Ecology
Moths and butterflies belong to the same order - Lepidoptera
. These insects got their name due to the scales on their wings. 89-94 percent of all known Lepidoptera are moths, and only 6-11 percent are butterflies.
According to the Library of Congress, “One of the easiest ways to tell a butterfly from a moth is to look at the antennae. Butterflies' antennae have thickenings at one end of a long stem. Moths have hairy or serrated antennae."
. We invite you to learn about the most unusual and beautiful moths and butterflies, the existence of which you probably had no idea at all.
1) Poodle Moth
The Venezuelan poodle moth, which was discovered by chance in 2009, has not yet been classified as a new species because scientists are not yet sure how to classify it. Since no one has described such a butterfly before, scientists are trying to trace the evolutionary stages of this insect.
These moths are highly hairy; their legs and wings are covered with tiny hairs, which makes them look like woolly animals, such as poodle dogs, hence the name.
Reproduction nuances
Under the accompanying optimal conditions: availability of food, moisture, temperature from 20°C, sexually mature individuals begin to mate. As a rule, egg laying begins 5-7 days after the butterfly leaves the cocoon. The female places eggs on the inside of leaves, on weeds, stems, and less often on dry residue or soil, 5-20 eggs each, stacking them on top of each other, like tiles. The process of laying offspring lasts 1-2 weeks.
The fertility of a female meadow moth reaches 600 eggs and is determined by the quality of the caterpillar's diet. It has been noticed that, under the same meteorological conditions, those individuals that ate beets are more fertile.
At a temperature of 27°C and a humidity of 75%, embryonic development lasts from 2 to 15 days. In hot weather, when the thermometer is above 30°C and the humidity does not exceed 45%, almost half of the eggs die. The young larva of the first instar feeds on the tissues of leaves from the underside, forming peculiar “windows” on them.
Young individuals of the first instar do not touch cereal crops. If any caterpillar is tempted by corn, this will lead to its death. Older individuals, starting from the third instar, consume grains without harm to their health and these crops no longer pose a threat to their life.
Adult caterpillars unceremoniously eat various crops, the list of which includes 200 different types of vegetation. After their invasion, skeletonized leaves with visible veins and entwined with cobwebs remain. During mass invasions, cuttings are also eaten. Roots, shoots, and fruits are damaged.
The development and life of the meadow moth caterpillar depends on many factors. For larvae of the first instars, moisture is very important; at older ages, the need for nutrition increases. The larvae are distinguished by their mobility. In search of food, they easily overcome 50 meters; in forced situations, they migrate to longer distances.
The feeding of the larvae lasts about 15-30 days. After which they burrow into the ground, weave a cocoon and pupate. After 14-0 days, new butterflies appear, ready to mate and increase the population size. From 1 to 4 generations are possible per year. The larvae of the last generation go to the ground for the winter.
4) Saturnia cecropia
Saturnia cecropia (lat. Hyalophora cecropia
) mainly feeds on maple leaves while still a caterpillar. With a wingspan of up to 12 centimeters, this moth is the largest in North America. Like many other moths, cecropia is nocturnal and is very rarely seen during the daytime.
Habitats
The distribution area is very extensive; moths feel great throughout almost the entire territory of the globe. They will not be able to grow and develop in cold climates. Temperature and high humidity are important indicators for them.
The most beautiful and largest representatives live in the tropics, where there are specimens of enormous size.
There are also a lot of moths in our latitudes, most of them are considered pests.
Interesting!
The worst pest of fields is the meadow moth; a high concentration of insects in the fields leads to a significant decrease in the yield of many crops. You have to fight them with the use of the drugs Bitobaxicillin, Fufanon, Karbofos. In household plots, caterpillars are collected by hand and attract natural enemies.
7) King Walnut Moth
Royal nut moth (lat. Citheronia regalis
), also known as royal citheronia. These insects are common in southern North America and have also been seen in the New York area. They do not boast the largest wingspan (only 10 centimeters), but by weight they are considered the largest moths in northern Mexico.
Appearance
The moth insect belongs to the Lepidoptera and is on the same level as butterflies. In scientific terminology, all small butterflies are classified as moths. Externally, these two representatives of insects are very similar:
- Each of them has an elongated, spindle-shaped body. Only in the moth it is covered with a large number of hairs.
- There are always two pairs of wings, the first pair is slightly better developed. They usually have a protective color, with dark colors predominating in moths.
- Three pairs of legs help the insect move without the help of wings.
- On the round head there are antennae, which are thickened at the very beginning and are abundantly covered with hairs.
On a note!
A photo of moths shows that they are almost completely covered with hairs, through which they perceive the environment. They are especially sensitive on the antennae; the higher the hairiness, the better the butterfly orients itself in space.
Sense organs
Moths have the following sense organs in their arsenal:
- olfactory organs;
- organs of vision;
- organs of hearing.
The olfactory organs are wedge-shaped or pineal-shaped outgrowths located on the antennae. Communication with the nervous system is ensured by sensory cells that are located in the deeper layers of the skin and connect to the branches of the nerves. Butterflies have a very delicate sense of smell. It is this that allows them to find food or mating partners even at great distances.
The organs of vision are represented by two large compound eyes, consisting of thousands of simple ocelli. Each of them perceives part of the image, so that in the end the insect perceives the picture in the form of a mosaic. Moths see objects that are nearby better than distant ones. But first of all, the eyes of lepidopterans are designed to move in space and register movements occurring nearby.
The hearing organs in most species are located on the chest or abdomen. The receptors are located in small depressions covered by a thin membrane. Under the influence of sound waves, the membrane vibrates, and information is transmitted to the nervous system.
Benefits and harms
The main benefit of moths is that they pollinate plants. Sitting on a flower to drink nectar, the insect stains its paws with pollen, and then transfers it to other plants.
As for harm, adult moths cause it only by laying eggs, from which larvae hatch after a short time. It is the caterpillars that are pests and cause serious damage to wild plants, agricultural crops, and some types of grain and vegetable stocks in storage, food and things in houses and apartments.
Yet the vast majority of caterpillars feed on plants, destroying leaves, shoots, bark, roots and even wood.
Why do butterflies strive for light?
Very often on a summer evening you can see clouds of insects swarming around a lit lamp or a burning fire. Among those who fly into the light, and often die in the flames or sitting on hot glass, there are many night moths.
Today, there are several versions of why moths fly into the light, and scientists cannot decide which one is the most likely.
As you know, light is a guide for insects. They use it to determine where to move, no matter whether the moon or a street lamp is shining.
Another version is that since butterflies usually still focus on global sources, for example, the light of the sun or other celestial bodies, the movement of the insect does not in any way affect the distance to the star, and, accordingly, the brightness of the light. If a moth flies into the light of a lamp, then as it approaches the light source it becomes disoriented and can no longer get out of the illuminated circle.
Life cycle
Moth development occurs in four stages:
- egg;
- larva;
- chrysalis;
- imago.
After mating, the female lays eggs. Depending on the species, the insect either lays eggs on a food plant or lays eggs on the ground or on another chosen object, and some species simply shoot eggs without caring where they land.
Larvae-caterpillars emerge from the eggs. They immediately begin to actively feed and grow quickly. During development, the larvae go through from 4 to 40 molts, after which they form a cocoon around themselves from a silk thread secreted by a special gland and turn into a pupa.
Inside the pupa, the caterpillar transforms into a moth. When the process is completed, the insect secretes a caustic substance that corrodes the walls of the cocoon and climbs out.
The life of an adult moth most often lasts several weeks, but depending on the species, the duration varies from several days to 3-4 months.
Features of color
Adults and caterpillars of night moths have two color options:
- patronizing;
- warning.
The protective coloration allows insects to camouflage themselves perfectly in the surrounding space, becoming invisible. Some species have become fantastically adept at blending into the background. For example, a moth can get lost among the foliage or become almost invisible against the background of tree bark. Caterpillars take the form of twigs, twigs, flowers, and merge with bark, pine needles or stones.
Caterpillar
Warning coloring is brighter. It either scares away potential enemies, or, on the contrary, attracts their attention. In the second case, the insect demonstrates that it has some kind of protective means. This may be a caustic secretion secreted by the glands or burning hairs covering the body.
Methods of pest control
Fighting meadow moths is an extremely complex, labor-intensive and lengthy process. It is complicated by the tendency of harmful insects to constantly migrate. To effectively destroy meadow butterflies, an integrated approach is used, combining the use of effective agrotechnical and biological methods, as well as modern chemical insecticides.
Agrotechnical
The agrotechnical method of combating meadow moths is considered one of the most effective. It consists of several techniques:
- deep plowing of the land, which is carried out in early spring. Pupae with caterpillars end up in the ground and quickly die;
- regular destruction and mowing of weeds around the perimeter of the garden, in the fields, along fences and greenhouses. Weeds are the favorite food of pests;
- Systematic digging and loosening of row spacing and hilling of garden plants are very important;
- crops with a large number of ovipositions or caterpillars should be mowed immediately.
When meadow moths appear in a garden or personal plot, harmful caterpillars can be collected and destroyed manually. But this control method will only be effective in the case of a small number of insects.
Biological
The number of meadow butterflies is significantly reduced under the influence of their natural enemies. These include ladybugs, ichneumon wasps, ground beetles, lacewing larvae, and some birds.
Important! For biological control of meadow moths, Trichogramma is used, a parasite that lives in the eggs of a harmful butterfly. It is released onto the fields before the start of the moths' summer; this procedure is repeated three times with a break of 4-5 days.
Chemical
Chemical control with the help of powerful insecticidal preparations is carried out in case of extensive damage to a garden or agricultural planting by meadow moths. They are used if 6-10 meadow butterfly caterpillars are found in an area of 1 square meter.
Effective insecticides against meadow moths:
- Decis – 250 ml per 1 ha;
- Karate – 100-200 ml per 1 ha;
- Karbofos - from 600 ml to 1 liter per 1 ha;
- Phosfamide – from 500 ml to 1 l;
- Metaphos – from 500 ml to 1.5 l;
- Fufanon – from 600 ml to 1 l.
Insecticidal preparations are most effective when controlling young first-generation caterpillars. Older insects quickly develop resistance to many chemicals, making them much more difficult to kill.
Attention! Spraying of insecticidal solutions on agricultural fields is carried out using land and air transport. Given the toxicity of chemicals, processing is carried out with strict adherence to personal safety precautions.
The meadow moth is one of the most common and dangerous pests of garden plants and agricultural crops. A large population of these insects can destroy an entire crop in a matter of days.
Constant monitoring of the presence and number of pests, timely use of effective agrotechnical and biological control methods in combination with powerful insecticidal preparations make it possible to get rid of meadow moths and save the harvest.
Why are they dangerous for humans?
Adults feed exclusively on flower nectar; large butterflies have the same diet. Night moths do not cause any harm to agricultural land or to humans personally. But the caterpillars eat herbaceous plants, which can have a detrimental effect on the quantity of the harvest and its quality. That is why butterflies of all sizes and colors are often disliked by farmers.
Butterfly
The imago cannot cause harm to humans, but some types of caterpillars secrete toxic substances that, if they come into contact with the skin, can cause allergic reactions of varying complexity.
Important!
You should never touch the caterpillar with unprotected hands.
Mineral salt diet for offspring
It is worth noting that salt and minerals are especially important for males during the mating period. Without these elements, the mating season may not produce offspring. However, butterflies are able to replenish their reserves without feces or human sweat. In their absence, they obtain salt and minerals from dirt, the most common, for example, from puddles.
Food sources for nest boxes and habitats
These nutrients are transferred from male to female during the process of copulation. They make the eggs laid stronger and transmit the necessary genetic information
And this is very important. That is why in warm weather, when puddles dry up, many male butterflies of various species accumulate around the puddles and replenish their reserves of salt and minerals. A butterfly feeding station also ensures that more butterfly species visit your garden
You'll be amazed at how many different species there are in your area that you didn't know about. If you now feel like equipping your garden with such a feeding station, you can either buy a ready-made one or make it yourself. In this article, we have a simple guide through which you can make a perfect feed from a few items that you have mostly even in your home
A butterfly feeding station also ensures that more butterfly species visit your garden. You'll be amazed at how many different species there are in your area that you didn't know about. If you now feel like equipping your garden with such a feeding station, you can either buy a ready-made one or make it yourself. In this article, we have a simple guide through which you can make the perfect feed from a few items that you have mostly even in your house.
Maliciousness
The meadow moth is a broad polyphagous species. Caterpillars are harmful. Among cultivated plants, it primarily harms sugar beets. The pest's food plants include hundreds of plant species from 35 families. Prefers goosefoot and Compositae. It also develops on swan and Chernobyl at low temperatures.
Economic threshold of harmfulness
For sugar beets it is determined twice a season:
- In spring - in the shoots phase (closing leaves), it is established when 10–15 caterpillars per 1 m2 are detected in wet spring and 5 caterpillars per 1 m2 in dry spring.
- In summer – installed when 10–20 caterpillars are detected per 1m2 and 10% of the leaves are damaged.
In corn, the economic threshold of harmfulness is determined in two phases:
