Review author: “ZooVita”
Any caterpillar is a butterfly larva. In its original form, the caterpillar exists for up to 3 weeks, after which it wraps itself in a cocoon and transforms into one of the many species of butterflies.
Interestingly, most butterflies are pests, but their “children” cause the greatest damage to agricultural crops.
How do caterpillars grow?
Pest butterflies lay eggs on trees, shrubs and other plants. As the caterpillar grows, it constantly eats. She needs young leaves and their juice for nutrition and growth.
If you are wondering what a caterpillar eats, the answer is simple - any plant. Before pupation, the caterpillar molts several times because the old shell becomes too small for her.
Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Pair of caterpillars
Caterpillars are ready to become butterflies from birth. Even in the smallest caterpillar, freshly hatched from a tiny egg, bundles of cells for organs such as antennae, wings, legs and genitals are already primed and destined to become adults. Called imaginal discs (being flat and round), they are unable to grow and develop due to the constant leaching of juvenile hormone.
As the larva feeds, its intestine, muscles and some other internal organs grow and develop, but the imaginal discs are temporarily suppressed and remain dormant. The caterpillar behaves like a free-living, feeding, growing, but developmentally suppressed embryo.
When it reaches a critical size, the molting hormone, ecdysone, is released. It sheds its skin several times in response to ecdysone, each time forming a new instar (stage), but the juvenile hormone keeps it in the caterpillar, preventing further development until its concentration approaches full size and the concentration of the latter decreases.
In the fifth and final instar of the caterpillar, the imaginal discs are already beginning to emerge from forced dormancy and grow. Juvenile hormone now falls below threshold and the next surge of ecdysone stimulates transformation into pupa. The flattened imaginal discs begin to develop unhindered. Each folds into a concave dome, then takes the shape of a sock. The center of each disc is designed to become a limb—the tip of a paw or the tip of a wing.
Much of the caterpillar's plump mass is processed into adult features, which merge into the inner shell of the pupa. At this stage, the interior consists mainly of a nutrient soup that nourishes the embryonic imaginal discs as they complete their delayed development. The final surge of ecdysone occurs amid nearly zero juvenile hormone—and stimulates the emergence of the adult butterfly to mate, disperse, and lay eggs.
Appearance of caterpillars
The appearance of caterpillars differs depending on the biological species. Most often in our latitudes you can find green caterpillars. They may be smooth or have bristles. The appearance of the caterpillars is designed to scare away predators.
The bristles make the caterpillar visually larger, and the bright color warns of possible poison in its body. If you come across a furry caterpillar, it is best not to touch it with your bare hands. Often, redness remains on the skin where the “fur” touches; this area can be very itchy and swollen.
Among caterpillars living in tropical countries, poisonous individuals are often found. Their poison can even kill a person. In the United States, an invasion of “hairy caterpillars” has recently been noted; they look more like clumps of brown fur.
Spikes with poison are hidden under the fibers. After touching such a caterpillar, people became dizzy, their heart rate increased, their stomach hurt, and they lost consciousness. If you come across an unusual-looking insect, it is best not to touch it.
Interestingly, most poisonous caterpillars lose their dangerous properties after they become butterflies.
Features of character and lifestyle
Photo: Black caterpillar
Caterpillars may be world-class transformers as they literally transform from wiggly worms into beautiful butterflies, but that's not their only transformative trait. Caterpillars are often camouflaged among plants due to their coloring, and their fuzzy skin often resembles thorns on a branch. This camouflage ability helps the caterpillars survive until they reach full maturity and begin metamorphosis - from a pupa to a butterfly.
The pupation stage begins with the adult caterpillar attaching itself to the bark of a tree or other hard object and then splitting its skin to reveal the pupa. The transformation occurs inside the pupa as the caterpillar begins to disintegrate into liquid and only a few remaining cells develop into the adult butterfly.
Once the caterpillar has completed its metamorphosis into a butterfly, it will open up and a butterfly will emerge. It wastes no time in mating and laying eggs, as most butterflies have a short lifespan of a few weeks. The butterfly eggs are hatched by the caterpillar larvae, and the cycle begins again.
Typically, six metamorphic transformations occur along the butterfly's growth path, each of which is stimulated by the release of the molting hormone ecdysone from the premammary gland. Juvenile hormone, secreted by the endocrine gland, slows progress into adulthood: although the level of the hormone is high, it keeps the caterpillar in the larva.
However, the secretion of juvenile hormone slows down over time. Only when it falls below a critical level does molting lead to pupa and pupation. At this time, a massive redistribution of nutrients occurs, and adults may finally develop features. As the level of juvenile hormone drops to almost zero, the final molt of the adult occurs.
Types of caterpillars
On the territory of Russia you can find the following common types of caterpillars:
White caterpillar or cabbage caterpillar
This caterpillar appears at the base of cabbage leaves. The insect accumulates a lot of mustard oil in itself to make it unpalatable to predators.
Little turtle caterpillar
It has an orange belly and a black back. Caterpillars usually live close to each other. In case of danger, they press their bodies together to appear as one larger creature. Caterpillars crawl away from the “family” only when they are about to pupate.
Fathead comma
The caterpillar is green at first, but over time it becomes dark brown with light spots. The body is covered with villi, similar to thorns, which scare away birds.
Bloody mole cricket
The bloody mole cricket has a very recognizable color pattern of orange and black stripes.
Silver hole caterpillar
The silver hole caterpillar has fluffy bristles and a gray-orange striped color. It is a dangerous polyphagous pest. Caterpillars actively eat leaves and fruits of cherries, plums, and pears.
Maple shooter caterpillar
The caterpillar of the maple moth looks more attractive than the gray butterfly. As babies, these insects have beautiful orange “fur” and a gray diamond pattern.
Necessary conditions of detention
Creating a homemade butterfly farm is a good gift for a child who will be able to watch the birth and formation of living creatures. A real tropical fairy tale unfolds before his eyes, because many types of butterflies have a colorful color.
In addition to a gift for a child, an insectarium (or, as it is also called, a “butterfly garden”) is an opportunity to build your own business by breeding these insects. Butterflies can be sold for holiday events, and the initial investment can pay off fairly quickly.
But the first thing you need to know is how to care for a butterfly at home? In order for them to feel comfortable, the humidity inside the insectarium must be maintained at 70-90% at a temperature of 24 to 26 degrees.
To tie the dolls you will need sticks (the distance between them is 15 cm). Maintaining distance is necessary so that nothing prevents butterflies from spreading their wings at birth.
Natural enemies of caterpillars
Caterpillars are practically defenseless against predators, with the exception of poisonous subspecies. Therefore, they have to rely on camouflage to survive. Caterpillars are hunted by birds, reptiles, mammals and even people.
In some countries in Africa and South Asia, caterpillars are a common dish in the people's diet. Caterpillars are especially often eaten in poor regions. Catching caterpillars is not difficult, but they contain even more protein and fat than beef or fish and lentils.
Almost all species of birds living in our country hunt caterpillars.
Interestingly, other insects, such as wasps, also eat caterpillars. Some gardeners deliberately do not remove wasp nests from their plots. The fact is that wasps in the spring and early summer catch caterpillars to feed their offspring with them. Take a closer look at your garden beds for caterpillars before you remove a wasp nest.
If you don’t know how to deal with caterpillars on cabbage, but don’t want to use aggressive chemicals, bring ladybugs to the area. These funny little bugs with speckled red backs love to eat young cabbage butterfly caterpillars for lunch. They will help you save your harvest naturally.
Transformation of larvae into butterflies
Metamorphosis of a caterpillar.
By definition, caterpillars are larvae that turn into butterflies, absolutely everything. Some species are one- or two-day-old butterflies that live only to lay eggs.
But voracious animals do not always complete their life cycle. They may be eaten or become victims of parasites.
There are insects that look like caterpillars, but they are not. They are called false caterpillars. These are the larvae of some beetles, worms, wasps or ants.
Sawfly false caterpillars.
Methods of dealing with caterpillars
If there are caterpillars in your area, there are mechanical ways to destroy them and methods of fighting them using decoctions and infusions.
The simplest mechanical method is to collect butterfly eggs and already hatched caterpillars. They need to be collected in the evening. When the heat subsides, the caterpillars emerge from their shelters into open areas of plants. Collection should only be done with gloves and it is highly advisable to wear a respirator.
Many caterpillars, in addition to irritating the skin with bristles, can secrete a burning secretion in a stressful situation. It is extremely undesirable to inhale this substance; it can cause swelling of the larynx and other allergic reactions.
There are other ways to kill caterpillars. You can wrap tree trunks with non-woven material, such as baking parchment or cling film, and apply a special sticky layer on top of it.
You can also place saucers with bait for caterpillars on the site.
If caterpillars have attacked a fruit tree, it can be fumigated. To do this, smoldering chips or coals are placed in a metal vessel and 2 parts of sulfur and 1 part of resin are placed on them. Trees are fumigated in calm weather so that the smoke tightly envelops the crown of the affected tree.
If these methods do not help, you can prepare decoctions and infusions from the following plants:
- Elderberries;
- Black henbane;
- Red pepper;
- Luke;
- Garlic;
- Tobacco;
- Chamomiles;
- Coriander;
- Yarrow;
- Tomato stems and leaves.
A weak solution of vinegar is also good at ridding plants of caterpillar infestations.
It is worth moving on to spraying plants with chemicals that are potentially dangerous to people only when other means have been tried and have not had the desired effect.
There are many caterpillars in the world, and even in temperate climates you can find caterpillars of a wide variety of colors and sizes. Even if these insects are of interest to you, try not to bring them close to your face or touch them with your bare hands, so that the caterpillar does not accidentally harm you.
Description, characteristics
A caterpillar is the larva of any insect from the order Lepidoptera. The sizes of the caterpillars are different: it can be from a few millimeters to 15 cm. Touching some of them is life-threatening. They can be poisonous.
The caterpillar's body has a head, thorax and abdomen. There are several pairs of limbs on the chest and abdomen. The whole body has several rings separated by grooves. By pulling up the rings, the caterpillar moves and moves its legs
The caterpillar breathes through the stigma. There are several of them on the body. The head and chest have a hard shell. The rest of the body is soft and loose. The head is formed from several rings fused together. The shape of the head can be round, rectangular, core. The parietal parts can protrude forward and even form “horns”.
The mouthparts of caterpillars are highly developed. They can chew through any materials and obtain food for themselves using their external jaws. Inside there is an apparatus for chewing food with salivary glands. The eyes have a simple structure. There are several pairs of eyes on the head. Sometimes merged into one large eye. The entire body of the caterpillar is covered with hairs, scales, warts and other projections.
Photos of all types of caterpillars
Mechanical impact
Mechanical impact is the simplest available and safest control method, which includes not only dropping pests from trees and collecting them manually, but also removing overwintered nests and oviposition. Collecting caterpillars by hand must be done with protective gloves, as many larvae have bristles that protect them from enemies.
However, such manipulations will have a positive effect in case of minor infestation of trees or other plantings by caterpillars. If there are already too many insects, fighting caterpillars in the garden will not give the desired results. This method is not suitable for tall trees either.
Cabbage scoop
The cabbage cutworm, in addition to cabbage itself, can feed on the leaves of potatoes, tomatoes, beets and other garden crops. Often found in areas with high humidity.
Cabbage moth butterfly and its caterpillar
Measures to combat cabbage cutworm
If cabbage is attacked by cutworms, try spraying the plants with infusions of burdock leaves, tomato tops or onion peels. In serious cases, you will have to resort to insecticides: “Herold”, “Senpai”, “Lepidotsid”, “Fitoverm”, etc.
Classification
There are different types of caterpillars. This is primarily due to the diversity of the Lepidoptera themselves. Interestingly, the color of the larva does not always match the color of the adult. One classification of caterpillar species is based on what they eat.
- The group of polyphages is represented by their representatives who are completely indiscriminate in food and can eat any plants. These include moths, for example, wine hawkmoth, ocellated hawkmoth, blind hawkmoth, kaya bear, moths, peacock eye and others.
- The group of monophages includes caterpillars that feed only on one specific type of plant. These are cabbageweed, apple moth, silkworm and some others.
- The group of oligophages includes those who feed on a specific type of plant; they represent one family or type. These include: swallowtails, pine cutworm, polyxena and others.
- Xylophages are caterpillars whose food is wood or bark. This group is represented by leaf rollers, wood borers and others.
Swallowtail
The swallowtail caterpillar looks no less bright and attractive than the butterfly itself: green, with black transverse stripes and orange splashes. The pest is very voracious, feeding mainly on Umbelliferae (carrots, parsley, dill, etc.).
Swallowtail butterfly and its caterpillar
Measures to combat swallowtail butterfly caterpillars
Caterpillars are mainly collected by hand: due to their bright color and large size, they are not difficult to find.
