:	Lepidoptera
Family:	hawks
Subfamily:	Sphinx
Genus:	sphinxes
View:	Lilac hawk

Latin name Sphinx ligustri
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Large butterfly, wingspan 90-120 mm. Unlike most hawks, at rest it keeps its wings extended along the body. Inhabits forest edges, bushes, parks and gardens. The flight of butterflies is in June-July, butterflies have one generation. In the south of the range it gives two generations: I - April-June, II - July-August. The flight is fast. It has a well-developed proboscis, the length of which is approximately equal to the length of the butterfly's body. At dusk, it sucks nectar from flowers without landing on them. It flies well at night. The caterpillar reaches up to 100 mm in length and 30 mm in thickness, develops from July to September. It feeds on lilac, privet, ash, spirea, viburnum, honeysuckle, currant, apple tree, meadowsweet, pear, cherry, elderberry, raspberry, jasmine, mountain ash, common volzhanka, snowberry, barberry. The pupa is brown, large, with a long cover for the proboscis - the cover of the proboscis is spaced. The pupa hibernates in the soil. Some pupae winter twice. It is found in Western Europe, Asia Minor, Mongolia, Northern China, and Japan. In the CIS, the range is the European part, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, South Siberia, the south of the Far East. Sources Write a review on the article "Lilac hawk" Links (unavailable link - ) An excerpt characterizing the lilac hawk “They, the radiant ones, are the “feet of the Lord,” pointing to the marvelous flowers, the Elder shook his head. Since then, the legend of the Flowers of the Lord has gone on. They say they always grow near the mansions of God to show the way to those who come... Thinking, I did not notice that I was looking around ... and literally immediately woke up! .. My amazing miracle flowers grew only around a narrow, dark gap that gaped in the rock, like an almost invisible, "natural" entrance!!! Suddenly aggravated flair, led me exactly there ... No one was in sight, no one came out. Feeling uncomfortable, coming uninvited, I nevertheless decided to try and went to the gap. Again, nothing happened... There was no special protection or any other surprises. Everything remained majestic and calm, as from the beginning of time ... And who was there to defend against? Only from the same gifted as the owners themselves were?.. I suddenly shuddered - but could another such “Karaffa” appear, which would be gifted to some extent, and just as easy to “find” them ?! .. I cautiously entered the cave. But nothing unusual happened here either, except that the air became somehow very soft and “joyful” - it smelled of spring and herbs, as if I was in a lush forest clearing, and not inside a bare stone rock ... Having walked a few meters, I I suddenly realized that it was getting brighter, although, it would seem, it should have been the other way around. The light streamed from somewhere above, spraying down here in a very soft "sunset" lighting. A strange, soothing melody sounded quietly and unobtrusively in my head - I had never heard anything like it before ... An unusual combination of sounds made the world around me light and joyful. And safe... It was very quiet and very comfortable in the strange cave... The only thing that was a little alarming was the growing feeling of someone else's observation. But it wasn't unpleasant. Just - a caring look of a parent for an unintelligent baby ... The corridor along which I was walking began to expand, turning into a huge high stone hall, along the edges of which there were simple stone seats, similar to long benches, carved by someone right into the rock. And in the middle of this strange hall stood a stone pedestal, on which a huge diamond crystal “burned” with all the colors of the rainbow ... It sparkled and shimmered, blinding with multi-colored flashes, and looked like a small sun, for some reason suddenly hidden by someone in a stone cave .

The lilac hawk moth is a very large butterfly, the size of which varies between 45-55 mm. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. The habitat of the Lilac Hawk Moth is all of Europe up to 62 ° north latitude.

Many people call the Lilac hawk butterfly a bird - a hummingbird because of its size and long proboscis, with which the hawk moth sucks juice from plants. The head and abdomen of a butterfly are gray-green in color. The mustache is white. The hind wings are pink with a white band.

What is dangerous

A distinctive feature of the Lilac hawk moth is a characteristic "marble" pattern on the front wings. The color of the pattern of the front wings may be different. Wingspan - from 90 and up to 120 mm. Unlike most, the Lilac hawk stretches its wings along the body during the rest period.

The caterpillar is especially large in size. Can reach 11 cm in length. A characteristic feature of the Lilac hawk caterpillar is a dense outgrowth in the form of a horn on the back of the body. For the development and nutrition of the hawk caterpillar, lilacs, viburnum, meadowsweet, ash, currants and grapes are chosen. Rarely other plants.

Lilac hawk-moth lays its eggs on the underside of leaves, in the area of ​​veins. The time of development of larvae is July-September months. Butterfly gives one generation.

Wintering

The pupae of the Lilac hawk hawk hibernate in the soil. They are buried in the soil by about 20-50 cm.

Spreading

The global range of Lilac hawk hawk is multi-regional, covering almost all of eastern, northern, southern and western (with the exception of some regions of Great Britain) Europe.

As for the regions of Russia, the Lilac hawk hawk is observed in the Kaliningrad, Middle Urals, West Caucasus, Lower Volga, Middle Amur, Kuril, Primorsky and many other regions. At the same time, the regional population is constantly growing due to migrants.

fodder plants

Kalina, lilac, privet, meadowsweet, grapes, currants and others. As a result, plants lose their decorative effect, growth slows down, flowering becomes scarce with large-scale damage.

How to fight

The fight against Lilac Hawk Moth involves an integrated approach. Thanks to this approach, plant protection will be maximum. There are a variety of methods of struggle, ranging from chemicals to mechanical cleaning from diseased individuals to maintain healthy parts of the plant in a normal state. However, first of all, it is important to remember that the main mechanisms for combating Lilac hawkweed are the mechanisms inherent in the plant itself. It is very difficult for a tree to “defend” if it is weakened.

Strengthening the immunity of the plant itself

The most effective protection not only from the Lilac hawk moth, but also from all other pests. Even a plant damaged by the Lilac hawk caterpillar quickly recovers, retains its strength and fertility.

To enhance the immunity of the tree, organic soil, plant stimulants and beneficial microbes will serve.

chemical fight

Includes treatment of plants with various preparations. This method has many "opponents", but it always remains popular.

Agricultural measures

The most secure. Includes a wide variety of techniques. If everything is very clear with chemicals, then it is worth understanding agrotechnical measures by studying them in more detail.

So, the main directions of the fight against Lilac hawkweed are:

Correct crop rotation

Understanding Pest Biology

The correct alternation of crops means that it is forbidden to plant viburnum and lilac nearby. Spatial isolation of each of these cultures from each other, as well as from other sources of infection, is necessary.

The correct alternation of "noble" grasses and weeds also plays a significant role. You don't have to kill all the weeds. Their optimal amount contributes to the reduction of a wide variety of pests, including the Lilac hawk moth. These are distracting plants that make it difficult for the pest to search. Do not be skeptical about this. This statement is confirmed by multiple scientific studies and experiments.

Knowledge of pest biology

Allows you to outsmart him and keep him out of the plant. Entomophagous insects, trapping ditches and other tricks are the result of knowledge of pest biology.

Creating a Diverse Ecosystem

This is the use of the healing effects of various plants and their mutual influence, as well as the promotion of the reproduction of natural enemies of the pest. Therefore, monoculture should be excluded. The richer the ecosystem, the more stable it is. Next to the lilac or viburnum suffering from Lilac hawkweed, it is recommended to plant dynamic, repellent or depressing plants. They support and strengthen the general tone, create a favorable atmosphere and protect the trees.

Universal "defenders" are chamomile, valerian, yarrow, etc.

"Repellers" are garlic, beans, parsley and all labial and strong-smelling plants. It is recommended to plant them under lilac and viburnum to protect against Lilac hawkweed.

Important: the exceptions are plants such as bitter wormwood and fennel. They oppress not only pests, but also all neighboring plants. It is better to plant them in the farthest corner of the site.

The only insect monument in the world is located in Australia. It was erected in honor of the caterpillar of the cactus moth, which destroyed the lush thickets of the moth that annoyed the shepherds.

Of the 150 thousand species of Lepidoptera, less than 1% are considered pests. Most of them never appear in the garden. However, this small percentage of "remaining" brings a lot of anxiety to the owners of garden plots.

Until 1930, the Lilac hawk hawk was a fairly common species, but gradually began to disappear. Now the Lilac hawk moth is under protection in some regions. It is included in the Red Book of the Republic of Mari El, Tatarstan and the Smolensk region. In addition to Lilac, three more species of hawk moths are protected in these regions.

Lilac hawk(Sphinx ligustri) is a butterfly from the hawk hawk family (Sphingidae).

Large butterfly, wingspan 90 - 110 mm. It has a well developed proboscis. It flies well at night.

Gives two generations: I - April-June, II - July-August. Some pupae winter twice. The pupa has a proboscis sheath that is spaced apart.

The caterpillar feeds on lilac, privet, ash, viburnum, honeysuckle, currant, apple, meadowsweet.

It is found in Western Europe, Asia Minor, Mongolia, Northern China, and Japan. In the CIS, the range is the European part, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, the Far East.

Facts

Listed in the Red Book of the Smolensk region

Bibliography:

Striganova B. R., Zakharov A. A. Five-language Dictionary of Animal Names: Insects (Latin-Russian-English-German-French) / Ed. Dr. Biol. sciences, prof. B. R. Striganova. - M.: RUSSO, 2000. - S. 233. - 1060 copies. - ISBN 5-88721-162-8

Source: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk_lilac

The hawk moth is a butterfly that belongs to the type arthropods, the class insects, the order Lepidoptera, the silkworm superfamily, the hawk moth family, or sphinxes (lat. Sphingidae). Common names: "northern hummingbird" or "butterfly hummingbird".

The meaning of the word, or why the butterfly was called a hawk moth

Hawk hawk is so heavy that not every flower can withstand its weight. Therefore, he does not sit on the corolla, but lowers his long proboscis into the nectary and sucks out the fragrant liquid in flight. Flying from one feeder to another, the hawk hawk becomes heavier and sways from side to side, like a drunken one. Those who get drunk are commonly called hawkers. For this similarity, the butterfly got its name.

Name "Sphinxes" ( Sphingidae) was assigned to this family by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, probably because the disturbed hawk caterpillar bends the front of the body, becoming like a sphinx. Perhaps the famous taxonomist reflected in the title that the life of almost all hawks is hidden from outside observers.

Voracious fast-growing larva of tobacco hawk moth (lat. Manduca sexta) is poisonous, it eats nicotine-rich tobacco leaves and the toxin accumulates in its body. To scare away birds, this caterpillar butts, spits, bites and makes threatening sounds in addition to its warning coloration.

The larva of the bindweed hawk (lat. Agrius convolvuli) 12.5 cm long lives on a field bindweed. Despite the fact that she hides during the day, she is easy to spot by the large droppings left on the plant.

Caterpillar of the North American hawk moth (lat. Erinyis allo) eats the leaves of milkweed, which the locals called the "malicious woman." The plant is nicknamed for its defense against leaf-eating insects. He, like nettles, has stinging cells on his body that dig into the skin of enemies and cause them pain. But the hawk caterpillar has adapted to this peculiarity of milkweed. She taps the leaves softly before eating. So it provokes the release of burning cells and makes the leaves safe.

The dead head hawk steals honey from bees in hives and, the strangest thing, often leaves alive and well fed. The quiet creaking sounds made by the butterfly, reminiscent of the dialect of the uterus, hypnotize the bee swarm. The dense pubescence of the calf also saves her from a bite. She does not eat a lot of honey, so she does not harm the hive. Caterpillars of this hawkweed develop on Datura, potatoes, euonymus, raspberries, jasmine and tomatoes.

The hawk pupa is 45 mm long, light brown, with dark speckles and transverse stripes. Since mid-August, she lies on the ground in a dense cocoon. The wintering of the wine hawk often ends in its death due to the fact that the pupa is located on the surface, and not in the ground.

The wingspan of an adult is 60-70 mm. The upper wings are olive green with a wide purple-pink stripe on the outer edge and two pink slanting bands on the surface. The lower wings are pink with a black base. The upper body is olive green. Back with longitudinal pink lines. Wine hawks fly at dusk. The wine hawk visits the honeysuckle, feeds on the nectar of its flowers.

• Tobacco hawk (lat. Manduca sexta) lives in the tropical regions of the New World (America), in the temperate zone to Massachusetts in the USA, as well as in Jamaica, the Antilles and Galapagos Islands. In the tropics, 3-4 generations of tobacco hawk hawk are replaced during the year, in the temperate zone - only 2.

The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of plants of the nightshade family: potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. It pupates in the ground at a depth of 10-15 cm.

The brown pupa, 4-6 cm long, has an elongated shape with a clear maxillary loop.

The wingspan of the adult reaches 100 mm. The antennae of the tobacco hawk moth are long. Red or yellow squares are noticeable on the abdomen.

• Hawk hawk (lat.Smerinthus ocellatus ) - a butterfly that inhabits Europe, Asia and North Africa. Active at dusk and at night. Settles in deciduous and mixed forests, gardens and parks. Hawk hawk caterpillars develop on linden, alder, maple, lilac, birch, willow, poplar, blackthorn, pear, apple and plum.

Eggs 1.5 mm in diameter, shiny, greenish-gray, round. They are found on the underside of the leaves singly or in groups of 10 pieces.

The green or greenish-blue caterpillar with a yellow tint reaches a size of 70-75 mm. It is dotted with white slanted stripes and dots. The spiracles are enclosed in red rings. Pupation takes place at the end of July.

Pupae 40 mm long are located in the ground at a depth of 3 cm.

Butterflies with a wingspan of 60-75 mm are almost invisible during the rest. They defend themselves from attack by opening the eye pattern of the lower wings. The upper wings are ash-gray with red-violet edging and with a pattern of wavy lines and dark strokes. In the butterfly stage, the hawk hawk moth does not feed.

• Poplar hawk (lat.laothoe populi ) found in the temperate zone of Asia and Western Europe. During the year, 2 generations of these insects are replaced.

The butterfly places round and green eggs singly or in groups of 5-6 pcs. on willow, poplar, aspen, ash and linden.

Larvae 60-75 mm long are completely green or with a lilac tint, with a sharp and straight “horn”. On the sides of the body of the caterpillars there is a pattern of yellow inclined stripes and dots of white and yellow. The pattern is often complemented by several rows of round red spots.

Brown pupae with a black coating up to 40 mm long are in the soil at a depth of 5 cm. There the transformation takes place, that is, the transformation into a butterfly.

The imago wingspan is 65-100 mm. Adult butterflies are active at dusk and at night. Their upper wings are cream or gray with a red or yellow tinge. They are “applied” with a pattern of dark stripes and winding lines. There is a long notch on the lower edge of the wings. The lower wings are overgrown with red hairs over the entire plane, and their edge is provided with notches.

• Lime hawk (lat.Mimas tiliae ) - a resident of Transcaucasia and Asia Minor, Europe and Western Siberia, Northern Iran and Kazakhstan. It prefers to settle in floodplain meadows, in mixed and deciduous forests.

Eggs 1.5 mm in diameter, rounded flattened, greenish-gray in color.

The color of the caterpillars can combine different colors. Hawk hawk larvae are green with light sloping lines on the sides and a yellow smear on the last segment of the body. The cuticle of the caterpillar has a granular structure, and the rims of the spiracles are colored red. The "horn" is more often blue, less often green, with a roughly granular anal shield at the base. The length of the larva is 50-60 mm; it feeds on linden, birch, alder, oak, and aspen.

A dark brown chrysalis 30-35 mm in size develops in moss or in the ground, starting in August. There are 2 spines on the top of the pupal capsule.

Metamorphosis and active life of butterflies begins in June, departure continues until July. The distance between the edges of the open wings of the adult is 60-75 mm. At this stage, the lime hawk hawk does not feed. The masking wings of the butterfly are reddish or yellow with a wide green border, a dark stripe and a protrusion along the outer edge. Frightening wings are yellow-brown with a darkening along the edge. There are varieties of hawk hawk with brown-pink wings.

• common tongue, or big hobo stellate (lat.Macroglossum stellatarum ) - a butterfly of the hawk family. Lives in North Africa, in the temperate zone of the Far East, Siberia and Europe, in Japan, Asia Minor and Central Asia. It rarely occurs in the forest belt: here you can see only individual vagrants.

The female lays round, pale green eggs.

The larva, 45 cm in size, feeds on the greens of the bedstraw and madder. She is pale green, and her sides are decorated with yellow spots and white lines.

Light brown pupae of this species of hawk hawk lie on the surface of the soil. Dark spots are visible on the sides in places corresponding to the wings and around the spiracles of the pupa.

Butterflies with a wingspan of 40-45 mm appear at the end of June and continue to fly out until autumn. These hawks are active during the day, often drinking phlox nectar. There are 2 sinuous stripes on their front brown or gray wings. The hind wings are orange or yellow, with a border along the outer edge. Body with white dots on the sides, gray on top.

• bumblebee honeysuckle, or honeysuckle hawk (lat.Hemaris fuciformis ) - a butterfly common in the temperate zone of the Far East, Siberia, Europe, with the exception of Ireland and Scotland. It is common in North Africa, Kazakhstan, in Central and Asia Minor, in the Caucasus.

Round, greenish-gray and shiny bumblebee eggs have a diameter of 1 mm.

Caterpillars 40-45 mm long are green above and on the sides, brown below, with contrasting rings around the spiracles and a curved “horn”. Develop on honeysuckle (lat. Lonicera), madder (lat. Rubia). When threatened, they fall to the ground.

Pupae about 25 mm long, dark brown, almost black, are in a silk cocoon. Since the end of June lie among the remains of plants and their roots.

Adults fly during the day, in June and early July. Their wingspan is 38-45 mm. The surface of the front and rear wings of butterflies with large "windows" devoid of scales. From this, the wings of the insect look almost transparent, like those of Hymenoptera. Butterflies of this species are similar to the bumblebee scabiosa, but the border on the wings is wider, and there is a dark spot in the center of the front wing. Chest with greenish-yellow hairs. Abdomen with reddish-yellow and black bands.

• Bumblebee scabiosa, or scabiose hawkweed (lat.Hemaris tityus ) , depending on the region - a rare or endangered species. Brazhnik lives in Europe, Western and Central Asia, Siberia and North Africa. Lives in Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Russia, Ukraine. It occurs at the edges, forest glades, in light forests, in ravines with shrubs and meadows. In favorable years, it can give 2 generations.

Hawk hawk eggs are pale green, shiny, rounded.

The caterpillars are similar to the developing individuals of the honeysuckle bumblebee, but the bottom of their body has less darkening, and the "horn" is not curved. The length of the larvae is 50 mm. They develop from May to August on grasses and tree and shrub species: scabiosis, sverbig, bedstraw, hairweed, honeysuckle.

Pupae 24-27 mm long, black-brown, in a cocoon. They lie shallow in the soil or among the grass.

The scabiose hawk-moth flies out of the pupa in May-June. Its wingspan is 18-22 cm. The wings of a newly born butterfly have brown scales, which are soon lost from contact with air. The surface of the wings becomes transparent, only the outer edges are surrounded by a dark border. Moth hawks eat the nectar of flowers and fly in clear weather during the day.

• Clanis wavy (lat.Clanis undulosa ) - this is a nocturnal hawk moth, a guest from the subtropics, living in the Primorsky Territory of Russia. Here it was listed in the Red Book as an endangered, endangered species. It is protected in the reserves of the Far East Marine and Kedrovaya Pad. The usual places of his life are Northern Thailand, China, Korea, Northern India.

Clanis egg with a diameter of 2-2.5 mm, white or slightly yellowish, shiny with a beige tint, oval in shape.

The larva develops on plants of the legume family, the genus Lespedeza.

A pupa 50 mm in size is formed and hibernates in the soil.

The butterfly appears in July-August, flies out at night after 4 o'clock. She can be easily lured into the world. The distance between the edges of the open wings of the wavy clanis is 10-13 cm. There is a lilac-reddish tint on the body and wings of the butterfly. Towards the lower half and towards the base of the wings, its tone becomes darker. Against the general background of the upper wings, the pattern is brownish-brown in color, consisting of a transverse line and a wedge-shaped spot on the upper edge of the wing. Lower wings with a dark spot at the base, with bright edges and indistinct stripes in the tail.

Reproduction of hawks

The hawk belongs to insects with complete transformation, and the following stages are present in its life cycle:

• egg (5-10 days),
• larva (caterpillar) (from 17 days to 1.5 months),
• pupa (from 10-33 days to 2-3 years),
• adults (from a couple of days to 2-3 weeks or longer).

Taken from: entomology.unl.edu

Depending on the length of daylight hours, hawk hawks can give from 1 to 3 generations per year. In May-June, adults emerge from pupae, and their breeding season immediately begins. In favorable years, the third generation of hawk moths develops until October.

An important role in the reproduction of moths is played by attractants (pheromones) - these are odorous substances produced by animals to attract sexual partners. Female hawk moths synthesize them with glands located between segments 8 and 9 of the abdomen. The male, with the help of large antennae, catches even a small amount of these substances in the air and determines the location of the female. He can smell the partner's scent at a distance of up to several kilometers. There are other signs of the female's readiness for reproduction: her abdomen thickens, and in flight she begins to make characteristic low sounds.

The least demanding on temperature during mating is the ocellated hawk hawk moth. Fertilization in this species successfully occurs even at a temperature of +4°C. The mating of hawk moths begins at night and often continues throughout the next daylight hours. Less commonly, it ends in the process of one night or lasts about half an hour. As a result, the female receives not only seminal fluid, but also the necessary nutrients: proteins and trace elements. The next day, she already lays her eggs, placing them singly or in groups on the lower or upper parts of the leaves of the caterpillar host plant. Postponement continues for the next 2-3 nights. During the life of the female of the ocellated and linden hawk moths, they produce 60-80 eggs, 100 eggs of the bedstraw, and up to 300 eggs of the medium wine.

During the day, butterflies lay from 5 to several dozen eggs, that is, the clutch grows gradually. Hawk hawk eggs are often flattened and covered with a thick shell, round or oval in shape, with a diameter of 1.2 to 2.5 mm. Their color is usually greenish, milky white, rarely yellow, blue or red. After laying their eggs, the females of most hawk moth species die.

The incubation period lasts from 5 to 10 days depending on the type, size of eggs and ambient temperature. By the time the larvae appear, the eggs change color, and caterpillars are visible through their shells. Caterpillars have chewing mouthparts, they eat a lot, since their main task is to accumulate substances for further development.

The hawk hawk larva, like the adult insect, is predominantly active at dusk and at night. The larval stage is the longest in the life cycle of the hawk hawk moth. It lasts from 17 days to 1.5 months. During this time, the caterpillar molts several times. The number of molts in species is different: usually from 3 to 5. When the time comes to pupate, the hawk hawk larva burrows into the soil.

Pupation occurs in the upper soil layer, in the litter or moss. Pine hawk moth becomes a chrysalis at a depth of 5 cm, ocular - 7-10 cm, linden - 15-20 cm. Caterpillars dig shallow holes, braiding the walls with silk. This lining protects the pupa from dampness and underground predators.

The pupa is oval, soft at first, hardens with time. A characteristic feature of the hawk chrysalis is a horn-shaped elevation at its end. In the pine and lilac hawk moths, the pupae have a special case in the form of a nose for the proboscis. And in the pupa of the bindweed hawk moth, the proboscis sticks out.

The pupal stage without diapause lasts from 10 to 33 days. But there are exceptions: for example, in a pine hawk moth, it can last 2 or even 3 years.

With the onset of spring in the temperate zone, hawk pupae turn into a butterfly.

The lifespan of hawks

The lifespan of an insect depends on the species. For example, the life cycle of the tobacco hawk moth is 30-35 days. The pupae of most sphinxes of the middle lane fall into a stupor (diapause) and do not wake up until favorable conditions come. The average lifespan of adults is approximately 2-3 weeks. Those hawk moths that do not feed, but live off the substances accumulated at the caterpillar stage, die a few days after emerging from the pupa, leaving behind offspring.

Moth enemies in the wild

Nature did not make butterflies beautiful to please us. In this way, she took care of the protection of Lepidoptera from numerous enemies. Hawk hawks at any stage of development attract:

The most active hawk hawk hunters are bats (various fruit bats and bats).

US scientists have found that as a result of evolution, to escape from bats, hawks have developed the ability to emit ultrasounds. Thus, they disorient predators and manage to elude them. More than half of the hawk moth species emit ultrasounds using their genitals.

Thrush eats hawk hawk (lat. Smerinthus ocellatus). Photo by: Mick Lobb, CC BY-SA 2.0

The value of hawks in nature: benefits and harms

Adult hawks are plant pollinators. Some members of the family feed on the nectar of plants of the same species. For example, the African moth Xanthopan morganii has the longest proboscis among Lepidoptera (30-35 cm). Only she is able to get nectar from the spurs of the Madagascar orchid Angraecum sesquipedale. Sweet juice is located at a depth of 30 cm, to which the butterfly easily reaches with its proboscis. Thus, only this hawk moth pollinates a rare orchid.

Butterflies and caterpillars of the tobacco hawk hawk have found applications in science, especially in neuroscience. The butterfly is of considerable size, develops rapidly, its organs are easily separated, and there are no problems when opening the insect. The hawk hawk of this species has a short life cycle, it does not enter diapause and develops at 14 hours of daylight. It is convenient to keep him in captivity. The large size of these butterflies makes them ideal model organisms. For science, the tobacco hawk hawk is as important as Drosophila from the Diptera order.

Fans of exotic reptiles breed tobacco hawk caterpillars for food, as the body of the larva contains calcium, protein and moisture. One caterpillar nutritionally replaces three locusts. In addition, she lacks a hard chitinous shell. Breeding caterpillars of hawk moth for food takes place on special farms.

Butterflies are often bred at home or on special farms. At the same time, people pursue different goals. They are grown to create collections, i.e. pinning, selling as a "live salute" or "live postcards". For the latter use, tropical butterflies are most often kept, which are not adapted to the climate of other places. After the Lepidoptera bring dubious joy to the recipient of the gift, they are likely to die. They are also grown to create exhibits in museums, zoos and national parks. In addition, hawk hawks are bred for their large, protein-rich caterpillars, which are used as reptile food, for scientific and conservation purposes, and for personal enjoyment.

Breeding hawks at home

To breed domestic hawk moths, you need to maintain at least 14 hours of daylight, a temperature of about 22 ° C and a humidity of at least 55%. It is ideal to keep insects in a special insectarium, where all conditions for life are created. But if there is no such device, you will have to create suitable conditions in the room.

• For lighting, use the directional light of the lamp.
• Maintain humidity by spraying warm water from a spray bottle near the animal.
• Give the caterpillars a spacious garden. Its volume depends on the number of larvae. Equip the walls of the cage with a mosquito net so that the caterpillar can crawl along it without slipping.
• Allow air to enter through the vent holes if the cage is closed.
• Make the container for keeping the pupae open. But put in it a sufficient amount of peat or slightly damp moss. The pupa of the oleander hawk will appear on the surface, the pupa of the tobacco hawk will appear at a depth of 5 cm in the soil, other species will ground deeper. A total of 15 cm of soil will suffice. The substrate must not be overdried. To moisten it, spray it, but do not over-moisten it, or put a wet branch in the cage.
• Caterpillars will need their food plants for food. Place the branches with leaves in a vessel of water. But at the same time cover the water so that the caterpillars do not fall and die in it. If it is not possible to provide the necessary greens, give them artificial food for hawk caterpillars.
• Butterflies feed in flight, they are very mobile. Therefore, keep them in spacious gardens with flowering plants: this way they will feed naturally. You can also feed hawk moths at home with honey or jam diluted with water. At the same time, they do not need to straighten their proboscis: dip the front paws into the solution for a short time, the butterflies have taste buds on them. Feed the hawks during the day. They fly at night and won't eat. Please note: not all hawks need food. In the adult state, they feed on bedstraw, wine, euphorbia, tobacco, oleander, bindweed, lilac hawks. Do not eat the following species: ocular, linden, poplar.

• At night, the hawk dead head robs bees. With a strong proboscis, the butterfly pierces honeycombs and drinks honey. At the same time, she buzzes like a bee. But the deception is not always successful: sometimes the bees pounce on the robber and bite to death. After that, they mummify the butterfly and leave it in the hive.
• Many hawk caterpillars, when threatened, are able to relax their muscles and mimic death.
• The hawk dead head “sings” in danger, or rather, it emits a sharp loud squeak. The sound is formed from the release of air from the foregut by the butterfly, which leads to the fluctuation of the folds of the chitinous cover of the oral apparatus. Caterpillars and pupae also sing in this species.
• Flowers pollinated by nocturnal hawks begin to smell pleasant closer to the night.
• In one minute, hawk hawks fly a distance that exceeds the size of their body by 23-25 ​​thousand times.
• "Dead head" in the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of Europe called the lilac hawk moth. People were afraid of meeting him, as they considered him a messenger of death.