Usually, moths at rest fold their wings into a house, becoming completely invisible, and it is impossible to admire their beauty. Moths are another matter. They do not fold their wings even during the day, exposing their bizarre unusual patterns for everyone to see.

The variegated moth is distributed throughout Eurasia, with the exception of southern regions. Its range covers Far East, Caucasus, Tien Shan, Northern Mongolia and Southeast.

WINGED CLOUD

This butterfly, despite small size, is one of the most spectacular. The thin, graceful body bears wide, delicate white wings, the front wings triangular and the hind wings rounded. These “clouds” are shaded with a black and white border and decorated with 2-3 dark spots, giving the butterfly a particularly elegant look. It is even called a clouded border, which can be roughly translated as “cloud bordering”.

It must be said that the bordered moth is very changeable. Its variations mainly differ in the size and shape of the black spots. At the same time, there are almost completely white and dark-colored individuals, although they are extremely rare. Males usually have a wider black border than females, although not always.

DIFFERENT MOTHS

Moths are a fairly large family of butterflies: it includes at least 15 thousand species distributed throughout the globe. According to this indicator, they are second only to cutworms. Sometimes such butterflies are called moths. There are other names for them - nocturnal, or different-whiskered, butterflies. The fact is that females have thread-like antennae, while males often have feathery ones. Sexual dimorphism is generally characteristic of moths. Thus, females of some species that fly in autumn and winter do not have wings at all.

All moths are relative small sizes. The vast majority of their species are active at night, and during the day they sit on plants with their wings spread and slightly pulled back. The front wings do not cover the hind wings and have a similar color. It is protective in nature, that is, it allows the butterfly to remain unnoticed.

Interestingly, in areas with increased pollution, where the trunks of birch trees darkened, the wings of the birch moth also became darker. The fact is that light-colored butterflies are more noticeable on blackened trunks; birds peck at them more often. As a result of such selection, the number of dark-colored melanistic individuals in the population increases (they have an excess of dark pigment - melanin). This phenomenon has become widespread famous example so-called industrial melanism.

CATERPILLAR-BITCH

Moth caterpillars are easy to identify both by their structure and behavior. They are bare, hairless, thin and long, colored to match the color of branches, stems or leaves. They have three pairs of thoracic legs and two pairs of abdominal legs (the so-called false ones). If they are frightened, they stretch upward at an angle, supported by their abdominal legs, and thus freeze for a long time, becoming very similar to a dry stick or twig. This is possible thanks to well-developed muscles.

Many species of the moth family are classified as pests. Their caterpillars sometimes cause significant damage to fruit trees over large areas.

SPADS, FATHS AND SURVEYERS

Moths owe their name to caterpillars. Previously, length in Rus' was measured in spans. This is the name given to the distance between the ends of the outstretched fingers of the hand; this value is approximately 17.78 cm. To measure something in spans, it is convenient to “walk” with your hand, now connecting and then spreading your thumb and index fingers.

The moth caterpillar moves in a very similar way. Having secured itself on a branch with its pectoral legs, it bends the middle part of its body in a loop upward and moves its abdominal legs towards its pectoral legs. Then, having strengthened itself with its abdominal legs, the caterpillar stretches its body forward, strengthens itself again with its thoracic legs and walks like a hand measuring the length of a hand. Is it worth explaining why the second name for moths is “land surveyors”?

LONG WINTER SLEEP

About 1 thousand species of moths live in Kamchatka, and in Kamchatka - 79. The bordered moth can be found in swamps and wetlands, on forest edges, in floodplains and meadow valleys, along roadsides, but everywhere it is quite rare. Butterflies fly in June - July, usually in the evening and early at night. However, some of them are active during the day and can fly to the light at night.

The food plants of this butterfly are poplar, willow, birch and aspen. The caterpillars of the moth are dark green in color, with a whitish stripe running down the side. Their pupae are naked, flask-shaped, with a forked spine at the end of the abdomen. The caterpillars pupate in the ground and remain there for the winter. At the same time, there is information that some pupae went into a long diapause of up to four years.

The moth caterpillar Nemoriinae tribe attaches flower petals to its body with a silk thread for camouflage, and when they wither, it replaces them with fresh ones.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF

Class: insects.
Order: Lepidoptera, or butterflies.
Family: moths.
Species: Variegated moth.
Latin name: Lomaspilis marginata.
Size: wingspan - 30-38 mm.
Color: white with dark spots.
Life expectancy of a moth: about a year.

All types of butterflies go through the caterpillar stage in the process of formation from egg to adult. The moth is no exception, and its offspring, with enviable concentration, are able to devour berry and fruit plantings on personal plots, in large farm gardens and nurseries.

External characteristics of the moth butterfly caterpillar

Like adults, the caterpillar form of moths has a characteristic camouflage coloration. Its color depends on which plant the insect moves and feeds on.. Their ability to become indistinguishable from branches, stems, cuttings and other parts of the crop is truly amazing. Sometimes, looking almost point blank, it is impossible to recognize the pest.

The thin bodies of the caterpillars have almost no villi. The insect freezes in a position stretched to the side or upward and becomes invisible to its main enemies - birds, merging with the tree. Very developed muscles and a pair of strong abdominal limbs help them maintain their weight. TO The caterpillar is attached to leaves and branches with a strong thread. It also rises along it if it is blown away by a gust of wind or when another danger occurs..

It is known that the body of caterpillars consists of separate segments. So, in the moth, the abdominal limbs are located on segments 6 and 10, or 5 and 6, or 4 and 5. When moving, it seems that the caterpillar seems to fold in half, then throws one part forward, pulls the back again, folding. As if measuring distance. For which it received the name “surveyor”.

Distinctive features of different types of land surveyors

There are several most common varieties in the Russian Federation:

Sosnovaya. Green caterpillar with five lateral white stripes. Pupation occurs in late autumn in the litter near a tree.

Winter. Goes through 5 stages of transformation and 4 molts. Transparent green in color with a darkened longitudinal line on the back and three lateral light stripes. They begin to pupate in June, deep in the soil (15 cm). In August-September, butterflies emerge (they do not fly) and climb to the top of the tree. Eggs are laid next to the bud; up to 400 eggs can be laid in a small crack.

Ripped off(deciduous). Brown or yellow individual with a bright yellow side stripe and brown spots.

Gooseberry. A whitish caterpillar interspersed with yellow and black.

Plants are victims of surveyor caterpillars

Almost all types of plants are at risk:

Pine moth. Active from July to October. Destroys huge areas of coniferous plantations by eating needles.

Gooseberry. In addition to the berry bush of the same name, it destroys currant and hazel plantings. Activity: spring and autumn periods.

Ripped off. Eater of any garden fruits, berries and deciduous trees.

Winter. Enemy of berry, fruit and fruit trees.

Photos

Measures to combat land surveyor

The winter one is considered the most harmful of all species for gardeners. Every 6-8 years she experiences a peak in fertility. Outbreaks of frenzied reproduction can last 2-3 years.

The most effective method is the autumn digging of the tree trunk circle with a meticulous inspection of each shovel of earth to identify pupae. This action needs to be carried out every 2-3 weeks. But that is not all:

Treat the crowns of trees and shrubs oleocuprite and DNOC. Early in spring, before the snow melts. You can use drug No. 30.

Spray the plants before flowering Karbofos.

Treat with chemicals.

Hanging the hunting belt on glue. It is attached directly to the trunks at a height of 20-30 cm from the ground. When a butterfly rises up to the crown, it will definitely fall into it. In the fall, the trap is removed and burned.

Birds are the best helpers when exterminating caterpillars. Feeding sparrows, tits, and starlings will do good service to garden plants.

To combat pine moths, the plant layer under the trees is raked in the fall. This leads to the death of the bulk of the caterpillars. Grazing pigs in these places will double the efficiency. Pigs love the larvae of these insects.

It is easier to destroy the gooseberry caterpillar mechanically, that is, by collecting it by hand and burning it I. The color of the larvae makes them clearly visible on the bush. Spring spraying with arsenic solution is possible.

The most effective method for stripping is adhesive belts.

Fighting the moth required condition to preserve the health and abundance of forest and garden plantings. After all, this insect is prone to outbreaks of mass reproduction, which means it can cause enormous damage in a short period.

Video "A surveyor caterpillar crawls along a branch"

Moth butterfly caterpillars cause great harm to garden and vegetable crops, eating everything in their path. Because of appearance They are difficult to detect and due to their characteristics, their second name is land surveyors. The article discusses the appearance of caterpillars, what they eat and how to fight them.

Surveyor caterpillars or moths:

What does it look like?

Land surveyor caterpillars are thin and long, have a camouflage color and are very difficult to detect due to the fact that the color depends on the plant on which they live and feed.

Also, there are practically no villi on the body of these caterpillars, and when the moths freeze in one position, stretching either to the side or upward, they become practically indistinguishable from twigs. This way they camouflage themselves from birds. They are helped to take this position by their highly developed muscles and a pair of strong abdominal limbs.

Like all caterpillars, the body of these pests consists of segments. The peculiarity is that their abdominal limbs, located on the 7th and 9th segments (false legs), are not developed and the caterpillar moves, so as if measuring the surface with a span:

• Strengthens the thoracic limbs;
• Bends in a loop;
• Moves the false legs towards the pectoral legs;
• Then it clings with these thoracic limbs;
• Pulls the body into the forehand position and attaches itself again with the chest.

Another adaptation of the pest is that they are attached by a thread to the surface on which they crawl and if, for example, a caterpillar is blown away by a gust of wind, it rises back along this thread.

Varieties of caterpillar

There are more than 23,000 species of moths. The most common in Russia and the CIS countries are:

• Winter moth. A transparent caterpillar with a greenish tint, which has one dark longitudinal stripe along the back and three lighter lateral stripes. It has five growth stages and four molts. It pupates in June in the soil under a tree, and in August butterflies emerge from the pupa, which cannot fly and climb up the tree.
• Pine. It has a green color and five lateral white lines. Pupates late autumn in the litter under a tree.
• Gooseberry moth. Light caterpillar with yellow and black splashes.
• Ripped off. It has a brown or yellow color. A lateral yellow stripe runs down the body, and brown spots may be present.

Surveyor:

What plants are affected?

These moth butterfly caterpillars eat all the plants in a row. As for the above types, then they love to eat:

• Coniferous plantings. This is a favorite delicacy of the pine moth, which eats pine needles from July to October.
• Gooseberry, currant and other garden bushes. This is the food of the gooseberry moth.
• Berry and fruit trees are devoured, stripped, and moths.

Struggle

To combat these pests, the following measures are used:

1.Biological:

• The enemies of moths are parasitic insects and tahina flies. They eat moth caterpillars. Therefore, it is necessary to create conditions for attracting and breeding beneficial insects. They can be attracted by nectars from the seeds of the umbrella family (carrots, celery, dill, etc.);
• Treat plants in the spring before flowering with bacterial insecticides;
• Attracting sparrows and tits to the garden.

2.Agrotechnical:

• Digging the soil at a depth of 15 cm in August to destroy winter moth pupae;
• Loosening the surface layer of the earth from mid-September;
• Autumn collection and destruction of leaves.

3.Mechanical;

• In September, place trapping paper belts coated with special glue on the trunks of bushes and trees. This will help catch female butterflies and at the end of November it is necessary to remove the device and burn it;

Dropping the caterpillars in the morning onto the fabric placed under the plant and further burning the pest.

4.Chemical:

• Treatment with a solution of oleocuprite and DNOC in the spring before the snow completely melts;
• Preparation No. 30;
• Before flowering, spray with a solution of karbofos or arsenic.

Land surveyor caterpillars are quite harmful and difficult to detect, but when you notice that the plant is being eaten, you need to begin pest control measures.

The moth is a family of small butterflies, which includes 15 thousand species. This family got its name because of the way the caterpillars move.

During movement, the caterpillar bends, while moving its hind legs towards the front ones, when it is secured with its hind legs, the front part of the body is thrown forward.

So she alternates movements that are similar to measuring with long spans. Moth caterpillars can move at quite high speeds.

Birch moth

One of the most common species among moths is the birch moth. This butterfly has soft green wings with broken transverse lines of a whitish color. In addition, there are thin spots on the wings. The wingspan of the birch moth reaches 4 centimeters.

The caterpillars of this species are also green. They have formations on their backs that resemble warts. The end of the abdomen and the head are brown. The caterpillars of these butterflies prefer to settle on birch, but they can also live on alder, hazel and beech.

Green moth butterflies are most often found from June to August.

Gooseberry moth

The gooseberry moth is distinguished by its white forewings, on which bright orange stripes and large spots are visible. large quantities. And the hind wings are covered with black spots. The body is black and also covered with spots.

When a gooseberry moth sits on a branch, it looks like the excrement of small birds, so predatory insects do not notice it. The wingspan of the gooseberry moth reaches 3 centimeters.

The caterpillars are light-colored and have large black spots on their backs. The caterpillars of these butterflies live mostly on gooseberries, but also settle on red currants and bird cherry.

Flight of gooseberry moths occurs in June-August.

Winter moth

Male winter moths have well-formed wings. They have two pairs of yellow-gray wings with longitudinal lines and stripes. The fore wings are darker than the hind wings. The wingspan of the winter moth reaches 2.5 centimeters.

Females have shortened gray-brown wings with noticeable dark transverse stripes. These wings are not suitable for flight.

Green caterpillars. On the sides they have 3 longitudinal lines white. There is a black stripe on the back.

Butterflies appear in autumn in October-November.

Females that cannot fly climb up tree trunks and lay eggs in a bud. Caterpillars develop in almost any tree species, but moths cause the most serious damage to gardens. After the buds open, the caterpillars begin to feed on the leaves. In May-June, mature caterpillars burrow into the soil, where pupation occurs. At mass attack caterpillars on trees, they can completely eat up all the foliage.

Fluttering butterflies fascinate with their lightness and carelessness. However, these air creatures are not as harmless as they seem at first glance. The moth is a representative of the large family Geometridae, a malicious pest of trees, shrubs, and plants. Some species, under favorable conditions, are capable of mass reproduction, causing serious harm to agriculture and forestry.

Characteristic features of moths

The moth butterfly, also known as the land surveyor, is distinguished by a narrow, weak body and wide wings, the span of which varies from 1 to 5 cm. On average, it is limited to 3 cm. The color is mostly inconspicuous and corresponds to the habitat of the insect, providing reliable camouflage. Peak flight activity occurs at night.

It is interesting that in most species of moths, females do not fly, since their wings are poorly developed. This fact is often used when exterminating pests.

Moths have no eyes. A perfect system helps them navigate their environment nervous system and a special Johnston organ that analyzes vibrations sound waves, air flow directions. Through this organ, butterflies evaluate environment and communicate with each other.

Considering the structure of the insect, the question involuntarily arises as to what the moth breathes. The butterfly has spiracles on its sides. When inhaled, air enters the respiratory tubes and is delivered to all organs through a dense network of branched tracheas.

The oral apparatus of adult individuals is designed in such a way that they can only feed on flower nectar of plants. The weak proboscis is not able to gnaw through harder food: leaves, stems.

What does a moth caterpillar look like?

The adult moth does not harm plant stands and even brings benefits by pollinating flowers. Indirect harm to the butterfly lies in the laying of eggs, from which voracious offspring emerge. The moth caterpillar can be distinguished by the following characteristics:

• the length of the thin body ranges from 5-7 cm;
• The location of the abdominal legs is characteristic only for this species: on the seventh and ninth abdominal segments;
• During movement, the caterpillar bends the middle part of its body in a loop and moves its abdominal legs towards its pectoral legs, then, having strengthened itself, it pulls its body forward, which gives the impression that it is measuring the ground.

The characteristic movement of the moth caterpillar has much in common with measuring distances with the fingers (span), which is reflected in the name of the family.

The color of the caterpillars is different. They camouflage themselves with the color of foliage and tree bark. At the moment of danger, they take a protective pose: they extend their body at an angle to the surface on which they are located and supported by their abdominal legs. In this position, moth caterpillars can easily be mistaken for a dry twig.

The young generation feeds depending on the species in different time years: spring, summer, autumn. They eat buds, buds, stems, and leaves of plants. Most of them are omnivores and only a few limit their diet to one crop.

Harmful species of moths

The moth family has more than 23,000 species. About 2,500 live in the CIS. Among them there are many pests that eat the vegetative and generative parts of plants, thereby worsening their growth, development, and fruit quality.

Pine moth

Lives everywhere where there are plantings coniferous trees. The pine moth has the same body structure as all representatives of this family and is distinguished by its color:

• males are dark brown, have small patches of white or yellow on the wings and a large triangle at the base;
• the wings of females are rust-colored with yellow spots;
• a young caterpillar of green color with a yellow head, its size does not exceed 3 mm; as it matures, it acquires a yellow-green color with white longitudinal stripes and grows up to 3 cm;
• The green pupa is 12-14 mm long and turns dark brown at the end of the pupation stage.

The caterpillars feed on pine needles; in their absence, they do not neglect cedar, fir, and spruce. In dry summers they begin to actively reproduce and can destroy large areas of coniferous plantations. After an invasion of pests, trees lose their crown, weaken, dry out and are of no value to industry.

One pine moth caterpillar eats 3.5 kg of needles.

Mating begins in early summer. The female lays 28-30 eggs in rows, 4-7 eggs in each.

Moth was ripped off

The moth is not very picky about what it eats and happily harms all fruit trees. Rose hips, willow, hazel, blueberries, and birch are not ignored. What does the gluttonous look look like:

• male with straw-yellow wings with black dots, wingspan reaches 5 cm, willingly flies into the light; years begins in mid-September;
• females without wings, white body with black spots; while the male flies, crawls onto the trees closer to the top and lays eggs yellow color under the kidneys;
• brown or yellow caterpillars emerge from eggs in April and eat the buds, causing damage to orchards.

A female moth can lay from 200 to 800 eggs.

Green moth

The green moth is quite large in size. The wingspan is 45-50 mm. Newly pupated butterflies are distinguished by their rich green with transverse white stripes. As they age, the color of the wings fades.

It lives throughout Europe in bushes and forests. Prefers hazel and birch, but does not neglect others deciduous trees. The young caterpillar is brown, 25-30 mm long. Overwinters in the soil, under the bark. Acquires in spring green color with brown spots - reminders of the old colors.

Moth tailed

Widely distributed in western Eurasia. The tailed moth has distinctive feature- small tails on the hind wings. The young butterfly is lemon yellow in color, which quickly fades to cream. The caterpillars are brown with characteristic protrusions in the form of knobs.

It is rare to see the tailed moth butterfly, due to its short life cycle. The short summer begins at the end of June and ends at the beginning of July.

Gooseberry moth

Lives everywhere, with the exception of northern latitudes. The gooseberry moth is distinguished by the original coloring of its wings, which varies from white to rich yellow shades. The pattern is variable and most often represents a wavy line on the front wings.

It feeds on the leaves of bushes. Before pupation, the caterpillar rolls up the leaf into a tube, securing it with a web.

Butterflies are active not only at night, but also during the day. Their flights are observed throughout the entire summer period.

Sorrel moth

The butterfly is not distinguished by its large dimensions and colorful coloring. The wingspan is 20-25 mm and has a nondescript beige color with a crimson edge. The sorrel moth prefers damp areas and feeds on buckwheat plants, sorrel, and knotweed.

Two generations appear in a year. Caterpillars of the dark purple, there is a light stripe on the back. The color of the pupa is grayish-brown.

Clover moth

Color and shape are very variable, due to its wide range. The background of the wings varies from white to yellow. There are 2 regenerations per year. The clover moth is found mainly in meadows and fields.

Flower moth

The flower moth affects barberry, hawthorn, thorn, fruit trees. The color of the front wings of the butterfly is gray, brown with brown stripes and dark spots. It overwinters in the pupal stage, from which a light green caterpillar with a red dorsal stripe emerges. They chew out leaves and holes in flowers.

Flower moths can destroy 25% of foliage.

How to deal with moths

Measures to combat moths are determined by the type of pest and the degree of infestation. Mechanical methods are very labor-intensive, but also the safest:

• in the morning, caterpillars are shaken off the leaves onto the litter and destroyed;
• to prevent flightless females from laying eggs at the end of summer and beginning of autumn, sticky “catching” belts are placed on the trunks; these can be paper rings, circles made of automobile rubber, smeared with non-drying glue, sticky tape for flies; at the end of November the belts are removed and burned;
• collection and destruction of fallen leaves under plants, leaves entangled in cobwebs containing moth pupae.

Agrotechnical measures for the destruction of moth pupae:

• digging up soil in tree trunk circles not only in autumn, but also in summer;
• loosening the surface layers of the earth until the end of April and from the first ten days of September;
• regular removal of moss and dead parts of bark from trunks;
• whitewashing trees with garden mortar in early March and October.

Treatment with insecticidal preparations is carried out in case of a large number of caterpillars in the spring. Spraying is carried out before the plants flower. To destroy pests, solutions of Karbofos, Zologna, Neoksin, Decis, Fitoverm are used.

Moths have biological enemies: parasitic insects and tahina flies. To attract them, sunflowers, clovers, decorative onions, and phacelia are planted in garden plots.

Thematic video