The pine moth belongs to the family of pest butterflies living in Russia. Due to attachment to coniferous forests, it received such a name, and regardless of the region of habitat. These insects are common throughout the country. If massive invasions occur, then this population of butterflies remains in the selected area for a long time.
Characteristics at different stages of development
There are several types of moths, but most of all the pine is similar to fir, which has yellowish-grayish wings with brown spots.
Butterflies of this family differ in color, and the structure has almost everything the same. Appearance of the pine moth: the body looks like a slender thin stick, the upper wings are slightly raised up, and the hind ones are rounded. Forms of butterfly development:
- Caterpillar. A green caterpillar with a yellow head hatching from an egg, the size of which is about three millimeters. Further, it acquires a yellow-green or blue-green color, and also three longitudinal strips appear throughout the body and head. When the caterpillar reaches 30 mm, then it has three pairs of legs, which are respectively located on the breast, peritoneum and there is one false back pair.
- Dolly. At this stage, it is green, but during the transformation, the color becomes brown with a brilliant hue.
- Female. The wingspan is approximately 35 mm. The wing is brown with a touch of rust, in the upper part there are small spots of yellowish-white color, and in the lower part there are dark. The breasts and belly of females are larger than males. And also in females there are brown-yellow antennae.
- Male. Its wings are somewhat smaller and, as a rule, brown with white or yellow dots, and a triangular spot is traced at the base of the wings. The body is slim.
What does the pine moth eat?
This butterfly adores pine needles. In exceptional cases, it can feast on cedar, fir, spruce or any other species. It affects forests, parks and gardens. Mostly butterflies like low-lying plains with high or medium moisture content. Butterfly breeds, usually in the heat, and if the summer season is also dry, then this leads to a huge and rapid population growth.
Further, in the event of a warm fall, the pine moth can destroy colossal coniferous spaces. It is known that in the period from 1940 to 1944 there was a massive invasion of butterflies throughout the European part of the country. They destroyed the crowns of pines, weakened and many other trees that could not withstand the raid of bark beetles and barbel, which ultimately led to very unpleasant consequences. Parasites gnawed plants up and down. After two years, such trees become unsuitable for use in industrial needs.
Stages of biological development
Mating occurs in the first summer month. Huge replenishment of the posterity of the pine moth, as a rule, occurs in June-July. A female makes egg-laying and places them in rows on old needles of about thirty at a time. On average, four to seven rows are obtained. If there are a lot of butterflies, for example, during invasions, egg laying can also be located on the needles that have just appeared. As a rule, the female lays from 80 to 230 eggs during one season. About twenty days are required for their development, but if the summer is hot, then this process is reduced to eight days.
As soon as a caterpillar hatches from an egg, it immediately begins to feed on needles, gnawing longitudinal grooves. As it grows, it eats the needles on both sides, it does not touch the base and trunk. Mature individuals eat whole needles. While the butterfly is at the caterpillar stage, it absorbs about one hundred needles, which is about 3.5 kg. Insects feed mainly at night. First, they destroy the old, and then new needles. This process continues until late fall. Starting in October, the caterpillar hides in the litter, which is located under the tree, and pupates for the winter. From the beginning of May - June, the pupa transforms into an adult.
Control of the moth
In order for the caterpillars not to turn into butterflies, preventive measures should be taken. Key pine moth control measures include the following:
- If there are too many pupae, then chemical preparations or biological agents are used to destroy them.
- In the autumn period, it is necessary to collect all the fallen leaves and needles in heaps, to which birds and animals will visit. Delving into them, they are happy to eat the pupae of the pine moth.
- On personal plots, it is recommended that in the autumn, dig up the earth around the trees.
- Attract birds by hanging bait.
- During the formation of buds on conifers, they should be treated with special biological preparations.
Early frosts will also contribute to the death of the main part of the offspring. Other inhabitants of the forests, such as hedgehogs, birds, ants, and other representatives of insectivores, also greatly help in their destruction.
Pine Moth - Consumer or Reducer?
In the composition of one ecosystem, various groups of organisms have different functions. All of them are divided into three groups:
- Producers, or manufacturers. These include some types of bacteria and plants that produce organic material from inorganic compounds.
- Consumers, or consumers of organic substances produced by producers.
- Reducers - destroyers of organic substances to simple inorganic compounds.
The second and third live off the substances created by the producers. The moth eats needles and belongs to the group of consumers. And who eats a pine moth? It is massively destroyed by badgers, foxes, birds, spiders and ants.
Interesting Butterfly Facts
- The receptors that are responsible for taste are located on the paws.
- Butterflies, like elephants, feed using the proboscis.
- The eyes of a butterfly are made up of thousands of faceted elements.
- In China, India, as well as in South America, butterflies are eaten.
- They have no heart.
- Butterflies can distinguish only three colors: green, yellow and red.
- The exoskeleton of insects is localized outside, the internal organs, respectively, are inside it.
- In China, these insects are a symbol of love.
