Who emerges from the big caterpillars. The grape budworm is a pest butterfly. Where to find caterpillars

Structure

Caterpillar body structure

	head breast abdomen body segment abdominal (false) legs spiracle (stigma) pectoral (true) legs mandibles
The general structure of the body of a caterpillar, as an example Macroglossum stellatarum.		Caterpillar body structure

Head

The head is formed by a dense capsule fused from six segments. Often, areas of the head are conventionally identified, occupying a relatively small area between the forehead and eyes, called the cheeks. On the underside of the head is the foramen magnum, which in most cases is heart-shaped.

Based on the position of the head relative to the body, it is customary to distinguish the following types:

• orthognathic- the longitudinal axis of the head is located more or less perpendicular to the axis of the body, the oral organs are directed downward. This type is characteristic of almost all large caterpillars that live openly on plants (club lepidoptera, hawkmoths, corydalis, cocoon moths, bears and others).
• prognathic,- the longitudinal axis of the head coincides with the axis of the body, the oral organs are directed forward. This type of head arose as an adaptation to a mining lifestyle. It is typical for Eriocraniidae, Stigmellidae, Phyllocnistidae and a number of other families. The head of this type is strongly flattened and is distinguished by the absence of a parietal suture. The overall shape of the head is usually heart-shaped.
• semiprognathic- occupies an intermediate position between the first two types, characteristic of secretive caterpillars.

Caterpillar jaws

The typical head shape is round. Sometimes it can undergo changes - acquire triangular (many hawk moths), rectangular ( Catocala) or heart-shaped. The frontal surface becomes flat or even depressed. The parietal apexes can protrude significantly above the surface of the body, sometimes turning into big horns or outgrowths ( Apatura, Charaxes) .

The eyes are represented by separate ocelli located on the sides of the head. They lie close to the oral organs and in most cases are located in the form of an arched row of five simple ocelli and one standing inside this arch. In some cases, their primitiveness or, conversely, specialization is observed. So, the New Zealand caterpillar Sabatina the eyes consist of five simple ocelli fused to form a compound eye.

The antennae are short and three-segmented. They are located on the sides of the head, between the eyes and upper jaws in the so-called antennal cavity. In some cases, the antennae undergo reduction - the number of segments decreases.

The upper jaws, or mandibles, are always well developed and represent highly sclerotized, strong formations that vary significantly in shape. Gnawing type. The apical edge of the mandibles usually bears teeth used for biting or cutting food. On the inner edge there are sometimes tubercles used for chewing food. Mandibles (maxillae) and underlip(labium) are fused, like in many other insects with complete transformation, into a single labio-maxillary complex. Salivary glands modified into silk separators.

Chest and abdomen

The body of the caterpillar, possessing extreme mobility, is enclosed in a soft membranous cover. The sclerotized areas are the tergites of the prothorax and the 10th abdominal segment. Each caterpillar segment can be divided into a number of secondary rings, separated by grooves, which are in no way different in appearance from the actual boundaries of the segments.

The pronotum (prothoracic shield) very rarely occupies the entire tergite, and in most caterpillars a small sclerite is separated from it, located in front of the spiracle (stigma), called the prestigmal shield, on which setae IV, V and VI sit. The meso- and metanotum are never completely sclerotized, and their lateral sections are always divided into several separate sclerites. The tergites of the abdominal segments are always divided into several sclerites associated with the primary setae and usually corresponding to their number.

The anus on the last segment is surrounded by 4 lobes. Not all of these lobes can be well developed at the same time. The upper one, the supranal lobe, hangs over the anus. The lower, sub-anal lobe is often presented in the form of a thick conical fleshy lobe; a pair of lateral or anal lobes - paraprocts - are usually well developed in moths and corydalis in the form of rather large outgrowths with setae at the end.

Almost all caterpillars belong to the group with one closed stigma (spiracle) on the chest. The exception is individual species leading an aquatic lifestyle. Their stigmata are closed and are replaced by tracheal gills.

The chest bears only one open, functioning stigma. The second reduced spiracle is located between the mesothorax and metathorax. The thoracic spiracles are usually larger than the abdominal ones. The abdomen on segments 1-8 bears eight pairs of stigmas located below the thoracic stigma and more or less in the middle of the segment or somewhat closer to its anterior edge. The stigma of the 8th segment is located above the other abdominal segments and is larger than them, while the stigma of the 1st segment, on the contrary, lies somewhat lower than the others. The shape of stigmas can be round or oval.

Limbs

A caterpillar hanging on a silk silk. Three pairs of thoracic and five pairs of abdominal legs are clearly visible.

Most caterpillars have three pairs of thoracic legs (one pair on each chest segment) and five pairs of false abdominal legs on abdominal segments III-VI and X. The abdominal legs bear small hooks located in different groups Lepidoptera in different ways - in the form of a circle, longitudinal or transverse rows. The leg consists of five segments: coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsus.

The thoracic legs of caterpillars are to some extent reduced in comparison with truly walking legs, and the function of locomotion is carried out mainly by the abdominal legs. At the end of the chest paw there is a claw motionlessly articulated with it, which can have different lengths and shapes. The final part of the ventral leg is the sole, which can retract and protrude and bears claws at its distal end.

There are two types of sole structure:

In different groups of butterflies, deviations from the described variant of the arrangement of the legs are described. The best known are moth caterpillars, most of which have only two pairs of abdominal legs (on segments VI and X). As a result, moth caterpillars move as if “walking.” Russian name, like German (German. Spanner) comes from the similarity of the movement of the caterpillar with the movements of the hand of a person measuring length with a span. The Latin name for the moth family is Geometridae(from the Latinized Greek “surveyor”) was also given by him in connection with this feature. It is less known that the abdominal legs can be reduced on abdominal segments III and IV in the caterpillars of some cutworms ( Noctuidae).

Hypsipyla grandela Dangerous pest from Brazil

Some caterpillars have been described to have more than five pairs of abdominal legs. In toothed moths ( Micropterigidae) - eight, megalopygid ( Megalopygidae) - seven (from II to VII and on the X segment), one of the genera of dwarf miner moths ( Stigmella from the family Nepticulidae) - six (from II to VII segments) pairs.

In addition, the legs (both abdominal and thoracic) can be completely reduced in small leaf miners.

Body coverings and their appendages

The body of a caterpillar is almost never completely naked; it is covered with various formations, which can be divided into cuticular outgrowths, hairs and body outgrowths.

Cuticular outgrowths are sculptural elements and small outgrowths of the cuticle: spines, granules, stellate formations, which may have the appearance of small hairs - chaetoids.

Hairs, bristles and their derivatives differ from sculptural elements in their articulation with the cuticle and development due to special cells of the hypodermis. The base of the hair is surrounded by an annular ridge, or the hair is located in a recess. Conventionally, hairs are divided into hairs themselves and bristles, the latter being stronger. The hairs are very different in shape. In most cases, they are presented as thread-like or bristle-like formations.

Body skin outgrowths are formations consisting of skin protrusions and having a cavity inside that communicates with the body cavity. These include tubercles - various formations associated with primary setae. A wart is a protrusion covered with a tuft of bristles or hair; warts can be spherical or, conversely, flattened and oval, often very large, for example, in Lymantriidae. The characteristic outgrowths are represented by spines.

IN in rare cases Caterpillars that lead an aquatic lifestyle develop tracheal gills on their bodies. They are usually present on all body segments (except for the prothorax and the 10th abdominal segment) in the form of bundles of delicate filaments with trachea entering into them. Stigmas in these cases are closed.

The soft cuticle of caterpillars is folded and does not fit tightly to the body, so they can grow between molts, but only until the cuticle folds stretch and the caterpillar’s ​​body fills the entire volume of the exoskeleton.

Physiology

Nutrition

Most caterpillars are phytophagous - they feed on leaves, flowers and fruits of plants. Some species feed on lichens or fungi. A number of species - keratophages - feed on wax, wool, horny substances (caterpillars of moths of the genus Ceratophaga live in the horns of African antelopes, feeding on keratin). A few species are xylophagous - glass beetles and wood borers. Caterpillars of some species are predators, feeding on aphids, scale insects, larvae and pupae of ants. Caterpillars of some species are characterized by oligophagy - feeding on a very limited number of plant species. For example, polyxena caterpillars feed on only four species of plants of the genus Kirkazon, and caterpillars feed exclusively on mulberry leaves. In addition, the caterpillar eats the shell of its egg immediately after hatching, and then other eggs that it comes across.

The digestive tract is connected to the rest of the body only at the anterior and posterior ends, due to which, probably, the movement of the rest of the body does not interfere with the caterpillars digesting food.

In the digestive tract of caterpillars, there are three main groups of digestive enzymes - proteases, carbohydrases and lipases.

Silk formation

Spinning machine

The spinning apparatus consists of the spinning papilla and the sclerite that carries it. The spinal papilla is a tube, the upper wall of which is usually shorter than the lower one, the end edge of which is uneven. The edges of the papilla are sometimes framed with fringe. The silk duct passing through the papilla opens at its distal end. In very rare cases, for example Microplerygidae and some miners, the spinous papilla appears to be absent.

The papilla is extremely variable in shape and length among representatives of different groups. There is a close connection between the structure of the spinning papilla and the silk-secreting activity of caterpillars. Caterpillars entwining their passages, for example Hepialidae and the majority Microfrenata, have a long, thin and cylindrical spinal papilla. On the contrary, a short and flattened papilla is found only in caterpillars that do not weave cocoons or whose silk-secreting activity is limited, for example, in hawkmoths, many cutworms and miners.

Some features are observed in the development of the silk-secreting glands of caterpillars. In the last 4 days of the caterpillar's life, when it is still feeding, the gland develops very quickly and short time achieves his goal maximum weight. A day after the start of cocoon weaving, the weight of the gland sharply decreases, and then continues to decrease further, until the caterpillar finishes weaving the cocoon. Cells that produce silk synthesize it, apparently due to accumulated substances. In the oak silkworm, the weaving of the cocoon depends on the humidity of the surrounding air - so in an atmosphere with high humidity, caterpillars do not weave a cocoon.

Chemical composition and structure of silk

• caterpillars leading a free lifestyle, openly feeding on food plants;
• caterpillars leading a hidden lifestyle.

Bagworm caterpillar cover ( Psychidae), attached by mulberry to a cereal leaf before pupation.

Caterpillars of diurnal, or club-whiskered, butterflies, as well as most other large Lepidoptera, live openly on food plants. Caterpillars of many families of moth-like lepidoptera lead a secretive lifestyle: in the soil, litter or turf of cereals (often in silk tunnels); inside food plants, mining leaves, shoots and fruits; making various cases that the caterpillar, crawling, drags behind itself (bagworms are most famous for this ( Psychidae), but wearing covers is much more widespread). Caterpillars of very few species live in water, feeding on aquatic plants.

All caterpillars are able to secrete silk. Most use it to attach to the substrate when moving. A caterpillar crawling along a plant or soil constantly leaves behind a thin silken path. If she falls from the branch, she will remain hanging on a silk thread. Caterpillars of some families of moths and moths build tunnels (silk tunnels) from silk. Anyone who has seen the damage caused by the caterpillars of real moths to fur or wool products has noticed silken passages in the undercoat or on the surface of knitted items. Bag makers and some others use silk thread as the basis for making a portable case. Caterpillars of ermine moths and some corydalis build mulberry nests on food plants. In some families, for example, cocoon moths, peacock moths and true silkworms, the caterpillar builds a silk cocoon before molting onto a pupa.

Ecology

Migrations

Caterpillars of the pine silkworm

Symbionts

In a number of species, caterpillars live in anthills, being in a symbiotic relationship with ants, for example, with the genus Myrmica .

The caterpillars of approximately half of all blueberry species ( Lycaenidae) are somehow connected in their development cycle with ants.

Caterpillars of leaf miners Phyllonorycter blancardella live in symbiosis with bacteria that secrete cytokines, these hormones stimulate plant cell division, prolonging photosynthesis, and the resulting “green islands” allow the insect to survive the winter.

Gallery

Caterpillars in culture

In literature

To the cinema

• The caterpillar is the heroine of the Russian cartoon "Gagarin" (1994).
• The Caterpillar (Blue Caterpillar) is the heroine of the 1972 musical film “Alice in Wonderland” (original title “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland”), produced in Great Britain.
• The caterpillar is the heroine of the American cartoon “The Adventures of Flick” (1998).
• Caterpillar (Green Caterpillar) - the heroine of a French cartoon Minuscule (2006).

Economic significance

The species whose caterpillars produce silk are primarily useful to humans. In nature, silk is produced by the caterpillars of many butterflies, constructing cocoons from it. The textile industry prefers ( Bombyx mori), domesticated by humans. Also used in sericulture are the Chinese oak peacock eye ( Antheraea pernyi), which has been bred in China for more than 250 years. Silk is obtained from its cocoons, which is used to make chesuchi. Other types of silkworms do not develop well in captivity, so they are limited to collecting their cocoons in nature. plays an important economic role in silk production. To obtain silk thread, the pupae are first killed using hot steam and water on the tenth day after pupation. A silk cocoon usually contains up to 3,500 meters of fiber, but it can be unwound by barely a third. To get 1 kilogram of raw silk, you need cocoons of about a thousand caterpillars, which eat 60 kilograms of leaves in a month and a half. From 100 kg of cocoons you can get approximately 9 kg of silk thread. Today, 45,000 tons of silk are produced annually worldwide. The main suppliers are Japan, the Republic of Korea and China.

Dried caterpillars silkworm, infected with fungus Beauveria bassiana, used in Chinese folk medicine.

Caterpillars of some species can be used in weed control. The most striking example is the one specially brought to Australia in 1925 from Uruguay and from northern regions Argentina cactus moth ( Cactoblastis cactorum) helped get rid of the introduced prickly pear cactus, which had overgrown millions of hectares of pastures. In 1938, in the Darling River valley, Australian farmers erected a special monument to the caterpillars who saved Australia.

Notes

1. Large encyclopedic dictionary "Biology". - ed. M. S. Gilyarova, M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1998. ISBN 5-85270-252-8
2. Vasmer M. Etymological dictionary of the Russian language. - Progress. - M., 1964–1973. - T. 1. - P. 477.
3. Boryś W. Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego. - Wydawnictwo Literackie. - Kraków, 2005. - P. 158. - ISBN 978-83-08-04191-8
4. Gerasimov A. M. Caterpillars. - 2nd. - Moscow, Leningrad: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences, 1952. - T. 1. - (Fauna of the USSR).
5. Akimushkin I. I. Six-legged arthropods // Animal World: Insects. Spiders. Pets. - 4th ed. - M.: Mysl, 1995. - T. 3. - P. 13. - 462 p. - 15,000 copies.
6. Gerasimov A. M.- ISBN 5-244-00806-4
7. Fauna of the USSR. Volume 56. Lepidoptera insects. Caterpillars. - M.: Publishing house of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1952.
8. The movement of the caterpillar with its insides forward is open. membrana (July 23, 2010). Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
9. Physiology of insects R. Chauvin 1953
10. Key to freshwater invertebrates of Russia. T. 5. St. Petersburg. , 2001, p. 74-78. Milius, Susan
11. Hawaiian Caterpillars Are First Known Amphibious Insects. U.S. News & World Report (23 March 2010). Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Belokobylsky S. A., Tobias V. I. 2007. Sem. Braconidae - Braconids. 9. Subfamily Alysiinae. A group of genera close to Aspilota // In the book: Key to insects Far East
12. Russia. Reticuloptera, Scorpioptera, Hymenoptera. - Vladivostok: Dalnauka. T. 4, part 5. P. 9-133. Tobias V. I. (editor and author or first author)

Order Hymenoptera - Hymenoptera. Family Braconidae - Braconids. 1986. Key to insects of the European part of the USSR. T. 3. The fourth part. 500 s.; Fifth part: p. 1-231, 284-307, Sem. Aphidiidae - Aphidiids, p. 232-283, 308. The hairy caterpillar is characterized by the presence of numerous villi of different lengths throughout the body or in certain areas of it. with exotic appearance found more often in countries with warm climates, in tropical zone

. They have a variety of colors, differ in lifestyle and nutrition. Upon completion of their development, they pupate and a butterfly is born, which can differ significantly in color from the larva.

Nutrition Hairy in most cases– juices of fruits, plants, nectar. However, among them there are predators that eat their own kind - weakened, diseased larvae, butterflies, other small insects, and aphids.

• Polyphages are absolutely indiscriminate in their food, eating almost all vegetation. Lead predominantly night image life.
• Oligophages eat plants of a certain species or genus. Thus, the caterpillar of the swallowtail butterfly feeds exclusively on umbrellas.
• Monophages live and eat one plant. If a particular shrub is heavily infested, other plant species adjacent to it remain completely safe.
• Xylophages do not eat anything except wood. This group caterpillars are always different big amount individuals in one brood.

The transitional form is furry creatures that eat tinder fungi and lichens. A separate group includes keratophages that feed on elements of animal origin - horny cover, wool, skin, hair.

Hairy caterpillar butterfly – ancient inhabitant of our planet, whose roots go back to the time of dinosaurs. There is a huge variety of larvae in the world, distinguished by their unusual appearance and the presence of body hairs of different lengths. A photo of the furry caterpillar is presented below.

On a note!

The furry caterpillar may look quite attractive, but you should not touch it out of curiosity. In most cases, which, if it comes into contact with the skin or wound, causes serious irritation skin, deterioration general well-being – headache, chills, nausea, dizziness, etc.

Appearance of hairy baby butterflies

Photos and titles furry caterpillars presented below. The variety of butterflies and their larvae, colors, and appearance is surprising.

• Yoke. Outwardly it resembles a miniature, harmless, fluffy or hairy animal. However, hidden under the attractive coat are thorns with quite strong poison. Within 5 minutes after touching strange creature throbbing pain appears in the armpit. This is followed by general malaise and signs of intoxication of varying severity. The area touched by the hairy baby butterfly becomes covered with red spots and a rash.
• Traveling silkworm. . Hairy creatures settle in numerous colonies in a large silken nest. Butterflies lay eggs in huge numbers. They feed on the juices of needles and move together in a colony, following one after another. The entire body is covered with hairs and contains poison inside. Touching a person ends in irritation of the skin, and signs of intoxication may be present.
• A hairy caterpillar hiding in a sac. The name of the black hairy caterpillar characterizes its lifestyle. During the day, the larvae hide en masse in a special silk bag, which they form for themselves. At night they move in groups in search of food. They resemble the appearance and lifestyle of traveling silkworm larvae, but are more dangerous to humans. The large hairy caterpillar contains an anticoagulant poison that prevents blood from clotting and can cause internal bleeding. The butterfly is absolutely safe.
• ragwort. The black and orange hairy larva is dangerous if eaten large quantity juice poisonous plant- godson. In countries North America butterflies and their offspring are used to destroy harmful plants on the site. The hairy caterpillar is dangerous for large cattle, horses. An animal can die from its presence on the body. It brings a temporary deterioration in health to a person.
• Witch moth. Brown, shaggy, unusual shape. More like a flower with petals. Lives in orchards, feeds on the juices of plants and vegetables. It does not pose any particular danger to humans, but after touching, a rash, redness, and itching are observed.
• Volnyanka. The furry black-and-red caterpillar has a red head. The body is black, with red stripes with spikes on the sides. The red color of the head warns of the danger of a small creature. The pest lives on trees and eats the bark. At large numbers larvae, the plant risks dying. You should not remove the caterpillar from the tree with your hands; the larva stings unpleasantly, causes an allergic reaction on the skin, and general malaise.
• Saddle-haired. A red caterpillar with a light green pattern. Outwardly it resembles a dog in bright clothes. Muzzle, tail, back. The light green pattern on the body looks like a saddle. This is where the name comes from. An attractive hairy creature is dangerous to human health. There are spines with poison on the fleshy horns on both sides of the body.

A furry caterpillar passes by

The bear butterfly got its name due to the appearance of the caterpillar, which is covered with thick hairs reminiscent of bear fur. Large fur balls really look more like baby animals than insects.

Family Features

All female bears are relatively large in size. They have a plump body. The front wings are triangular in shape and in most species are brightly colored. The hind wings are smaller and often have a modest coloration. A calm or resting bear butterfly folds its wings like a house, hiding their brightness.

An important feature common to the entire family is toxicity. The blood of these butterflies has a bitter taste - this is for those who did not understand the signal of the motley wings and still decided to attack. Majority poisonous creatures look catchy, as if warning predators about their peculiarity. It is difficult to digest such prey; it can cause irritation in digestive system or allergies.

Young people are no less protected. Not only does the bear butterfly caterpillar have bitter, poisonous blood, but its hairs also secrete a strong irritant. Not only should you not chew it, but you shouldn’t even touch it. Thanks to this feature, both adult butterflies and caterpillars have virtually no natural enemies.

Caterpillar

Before turning into butterflies, caterpillars have to do a lot of work and perform an important task - to eat for future use. Therefore, they are omnivorous and gluttonous. Caterpillars eat shrubs and herbaceous plants, and tree foliage. This harms the plants.

Before pupation, the caterpillar spins a loose, silky cocoon. She weaves her own fallen hairs into the walls. The pupa inside the cocoon is motionless.

Lifestyle of the bear butterfly

Ursa bears are distributed throughout the world. Entomologists know about 11 thousand species representing the bear family. At least 60 species of these butterflies live in the European part of Russia.

Most bears are nocturnal or nocturnal, but there are certain species that are awake during the day, although these are in the minority.

It is noteworthy that bears have no developed oral apparatus at all. Adult sexually mature individuals - imago - do not eat food.

Lady bear

In the middle zone, the lady bear butterfly is very common. It is quite large, its wingspan reaches 5.5 cm.

These butterflies live in shady and damp places in June and July. They inhabit ravines, river banks, forest glades and clearings. Caterpillars eat leaves of bushes and herbaceous plants: willow, blackberry, strawberry. Pupation occurs in the spring.

Kaya bear

No less common is the Kaya bear. Representatives of the species are very beautiful. The wingspan of up to 8 cm makes them one of the largest in our country.

The fore wings of the female bear kaya are coffee brown, with white constrictions. On the rear red wings there are large black and blue peas.

Kaya bears live in late summer. Their black, furry caterpillars emerge in the fall, survive the winter, and transform into butterflies in the summer. At the moment of danger, the caterpillars curl up into a ring, protecting all their important organs, exposing their poisonous hairs. Caterpillars weave their cocoons under snags and fallen tree trunks.

American polar bear

The beautiful snow-white bear butterfly with a hairy head is actually a formidable pest for agricultural and forestry. This species, originally from North America, came to Europe in the middle of the last century, from where it spread across Ukraine, southern and western Russia, and penetrated into Turkmenistan and other countries of the Middle East. Experts believe that this could not have happened due to natural reasons and the butterflies came to the mainland with cargo transported across the Atlantic.

As this butterfly is also sometimes called, it is of medium size, its wingspan does not exceed 3.6 cm. Environmentalists and the quarantine service are taking measures to prevent the further spread of this pest.

Leopard bear

This butterfly is found in the eastern United States. Its wingspan reaches 8 cm, which makes it one of the most major representatives families.

Hebe the Bear

A common species of Hebe bear is found in steppe zone. This bear is a country butterfly and can be found at night, from May to July.

Hebe's wingspan reaches 5.5 cm. Her forewings are light, with dark constrictions. The hind wings are red, decorated with dark spots.

Grim Cave Butterfly

Transcaspian gloomy bear - very unusual butterfly. It owes its name to both its unprepossessing appearance and lifestyle. This insect spends most of its life on the walls of caves and the stalactites growing on them. At night, this butterfly emerges from its hiding place and often flies up to tourist sites, attracted by the light of fires. It is noteworthy that caterpillars and pupae live far from caves, preferring steppes covered with wormwood and forbs.

This species is still poorly studied. And other representatives of bears keep many secrets.

Woodworm is a leading butterfly nightlife. It is also called the willow woodborer.

Appearance of the willow woodborer

Males have a wingspan of about 70 millimeters, while females are larger - their wingspan is 75-100 millimeters.

The forewings of the woodworm can be gray or grey-brown with off-white spots and dark transverse lines, creating a marbled pattern.

The hind wings of the woodworm are fragrant dark brown with dark matte lines.

The chest is dark in the upper part, and towards the abdomen it becomes lighter and becomes almost white. The abdomen is thick, dark gray in color. It is covered with hair-like scales. Females have a retractable, clearly visible ovipositor.

Habitat of wood borers

These butterflies live in Western Europe, in China and the Mediterranean. They live in the forest-steppe and forest zones of the Caucasus, Siberia, the Far East, Transcaucasia and Central Asia.

The color of the woodworm is not similar to that of other butterflies - gray, pale and inconspicuous.

Habitats of willow wood borers

They are found in all zones of broadleaf and mixed forests, in gardens, parks and forest plantations. In the Caucasus they rise to upper limit forests, and in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan they live in oases.

Lifestyle of wood borers

This is a sedentary species, leading a nocturnal lifestyle. Flight occurs at the end of May - beginning of August. On Black Sea coast, at warm weather flight may begin in mid-April. In Transcaucasia it runs from May to July, and in Tuva and Buryatia from June to August.
Willow woodborers fly low above the ground. The flight lasts about 2 weeks, mainly at night.

Reproduction of odorous woodworms

The females of these butterflies lay their eggs, as a rule, in the crevices of trees. There can be 700-1000 eggs in a clutch. She lays them in groups of 15-230 pieces. The eggs are oblong, about 1.2-1.7 millimeters long, light brown in color. They are coated with a sticky substance that hardens when exposed to air.

Willow borer caterpillars eat wood. Caterpillars of the first instar are cherry-red or pink in color, while caterpillars of subsequent instars are darker. At the end of development, the size of the caterpillars is 80-120 millimeters. They spend the winter in passages made in wood. They close the entrance to the chamber using drill flour.

Caterpillars of the first instar create a common course and stick together. The passages are filled with caterpillar excrement and drill flour. After wintering, each individual gnaws deep into a separate passage, where they develop.

An adult caterpillar makes passages with a peg diameter of 16 millimeters. On trees with thick bark, caterpillars make their burrows only after the first winter, but on trees with smooth, thin bark, they penetrate the wood earlier, most often a month after hatching.

At the end of summer, the caterpillar leaves the tree and burrows into the soil next to the tree. She then makes a silk cocoon by adding bits of soil to its walls. The caterpillar pupates in that cocoon.

Caterpillars in the garden, on summer cottage capable of destroying crops. The invasion of voracious pests indicates insufficient attention to preventive measures.

Types of harmful caterpillars

Most leaf-eating insects cause damage to plants. Caterpillars damage leaves, suck out nutritious juice, and cause curling and drying out of the green mass.

The pests overwinter in the leaves; with the onset of spring, a whole horde of hundreds/thousands of eggs and grown individuals safely move onto the trees, vegetable crops. Moth, hawthorn, silkworm, cabbage moth, and leaf roller actively destroy plants and reduce yields. If there is a large concentration of butterflies and their larvae, the damage to the farm can be very serious.

Harmful caterpillars in the garden:

• hawthorn. Hairy creature, color – yellow-black. Actively creates nests for the winter, wraps a web around the base of the leaf blade and petiole. On bare fruit trees in the cold season, the web is clearly visible. You must not hesitate to destroy the lacewing caterpillars: up to three thousand individuals can be in one nest;
• goldentail A pest with a bright color, its characteristic color scheme is a combination of black and red-orange. The pest attaches nests to branches, tightly wraps itself around adjacent leaves and internodes, creating a reliable home for the cold season. You also cannot hesitate if the tree is dotted with nests inhabited by hundreds of voracious pests. Cutting off damaged areas together with the “tenants” will save the garden from the invasion of caterpillars;
• leaf roller Dangerous pest Green colour It doesn’t look as scary as the silkworm, goldentail or hawthorn, but it does no less harm. The caterpillar eats leaves, stems, flowers, and destroys the plant almost completely. Leaf rollers twist the greens into a tube, build a nest with a web inside, and feed on the juices of the leaf. Pests actively reproduce: up to three generations can change in a season;
• gypsy moth. Hairy creatures with long hairs are clearly visible on trees. Leaves damaged by pests attract even more attention: often only veins remain of the greenery. Gypsy moth most often lives in forests, but if it gets into the garden it causes big damage fruit trees.

How to get rid of it: effective methods of control

There are several ways to clear your garden, vegetable garden, and flower garden from voracious creatures. The best option- monitor the condition of plants all year round, prevent the invasion of caterpillars, regularly spray the garden and vegetable garden with decoctions with a natural base.

If furry, unpleasant-looking creatures have filled the area, traces of activity are clearly visible on the leaves, only an integrated approach will help.

Mechanical methods

Any amateur gardener will cope with the task if he decides to collect pests from the crown or prevent the penetration of wintering caterpillars from the soil. Experienced owners offer several ways to fight.

• Proven methods: manual collection of pests. The method is effective if there are few caterpillars. It is important to go through all areas of the crown, collect the voracious creatures in a bucket, and then destroy them. It's not a pleasant task, but the result is good. Many gardeners use the method of collecting pests with low plants
• or dwarf varieties of fruit trees; glue belt Means with strange name
• prevents pests from crawling from the soil to the crown. The method is harmless to the tree. Boil 2 parts of birch tar, pour in 1 part of burdock oil, boil for 2 minutes, remove the mixture from the stove, cool. Apply a thick mixture to the trunks of fruit trees. Pests will not be able to overcome the barrier of sticky mass; the owners will only have to collect the furry creatures from the protective adhesive belt; cutting off the nests and oviposition of some pests. The sooner the owner discovers leaves damaged by lacewing, apple moth, and hawthorn, the greater the guarantee that all pests will be collected. It is important to remove leaves before the caterpillars move to open form

nutrition.

Biological methods

The fight against the attraction of natural enemies has been practiced for decades. The owners noticed that many birds eat garden pests in large quantities.

If there are not many caterpillars bred, the winged helpers are able to completely clear the area of ​​pests. The owners need to attract birds to the garden, set up titmice, nest boxes, and birdhouses. Important!

Chemicals against caterpillars

Experts consider it the most effective method of combating voracious creatures in the garden. After spraying with toxic drugs, most individuals die.

Unfortunately, the method has downsides:

• the use of chemicals often provokes intoxication in people after eating processed fruits;
• a constant change of insecticides is required: pests get used to the components of the drug, control turns out to be ineffective.

What to do? Select formulations of the latest generations that do not cause resistance in caterpillars. Experienced owners recommend alternating toxic drugs and decoctions of herbal ingredients.

Effective insecticides against caterpillars:

• Karate.
• Aktara.
• Decis Pro.
• Inta – Vir.
• Spark.
• Kinmiks.
• Rovikurt.
• Lightning.
• Ram.
• Sumi is Alpha.
• Fufanon.

Find out the instructions for using the aerosol in the apartment, as well as precautions when using the chemical.

How to get rid of flies in an apartment? Effective methods fight against buzzing insects are described on the page.

Folk remedies and recipes

Spraying fruit and vegetable crops with safe, non-toxic compounds brings only benefits. There are several compounds that destroy/repel smooth and hairy caterpillars.

Proven means:

• decoction of black henbane. The product is used when hawthorn, cabbage white, and goldentail appear. You will need 2.5 kg of chopped plants (leaves and twigs). Pour water over the greens, boil for half an hour, bring the volume to 10 liters, boil again, remove from heat. Let the product sit for 12 hours, strain, add liquid soap or a handful of grated laundry soap. Spray the affected plants 5–6 times when the pests have just appeared;
• decoction from the stems of peppermint. The plant's shoots will be needed during the flowering period. For 2 kg of fresh raw materials, take 10 liters of boiling water, close the bucket with a lid, and let it brew for a day. Remove the green mass, strain, spray garden crops when leaf-eating insects appear;
• red elderberry decoction. Another proven remedy for repelling caterpillars, beetles, slugs, and fly larvae. Finely chop 200 g of stems and leaves, steam in 10 liters of boiling water, leave for 24 hours, strain. For active adhesion to the surface of the leaves, many owners add shavings from laundry soap to a bucket of warm water. Spraying should be done before and after flowering.

When pest caterpillars appear, there is no time to waste: the nests are inhabited by thousands of individuals, ready to gnaw leaves and young shoots. Decoctions with herbal ingredients and proven insecticides will help repel and destroy pests. Mechanical methods of controlling leaf-eating pests have a good effect.

The following video talks about an excellent remedy for protecting cabbage from pest caterpillars:

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