Gypsy moth belongs to the order. The main pest of forests and gardens is the gypsy moth. What is dangerous ringed silkworm

Silkworms belong to the class of insects and are a great danger to the orchard. These voracious caterpillars are capable of destroying a huge area of ​​​​plantations and thereby causing damage to agriculture. In order not to suffer from these pests, you need to know how to deal with them correctly.

What does a gypsy moth look like

This insect is considered one of the most dangerous. It belongs to the Lepidoptera order. Sometimes it is also called the silk beetle, however, this is an erroneous name. The gypsy moth is a butterfly that is predominantly nocturnal. Its caterpillars damage the leaves, ovaries and buds of various fruit trees - pear, apple, plum, cherry and others. The name "unpaired" is due to the fact that adult females and males of this insect look very different from each other. Initially, they even thought that they belonged to a different order of insects.

Starting from mid-July, their eggs can be found on tree bark, stumps and even wooden fences. Each such masonry is covered with small villi and has a slightly yellowish color. The gypsy moth is very prolific. One clutch usually contains about 600 eggs.

The larvae that have just hatched from the eggs are also covered with fine fluff, so that they can be easily carried by the wind over short distances. In this regard, the gypsy moth can quickly spread throughout the entire garden.

He begins to spoil trees in the very first hours of his birth. Literally a month later, one detachment, consisting of hundreds of larvae, is able to spoil all the green spaces of the garden. Therefore, action must be taken very quickly.

What is dangerous ringed silkworm

This pest also belongs to the class of insects, the order of butterflies. Adults have a thick body covered with a light brown fluff. The females are larger. The ringed silkworm is smaller than the unpaired one. But at the same time, it is no less dangerous. Most of all, this insect loves the apple tree.

The name of this pest comes from its peculiarity of laying eggs in the form of a ring. Each such ring can contain up to 300 eggs. The presence of 5-6 such rings on a tree is already a serious danger for him.

Measures against caterpillars

These insects have enemies in the wild. In addition to birds that love to feast on the caterpillars of these harmful butterflies, entomophages also pose a threat to them. These are living organisms belonging to the class of insects that can eat their own kind. The most common of them are ladybug, lacewing.

For caterpillars, the most dangerous among them is the ground beetle. This beetle eats the larvae of various butterflies. One female of such a beetle is able to eat up to six thousand larvae. Dead-eating beetles, as well as pestry beetles, are also considered active enemies of pests of fruit trees.

Many species of these beetles eat both butterfly larvae and pollen. Therefore, you can attract them to your garden by planting strong-smelling flowers in it, for example, marigolds, oregano, rosemary. It is best to plant flower beds around trees with them.

ground beetle

The photo shows a ground beetle - the main enemy of caterpillars. It is often mistaken for a harmful beetle, but on the contrary, it is excellent for pest control in the garden.

In addition, methods of dealing with garden pests include:

1. Regular inspection of all fruit trees in the garden for the presence of clutches. If they are found, they must be carefully removed from the bark of trees with a knife. Then burn or bury deep. Twigs with egg-laying are better to just cut off.
2. Spraying trees with insecticides before flowering.
3. Preventive washing of tree bark with special solutions.
4. Installation of special glue traps for already hatched caterpillars on the bark of trees.

Silkworm species that are safe for the garden

In addition to the two species of butterflies considered, there are also quite safe representatives of this family of insects that live in our area, which do not damage the garden, preferring wild trees, such as oak, pine or birch. These include:

1. Birch silkworm.
2. Oak silkworm.
3. Pine marching silkworm.

All of them belong to the same class and order as the previous butterflies. However, they do not live on garden trees. For example, the pine silkworm feeds on needles and pine sap. And although the caterpillars of this butterfly do not pose a danger to the garden, they can cause very serious damage to wild trees. They can eat the needles so that it seems that fire has walked through it.

The pine silkworm lays its eggs under the pine bark. The hatched eggs have a grayish color, merging with the bark of this tree. After some time, very voracious larvae appear from them, which feed on needles. One such caterpillar is able to eat up to 150 needles. For the winter, they crawl from the pine tree and hide under the moss. And in the middle of summer they turn into a butterfly.

Pine marching silkworm is a very dangerous pest of pine plantations. Its caterpillars eat the needles so intensively that the damaged tree most often cannot recover and dies.

The main enemy of this pest in the wild are cuckoos. They happily eat the larvae of this insect.

The photo below shows a pine silkworm. Belongs to the class of insects. Butterfly Squad.

The birch silkworm prefers to settle on birches, eating buds and young shoots. He also loves willow and linden.

In the photo below you can see an adult of this insect on a birch branch.

The oak silkworm is not a pest. Unlike other representatives of this family, it is specially bred to produce natural silk. The oak silkworm is a very beautiful and elegant butterfly, which has recently begun to be grown in our latitudes. For this, wild trees are used - oak, birch, hornbeam or willow.

The oak silkworm is very large. Its wingspan can reach 12 cm. Two pairs of multi-colored eyes are symmetrically located along their edges, thanks to which the oak silkworm got its second name "peacock-eye".

This butterfly belongs to the family of true silkworms. Its common representatives are also Indian and mulberry silkworm.

The photo above shows an adult butterfly of this insect.

Silkworm mulberry. Unpaired silkworm. Hawk hawk dead head. hawthorn

rice. one. The structure of the mouth
sucking device:
1 - lower jaws (hobo-
current), 2 - mandibular
palp, 3 - faceted
eye, 4 - simple eye,
5 - antennae, 6 - clypeus.

They have two pairs of large membranous wings covered with chitinous scales. The scales are modified hairs and are often brightly colored. Scales together often create bizarre patterns on the wings. The wingspan ranges from 3.2 mm for the baby moth (Nepticula filipendulae) to 300 mm for the cutworm (Thysania agrippina).

The head of butterflies bears a pair of compound eyes, antennae of various lengths and shapes, and a highly specialized sucking-type mouth apparatus (proboscis). The proboscis consists of elongated maxillae that form a tube and coil up in a spiral; the remaining parts of the oral apparatus are reduced (Fig. 1). Lepidoptera adults feed on nectar and plant sap.

Development with complete transformation. Butterfly larvae are called caterpillars, they feed on plant foods. They have a worm-like shape, a gnawing type of mouth apparatus. The mandibles are strongly developed, on the lower lip there are openings of a pair of silk-secreting glands. On the thoracic segments there are three pairs of thoracic articulated legs, on the abdominal segments there are usually 5 pairs of false (non-segmented) abdominal legs. In moths and some scoops, the number of abdominal legs is reduced to 2-3 pairs; in some lower groups it increases to 7-8 pairs. The pupae are covered.

The order Lepidoptera is subdivided into suborders: the different-winged (Frenata), club-whiskered (Rhopalocera), etc.

rice. 2. ringed silkworm
(Malacosoma neustria).
A - oviposition, B - caterpillar,
C - pupa, D - female.

The suborder Diversified includes butterflies with wings of various shapes (anterior - triangular, posterior - rounded) and a typical proboscis of a sucking type. The suborder Heteroptera is subdivided into families: Leafworms (Tortricidae), Glassware (Aegeriidae), Cocoonworms (Lasiocampidae), True silkworms (Bombycidae), Volnyanka (Lymantriidae), Scoops (Noctuidae), Moths (Geometridae), Moths (Sphingidae) and many others.

Belongs to the family Cocoonworms (Fig. 2). It got its name because of the shape of the oviposition: the female glues the eggs around thin twigs, placing them in a gentle spiral. As a result, the masonry looks like a wide ring tightly covering the shoot. Caterpillars of the ringed silkworm are very harmful to fruit and other deciduous trees.

Mulberry silkworm (Bombix mori) belongs to the family True silkworms (Fig. 3). The mulberry silkworm is bred on special farms to obtain silk from the cocoons of pupae. Caterpillars are fed with mulberry leaves or mulberry leaves. Sericulture as a branch of the economy has existed in China since ancient times.

Belongs to the Volnyanka family (Fig. 4). Butterflies of this species are characterized by sexual dimorphism. The span of the white wings of the female is up to 7.5 cm, the span of the brownish-gray wings of the male is up to 4.5 cm. One female can lay up to 1000 eggs. Caterpillars weave nests, completely eat leaves, baring trees. Gypsy moth is one of the most common pests of forests and orchards. Polyphagous.

rice. four.
A - oviposition, B - caterpillar, C - pupa,
G - female, D - male.

Deadhead Hawk Moth (Acherontia atropos) belongs to the Brazhniki family (Fig. 5). The largest species of hawk hawks found in Central Europe. Wingspan up to 130 mm.

On the back there is a pattern resembling a skull. Every year in May and autumn, butterflies arrive in Europe from the Mediterranean and North America. They fly great, usually at night. They love honey, sometimes climb into the hives. Caterpillars live on nightshade, jasmine, euonymus, raspberries. They pupate in the soil. They overwinter in the pupal stage.

The Bulavous suborder is subdivided into families: Belyanki (Pieridae), Nymphalidae (Nymphalidae), Dovetails (Lycaenidae), Sailboats (Papilionidae) and many others.

Hawthorn (Aporia crataegi) belongs to the Belyanka family (Fig. 6). Wingspan 60-70 mm. The wings are white with sharply prominent black veins, the pollen is sparse. The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves of apple, pear, plum, cherry, apricot and other trees. Young caterpillars live together. Caterpillars of the third age hibernate. For the winter, they make a common “winter” nest inside a dry leaf tied with silk, but each caterpillar is in a separate white cocoon.

Widespread in Europe, Asia and North America.

In Russia, the range of non-parisons captures the European part of the country up to the northern border of oak growth, the Crimea, the Caucasus, small-leaved forests and forest-steppes of Siberia, Altai, Sayan, Amur, Primorye and Sakhalin.

Description of the insect

Larva

Gypsy moth caterpillars are hairy and have 8 pairs of legs. They reach a length of 7.5 cm. On the back there are three thin longitudinal stripes and 6 longitudinal rows of warts, from which thin long bristle-like hairs grow - aerophores. The head is matte black. The body of the caterpillar is light yellow immediately after hatching, it darkens as the larva grows.

Thanks to aerophores, young caterpillars can be carried by the wind over long distances. This allows them to move long distances immediately after leaving their eggs, populating places with an abundance of food and capturing large areas.

adult

Male and female gypsy moths are very different in both shape and color. It is this feature of the insect that gave the species its name.

Females have a wingspan of 4 to 9 cm and are white, usually tinged with brown or gray. On the first pair of wings there is a pattern in the form of four transverse zigzag stripes. There are black spots on the fringe of the front and hind wings. Antennae black, slightly comb-like. At the end of the butterfly's thick yellowish abdomen is a pad of brown or yellow-brown hairs.

Males have a wingspan of 3 to 5 cm. The color - brown, grayish-brown or yellow - allows them to camouflage themselves among dry leaves lying on the ground. The front pair of wings has four transverse zigzag stripes (the same as in the female), the rear pair is lighter than the front and has a darker outer edge. There are dark brown spots on the fringe of the wings. Antennae combed. Abdomen conical, not too thick.

reproduction

The process of reproduction and development of a non-hotbed includes several stages.

Mating and oviposition

Butterflies of the gypsy moth emerge from their pupae in July and August, first males, a little later females. They fly low over the ground in the evenings, find partners and mate.

After mating, each female lays 100 to 300 eggs on trunks, branches or tree roots protruding from the ground.

Development of the larva inside the egg

The eggs of the neparnik are smooth, rounded, slightly flattened from above. The female covers the clutch with hairs from her abdomen to give it a dark to light brown coloration. Most of the eggs that are laid hibernate above the snow cover and are exposed to low temperatures, which does not lead to their death.

caterpillar stage

Caterpillars emerge from eggs at an average daily air temperature of 4–16 °C; their appearance usually coincides in time with the start of growth of leaves and needles on fodder tree species.

Caterpillars actively feed for 2–2.5 months, after which they gather on trunks, branches, in the crowns of trees and shrubs and pupate.

pupal stage

Gypsy moth pupae are dark brown or matte black in color. They are covered with sparse tufts of short brown or red hairs. The pupae are 18 to 37 mm long.

Food

The gypsy moth butterfly does not have a mouth apparatus and does not feed at all, and the caterpillars are very voracious and polyphagous. In different areas of habitat, the non-parison is associated with various species of trees and shrubs.

The main food objects for caterpillars are:

• in Europe, the Caucasus and the Far East - various types of oak;
• in the mountain forests of the Caucasus, Crimea and the Carpathians - hornbeam and beech;
• in the forest-steppes and small-leaved forests of Siberia - birch and aspen;
• in the mountain forests of the Urals and Sayan - various types of larches;
• in the mountains of the Altai Territory - larch, fir, pine and cedar;
• in the mountains of Central Asia - fir, spruce, pear and maple.

Caterpillars that have recently hatched feed mainly during daylight hours, while they migrate within the crown. Older caterpillars feed mainly at night, especially in stable warm weather.

Damage

The gypsy moth is a typical one. Caterpillars of the neparnik strongly eat the foliage of plants and cause significant damage not only to wild trees and shrubs, but also to orchards and crops of fruit crops.

The gypsy moth is characterized by periodic outbreaks of mass reproduction, during which the caterpillars settle over large areas. These outbreaks are often protracted. During the years of mass reproduction of the non-hotbed, its caterpillars can completely bare forests and plantings of fruit trees, eating away the foliage clean. This often causes the trees to dry out.

Fighting methods

There are many ways to deal with gypsy moth. The optimal method is selected based on the degree of damage to plants by the pest and the stage of development of the non-hotbed.

The main ways to deal with neparennik include:

1. collection and destruction of ovipositions: in small areas of the forest or in small gardens, you can manually collect (scrape off) clutches of gypsy moth eggs, and then destroy them;
2. destruction of egg clutches with the help of petroleum products: in the fall, after the leaves fall or in early spring, on trees with thick bark, the eggs of the neparnik can be destroyed by covering them with oil, engine oil, kerosene;
3. treatment of ovipositions with insecticides;
4. the use of glue rings: sticky rings that are attached to the trunks prevent the caterpillars from rising from the oviposition located at the roots into the crowns of the trees;
5. manual collection and destruction of caterpillars: this method can be used by owners of small gardens;
   treatment of trees with insecticides in the spring, at the beginning of the rise of caterpillars to the crown or after the completion of migration.

The decrease in the number of gypsy moth is also facilitated by the protection of insectivorous birds and their attraction to plantations.

In the regions inhabited by the gypsy moth, careful monitoring of its population should be carried out. This helps to properly organize planned work to curb the growth of the number of non-hotbed, and also allows you to predict and prevent outbreaks of its mass reproduction.

Timely adoption of measures to combat the gypsy moth will avoid the damage that this pest can cause to plantations of fruit trees and field-protective forests.

Butterfly gypsy moth belongs to the family of volnyanka. She received this name because of the significant differences between the male and female. In many countries, the gypsy moth is a quarantine object.

Appearance in North America

Description

As mentioned above, male and female have significant differences. They appear in both shape and color. The female reaches 9 cm. Its front wings are slightly yellowish or grayish-white, with wavy, serrated and transverse dark brown stripes. On the wings there is also a black spot of a crescent or angular shape at the middle and a small round one at the base. Between the veins along the rim is a row of black spots. They are also black. Females have a thick abdomen, at the end of which there is a brownish-gray fluff. Their paws and antennae are black. Males reach 4 cm in width in the wingspan. Their antennae are brown and feathery. The color of the male is dark grey. On the forewings the same as on the female, but wider stripes and spots. Gypsy moth eggs are yellow at first. Over time, the color becomes yellowish or pinkish gray. The egg has a smooth surface, round shape, slightly flattened at the top. Its diameter is 1-1.2 mm. The caterpillar can reach up to 7.5 cm. It has sixteen legs, a hairy body. On the back there are three thin, in some cases almost imperceptible longitudinal stripes, and paired warts, five of which are blue, and six rear ones are red. Each wart has a tuft of hairs. The head of the caterpillar is dark grey. It has two longitudinal black, kidney-shaped spots. The silkworm pupa is dark brown or dull black. On it one can see sparse tufts of reddish short hairs and two pits behind the antennae. An adult gypsy moth does not have a mouth apparatus.

Cycle features

On average, the female lives for several weeks. During this period, she manages to lay up to a thousand eggs. The clutch changes color over time, which indicates the degree of maturation of the larvae. Eggs are very resistant to external factors. They perfectly tolerate lower temperatures, therefore, during the winter period, the embryonic development of the gypsy moth does not stop. This process ends with the onset of spring. The supply of energy material for all stages of insect development - eggs, pupa, as well as directly to the adult itself - is carried out by the caterpillar. That is why the period of her nutrition is so long - from 2 to 2.5 months. The first food of caterpillars is the egg shell. So they can exist for 4-5 days, waiting for a favorable time for migration.

Embryonic period

Females lay their eggs in the recesses of the bark of stumps and trunks. They release them in a few pieces, in heaps. At the same time, females mix eggs with a yellowish-gray fluff, which also covers them from above. After arranging the masonry, the individual may die immediately. Clusters of eggs may cover the bases of trunks in fluffy solid rings. In some cases, masonry is found on stones, structures, and various buildings. Eggs overwinter well in conditions of frost and high humidity. They do not lose their viability even after a ten-day stay under water. Mating can be complicated by rainy weather during the summer. In such cases, females lay predominantly unfertilized eggs, in which larvae do not form.

The appearance of the larvae

Caterpillars begin to hatch in early spring. Their bodies are covered with disproportionately long and numerous hairs. They have extensions or swelling. Thanks to them, the caterpillars are easily picked up by the wind and carried for many kilometers. After the end of the first molt, the hairs are lost. Growing up, the caterpillars begin to crawl in different directions in search of food. In some cases, they even undertake mass crossings through roads and fields. Sometimes they cross railroad tracks in such a way that oncoming trains have to stop.

How does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?

Pupation occurs in June and early July. The pupae are attached in the form of a network of numerous thin threads. They are located in the cracks of the bark, in some cases between half-eaten leaves, which are pulled together by cobwebs, on the lower branches not high from ground level. Inside the pupa, a constant change in the body begins. Since the caterpillar turns into a butterfly inside the cocoon, it is problematic to follow this process. In general, the whole process takes about 10-15 days.

natural enemies

Gypsy moth: control measures

other methods

Preventive treatment of old trees with active compounds is very effective. For young plantations, however, it is better to use other methods. Processing of fruit trees is carried out with a mixture of kerosene and mineral oil in a ratio of 1:1. You can destroy cocoons during flowering. Among all the methods used, however, the most effective is spraying with modern insecticidal preparations. In early spring, you can use the viral preparation "Virin-ENZH". At the beginning of flowering, Phosfamide, Chlorophos, Metaphos are effective. Pretty good proved the drug "Nitrafen". However, it can be used before buds appear on the trees.

Each of us must have encountered this insect. At least once in your life, but you have probably seen a gypsy moth. After all, this is not some rare outlandish species.

Gypsy moth - caterpillars of night butterflies. These specimens do not cause much enthusiasm and their presence is not encouraging, since they are pests that cause irreparable harm to trees, especially foliage. Apple trees, lindens, birches, oaks, willows, poplars are a special delicacy for caterpillars. The peculiarity of these creatures is that, having settled with one victim, they throw thin silk threads and very quickly pass through them to live and harm their neighbors.

The gypsy moth belongs to the family of volnyanka, the areolas of their distribution Europe, Asia, North America, Russia.

Characteristic

The entire detachment of these caterpillars is covered with small villi, each individual has 8 pairs of legs. They reach 7-7.5 cm in length. There are three thin stripes along the back, several rows of warts, each of which is a kind of pot for the germination of bristle-like villi. It is they who make it possible to move over long distances, capturing more and more areas. The head against the background of the body is distinguished by a dark, more precisely black color, while all other components from the moment of birth are light yellow.

close look

This insect has sexual differences and distinct signs of separation.

• Wingspan from 4 to 9 cm;
• The predominant color is white, with a pronounced brown and gray tint;
• The first pair of wings is distinguished by a rather interesting pattern (four transverse zigzag stripes);
• Black spots on the fringes of both pairs of wings;
• Mustaches are dark, comb-like.
• On the abdomen there is a pad with brown or, most often, yellow-brown hairs.

• Span 3-5 cm;
• Color - brown, gray-brown, yellow;
• The forewings also have zigzag but transverse stripes;
• The rear pair is light in color with significant darkening at the edges;
• The fringe of the wings is decorated with dark brown spots;
• Antennae, like those of females, are comb-shaped;
• Belly in the form of a cone.

Reproduction of a non-greenhouse

The process of producing offspring in this class of insects consists of several stages. Namely:

1. In early July-August, the males leave their pupae, followed by the females. During this period, they fly low above the ground in search of a candidate suitable for mating. As a result, each fertilized female lays from 100 to 300 eggs on trunks, branches or tree roots protruding from the ground.
2. The silkworm eggs themselves are round, slightly flattened at the top. The female guards the offspring and covers the eggs with hairs from her belly, thereby giving a peculiar color. Often, almost the entire clutch during the period of larval growth is exposed to low temperatures, as it is located above the snow cover, but this does not affect the cessation of vital processes. In order to understand what the eggs of individuals representing this detachment look like, look for photos on the Internet.
3. At an average daily ambient temperature of 4-16 degrees, the caterpillars leave the shell in which they were before. This class of insects hatches mainly during the appearance of the first leaves on the trees. For about two and a half months they eat, and then hide in the crowns of trees or on trunks and branches and begin to pupate. The pupae are brown or matte black covered with sparse tufts of villi. In length from two to four centimeters.

affected plant

Food

An adult beetle, and if it is correct - a butterfly, starves throughout its life, since it does not have a mouth opening. But the wild stream of caterpillars is very dangerous, as they are extremely voracious. They feed during the daytime, migrating within the crown. But the older individuals feed at night, they love warm weather.

Depending on the place of residence, the diet also changes, it is thanks to this that the following types are distinguished:

• ringed silkworm;
• pine silkworm;
• birch silkworm;
• oak silkworm;
• marching silkworm;

The oak silkworm has become widespread in Europe, the Caucasus, the Far East, in the Carpathian and Crimean mountain forests. Since oaks, beeches, hornbeams are often found in this area.

Gypsy moth caterpillar

Birch and pine silkworm live in Siberia, namely in its forest-steppe and small-leaved forests, in the Ural and Sayan mountains, Altai Territory, and Central Asia.

Value in nature

Gypsy moths are malicious pests of the forest. They completely destroy the foliage, leaving the plant to die. Moreover, it is not only the wild forest that suffers losses, but gardens cultivated by people and household plots with fruit-bearing trees. This detachment has one distinguishing feature, it is characterized by periodic bursts of fertility and mass migrations. Due to this, damage is done to large areas. Very often, such events are long-term. In order to assess the extent of the lesions, look at the photos, there are a lot of them on the global network, so the search takes a few minutes.

How to fight?

Mankind has invented a lot of methods to overcome this forest disease. But your choice should be stopped based on the extent of the defeat.

We offer you the following options:

• Destruction of caterpillars at the phase of the origin of life. All that is required of you is to detect and destroy all ovipositions in time. This method is suitable for small gardens or forest areas. You manually scrape the nests of non-parties and dispose of them;
• The use of petroleum products for the destruction of offspring. The procedure is quite simple, in autumn or early spring, cover the laid eggs with products of the oil refining industry;
• Treatment of pest-infested surfaces with special preparations with a deadly chemical composition;
• Cleaning caterpillars by hand. Like the first example, it is only suitable for small areas.

In order to avoid significant reproduction of the pest, it is necessary to carry out planned measures to control the population of this species. No wonder they say - forewarned is forearmed!

Knowing all the characteristics of your enemy, it is not difficult to fight him.