Hairy caterpillars (hairy) - photo and description

Pine silkworm / Thaumetopoea pinivor

In Russia, poisonous caterpillars are not as dangerous as those in South America, but they can also cause a lot of trouble.
This type of silkworm received its name due to the massive migrations of larvae. They live on pine needles, which they feed on. During development, lush hair appears on the body. Adult individuals break these hairs themselves, resulting in the formation of a kind of dust. When such dust gets on the mucous areas and skin of a person, a strong burning sensation begins.

Then the skin turns red and severe itching begins. Symptoms appear within a few weeks. After contact, you should seek medical help.

Carpet beetle: recognizing the pest

The carpet beetle is a small insect reaching a maximum length of 0.5 centimeters. It has a convex back and a flat belly. In nature, these creatures are not parasites; harmful qualities appear when they enter a human home.

If this uninvited guest or its larvae are found in the house, then measures to destroy the pest must be taken immediately.

Appearance of hairy baby butterflies

Photos and names of furry caterpillars are 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 a strange creature, a 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. A black furry caterpillar lives high on a pine tree. 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 anticoagulant poison, which prevents blood from clotting and can cause internal bleeding. The butterfly is absolutely safe.
Ursa crusadus. The black and orange hairy larva is dangerous due to the consumption of large quantities of juice from a poisonous plant - ragwort. In North America, butterflies and their offspring are used to destroy harmful plants in the area. The hairy caterpillar is dangerous for cattle and 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. With a large number of 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.

The furry caterpillar goes through several stages of development and molts from 2 to 6 times during its maturation. At different stages of development, it can differ significantly in appearance - from naked to shaggy, from hairy to smooth.

The insect class is one of the most diverse and numerous representatives of living beings inhabiting the globe. The most beautiful representatives of the family are butterflies, which differ from each other in the most diverse and intricate patterns located on their wings. Caterpillars are an integral natural target for the formation of butterflies. They also come in a variety of shapes and colors.

Carpet beetle: description

The carpet beetle is considered one of the smallest pests, as it grows up to 1-2 mm in length. Therefore, it is not so easy to notice the pest with the naked eye, especially since the color camouflages it perfectly. At the same time, the shade of the pest can be either dark or light. The main color of the shell is brown, which allows it to camouflage against the background of furniture. The body of the beetle is distinguished by an oval, almost rounded shape, with the presence of barely noticeable stripes. There are also a lot of fibers on the body, and instead of a tail there is a long tuft.

Somewhere at the end of May, young individuals are born, since during this period insects mate and lay eggs. Prefers to settle in remote, dark places, such as basements, closets, warehouses. When beetles experience difficulties with food, they begin to move into human apartments. After laying eggs, red caterpillars are born three weeks later. Before a caterpillar becomes an adult, it goes through 6 stages of molting.

Adult specimens do not pose any danger to humans, as they feed mainly on plant sap. As for caterpillars, these voracious creatures feed on everything that may be in their path, and they can easily bite a person. The beetle can go without food for almost 5 years, falling into suspended animation.

How does a caterpillar live and what does it eat?

Caterpillar feeding
For most species of caterpillars, the characteristic habitat is the surface of the earth, but there are individuals that prefer water spaces.

Depending on their preferred living conditions, caterpillars are divided into 2 categories - those leading a hidden and free lifestyle. In accordance with this classification, it is easy to determine where certain insect larvae live. Those leading a hidden existence include the following representatives of caterpillars: leafworms, underground ones, miners, etc.

Representatives of the second group live freely on the vegetation they destroy. This is how green caterpillars eat plants, and camouflage coloring allows them to hide from external enemies.

Their diet, depending on whether they belong to a particular species, is quite varied. The hatched larva first eats the shell of the egg, and then moves on to its usual diet. Caterpillars feed on leaves, flowers and fruits of plants. However, in nature there are insects that prefer other types of food. In accordance with this feature, the larvae are divided into the following 4 groups:

polyphagous - feed on any vegetation;
oligophages - prefer plants of a certain type;
monophagous - eat a strictly defined type of plant;
xylophages - consume only wood.

There are other varieties of caterpillars, but they are not numerous.

For humans, the caterpillar is primarily a pest that causes enormous damage to cultivated green spaces. However, the silkworm plays a huge role in silk production. Insects are widely used in Chinese folk medicine. Insect larvae of a certain species are also used to control weeds.

The larvae have many natural enemies in nature. Birds pose the greatest danger to them. Thus, the blue tit, which eats caterpillars and uses them to feed its chicks, can destroy up to 30 thousand insect larvae in a season. Wasps feed their offspring with chewed caterpillars or, paralyzing them with poison, store them for future use. At the same time, if all the larvae remained alive, then after about 7 years, the offspring of one butterfly alone would exceed the mass of the entire globe.

Effective methods of combating skin beetles

First of all, you need to find the place where the skin beetle larvae are hiding. As a rule, they can be found in hard-to-reach places where direct sunlight does not reach. Pests are distinguished by a certain cunning. If a clutch of eggs is detected, success is almost 100% guaranteed. In case of such luck, it is better to destroy the eggs immediately.

If the beetles were found in winter, then to destroy them it is enough to take things out into the cold.

Thorough cleaning of the room with a vacuum cleaner increases the chances of getting rid of such parasites, but does not provide a 100% guarantee. The larvae have a long development period, so after a few weeks the beetles may reappear in the apartment. To get rid of such parasites forever, it is better to use chemical means of control. Moreover, in retail outlets you can choose a drug, as they say, “for all occasions.”

Chemical control agents

The following can be suggested as effective drugs:

Carpet beetles, having settled in an apartment, cause a lot of inconvenience to the residents. Due to their specific coloring, this pest is difficult to notice as they blend in with the shade of the furniture. Fighting such pests takes a lot of effort and resources. It is very important to destroy all the beetles, since even one larva, after some time, will give birth to offspring and the beetles will reappear in the apartment. The first signs of a carpet beetle appearing in the house, as evidenced by holes in the furniture or on the windowsill, indicate that it’s time to put aside everything in the house and start eliminating uninvited guests.

Treating a room, especially with chemical control agents, requires the use of personal protective equipment, such as gloves, goggles, a gauze bandage and a protective gown. During treatment, all residents, as well as animals and indoor plants, are evacuated from the premises. After treatment, it is not recommended to enter the room for some time, as indicated in the instructions.

Folk remedies

Folk compositions based on natural ingredients are not as effective as chemical agents, but they are suitable in cases where not many beetles have bred yet, and also as preventive measures. And although they will not be able to cope with the invasion of pests, they can scare them away. That's why:

Source

Nutrition

Hairy caterpillars in most cases eat plant foods - 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. They lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle.
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 of caterpillars is always distinguished by a large number of individuals in one brood.

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

Furry caterpillars

The hairy caterpillar butterfly is an 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.

The furry caterpillar may look quite attractive, but you should not touch it out of curiosity. In most cases, the hairs contain a special poison, which, when it comes into contact with the skin or wound, causes serious irritation of the skin, deterioration of general health - headache, chills, nausea, dizziness, etc.

Saturnia io / Automeris io

The beautiful peacock butterfly is found in Canada and the United States. The entire body of the caterpillar of this butterfly is covered with peculiar greenish thorny pom-poms.

She herself is light, and does not grow more than 4–5 cm. You can only admire this view from afar, but under no circumstances pick it up or even touch it. After contact with the thorns, poison penetrates the body. Toxic substances cause redness, pain at the injection site and can even cause the development of dermatitis.

It looks like a very cute and safe creature. But this is yet another proof that beauty is deceptive.

Breeding at home

For breeding butterflies, choose a spacious container with a lid through which oxygen will pass. Cover the bottom with sphagnum moss, under which soil is placed. The height of the flooring is up to 2 cm. A frequent guest of such insectariums is a fluffy caterpillar, the name of which depends on its appearance.

For example, if you have a black hairy caterpillar, what is it called, it is not difficult to find out. If there are yellow dots, it's a mistress. If not, it is most likely urticaria. The furry black and orange creeper belongs to the kaya. It is interesting to watch how a black furry caterpillar pupates; what kind of butterfly will appear in the end will essentially become clear after 8 months.

In order for the insect to hibernate, the temperature drops to +3/+6 °C. Before this, she is fed fresh leaves. Once the pupa emerges, access to light is limited until hatching. After the butterfly appears, cotton wool soaked in a honey solution is used for feeding. As a result, a bear butterfly will appear, the photo of which will become your pride.

kaya (lat. Arctia Caja)

Saturnia Maya / Hemileuca maia

In the photo you can see what the caterpillar of a beautiful butterfly looks like. But the larva disgusts her and discourages her from getting to know each other better.

The entire body is covered with hollow spines, which are connected to poisonous reservoirs. When examined under a microscope, you can see that these spines are covered with multiple hairs. They themselves are dark, but the caterpillar's body is light.

The poison causes severe itching and burning in the victim. After the initial external symptoms, headache and nausea begin. From spring to mid-summer they sit in large groups on oak branches and willows.

Appearance and anatomy of an insect

Caterpillars are not an independent group of numerous representatives of the fauna. These are larvae of representatives of the order Lepidoptera. Answering the question whether a caterpillar is an insect or not, we can unequivocally answer that yes, because this is a certain, that is, the larval stage of its development. Butterflies are distributed almost throughout the planet, especially in places where flowering vegetation grows. It is very rare to find insects in cold latitudes, as well as deserts and lifeless highlands. Not too many butterflies live in temperate climate zones.

The biology of the caterpillar is complex and diverse

To determine the type of insect, first of all you need to pay attention to its color, body size, number of limbs, length and thickness of hairs, feeding habits, as well as other specific features. Depending on the variety, the length of the pest ranges from a few mm to 12 cm

The body of an insect includes: a head, 3 thoracic and 10 abdominal parts with legs located on them.

Caterpillar structure

The caterpillar's head consists of 6 parts fused together, resulting in a dense capsule.

The area between the eyes and forehead is conventionally called the cheeks. In its lower part there is a hole, which in its configuration is similar to a heart.
For most insects, a round shape is typical. However, some varieties have triangular, rectangular or heart-shaped heads.
Caterpillars, like other insect larvae, have a primitive brain. The parietal regions can protrude significantly above the surface of the body, forming a kind of “horns”.
On the lateral surfaces of the organ there are miniature antennae.
Looking at the structure of the caterpillar, it is clear that all insects are distinguished by their gnawing mouthparts. They have well-developed upper jaws, which are equipped with teeth that allow them to gnaw and tear food. Inside the oral cavity there are tubercles with which insects chew food. The salivary glands are a specific spinning machine that allows the silkworm to form a thread. The lower jaws and lip are fused into a single complex.

The insect larva has 5-6 pairs of eyes and one lens. They are arranged in an arcuate manner or are combined into one complex organ consisting of five simple eyes. The first one is inside the arc.

Caterpillar

The body of most species is soft, enclosed in a membranous covering. This provides the insect with good mobility. Fauna lovers are quite often interested in the following question: how many muscles does a caterpillar have? Biologists claim that the larval muscular corset has 4,000 muscles, of which 250 are located in the head. The anus is located on the last part of the body, surrounded by special blades. The caterpillar (except for waterfowl) has one spiracle located on the chest.

Her body is almost never completely naked. It always has growths such as specific outgrowths, hairs, cuticles, which are formations in the form of cones or granules. The hairs on the body of an insect are arranged in a special way, corresponding to the genus or species of the larva.

Caterpillars have protective mechanisms in the form of easily detachable hairs that irritate the skin. There are poisonous caterpillars that secrete a burning liquid or accumulate poison in their bodies.

Lonomia / Lonomia Obliqua

One of the most poisonous caterpillars on the planet is the larva of the Peacock butterfly, found in Latin America. Reaches a length of 5.5 to 8 cm. The entire body is covered with fine hairs. They are also called the Lazy Clown.

Numerous studies have proven that lomonia can produce toxic substances dangerous to human life and health. For the first time, attention was paid to toxin poisoning in 1983, when dangerous creatures caused a massive epidemic in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

A poisonous caterpillar from South America has caused the death of many people. Fatal outcomes after encountering it are recorded especially often in the south of Brazil.

Russian species

These butterflies are common not only in Russia, but throughout the Eurasian continent. Only the Redtail larva has a characteristic feature. The offspring of Marching silkworms are characterized by nondescript coloring. Their only distinguishing feature is long bristles. Therefore, photos of poisonous caterpillars in Russia along with their descriptions are below.

Redtail (Calliteara pudibunda)

This is the name of the night butterfly - a pest of fruit crops, in which a semblance of red color is present only on the mustache. But this name was given to this insect because of the larvae. Caterpillars of the Red-tailed Caterpillar/Bashful-footed Caterpillar can have different colors:

grey;
pink;
dark brown;
lemon yellow.

But the obligatory sign of a caterpillar of this species is a tuft of long crimson or crimson-red hairs sticking up at the rear end of the larva. The insect is not capable of causing serious harm. Contact with the hairs on the caterpillar's body causes an allergic reaction in a person in the form of a rash. Habitat: Eurasia, except the Far North. Prefers beech and oak forests.

Marching silkworm (Thaumetopoeidae)

There are several species of this family. Silkworms are absent only on the American continents and Australia. There are two species in Russia:

pine silkworm (Thaumetopoea pinivora), feeding on pine needles;
The oak silkworm (T. processionea) feeds on oak leaves.

These butterflies received the prefix “walking” because their caterpillars move strictly one after another, guided by the silk thread of the individual in front.

Hiking silkworms are malicious pests that can destroy entire hectares of forests. They received the name “silkworm” for entwining “unlucky” trees with silk thread. Hiking has no relation to sericulture, for which the silkworm is used.

The larvae of the moth are covered with thick, long bristles. The bristles have microscopic serrations that help them penetrate the body of the “offender.”

Therefore, the poison of the silkworm caterpillar is questionable. The bristles embedded in the skin can only move inside the body. They are very brittle and impossible to remove. As parts of the bristles move inward, they cause itching, scratching, and blistering. This is a normal reaction of the skin to irritants. Those who “caught” the smallest protective needles of the prickly pear cactus into their skin received a similar reaction on the skin.

Russian dangerous caterpillars usually have bristles that are not toxic, but easily break off and reward their offender with a mass of small splinters. It is not recommended to touch any. And you can see how easily these larvae lose their bristles when touched by touching them with a stick.

General safety principle in relation to: never touch those protected by bristles.

The birth of a butterfly is associated with a certain stage of insect development. After an adult has laid eggs in some secluded place, larvae emerge from them in the form of small worms. These worms are quite voracious creatures. They eat a lot of greens in order to move to another stage of development.

These larvae are called caterpillars. An insect can be a caterpillar for either several days or several years, depending on the species. Typically, each type of caterpillar eats a specific type of plant. They often become pests of any crops, fruit trees, berries, vegetables, fruits, etc. After a certain time, the caterpillar turns into a cocoon, which is called a pupa. Then an adult, called a butterfly, emerges from the cocoon.

All types of caterpillars may differ in size, development periods, colors, and habitats, but they all have the same body structure. The body structure of a caterpillar consists of:

From a well-defined head of regular round shape, oral apparatus, visual organs and horn-shaped antennae.
Breasts.
Abdominal section.
Several pairs of limbs.

As a rule, a caterpillar has at least 5-6 pairs of eyes located nearby. The mouth has several small teeth with which they chew plants. There are small hairs or spine-like growths on the body. As a rule, the caterpillar moves quickly along leaves, branches and other surfaces.

Is the carpet beetle dangerous for humans?

The carpet beetle is capable of feeding on a variety of foods such as wood, leather and other natural components. Carpet beetle larvae can feed on animal and plant sap. Unfortunately, the larvae of the carpet beetle can bite a person under certain conditions, although they do not purposefully attack a person, like bedbugs, for example. The danger lies in the fact that pests carry various viral and infectious diseases, including helminths.

In addition to the fact that the insect can bite a person, it causes significant damage to furniture and other household items. The beetle can infect large areas with pathogens of various diseases, which leads to serious consequences.

Skin beetle bites are usually quite harmless and do not cause any discomfort. But if a person is prone to allergic reactions, then large red spots with signs of swelling may appear at the bite sites.

What do caterpillars eat?

The hatched caterpillar first devours the shell of the egg in which it developed, and then proceeds to its main diet.

Most caterpillars are herbivores (phytophages) and feed on green mass and fruits of plants. According to the food supply, caterpillars are divided into 4 types:

polyphagous - indiscriminate caterpillars that eat any vegetation, for example, the caterpillars of most moths;
oligophages prefer plants of a certain family or genus. For example, swallowtail caterpillars eat only umbrella plants;
Monophages consume a single type of vegetation. Thus, silkworm caterpillars feed only on mulberry leaves;
xylophages do not eat anything except wood, and constitute a small variety of caterpillars - mainly glass beetles and wood borers.

The transitional form is considered to be a variety of caterpillars that eat lichens and tinder fungi. This category includes representatives of the genus of true moths. For example, the granary moth caterpillar thrives on poisonous ergot.

A few species of caterpillars are keratophagous by nature and eat elements of animal origin: horny substance, hair, wool and skin. Prominent examples are the caterpillars of furniture, carpet and clothes moths. Caterpillars of true moths eat only wax, and bee moths eat honey.

Predatory caterpillars are the smallest group: most cases of predation occur when the population density is high and there is a lack of usual food. For example, cotton bollworm and bear moth caterpillars are carnivorous and attack their own kind, weakened and diseased caterpillars.

Caterpillars of the narrow-snouted and raspberry moths, as well as the sun moth, which feed on scale insects, are considered natural predators. Predatory blueberry caterpillars eat aphids, and moth caterpillars are exclusively insectivorous and are distinguished by a rich set of hunting devices for catching their victims.

There are species of caterpillars that live in symbiosis with ants - for example, some varieties of blueberries. These caterpillars live in the anthill and control the behavior of ants by chemical means, secreting a special sweet liquid, or by acoustic means, making special sounds that attract ants.

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Clothes moth

Clothes moth larvae cause great damage to people's personal belongings. The white caterpillar with a brown head feeds on wool, fur products, and cotton fabric. The female moth lays eggs in closets, pantries, and warehouses where outerwear made from natural materials is stored.

The larval stage of the clothes moth can last from one month to two years. The caterpillar is able to go without food for several days and withstand significant temperature changes.

Clothes moth caterpillars are recognized as the smallest - the length of their translucent body varies from 1 to 12 mm. The more food they consume, the longer and thicker they become. The pest lives everywhere in Eurasia, North America, Australia, and some African countries.

Steps

Part 1

Provide a suitable living environment

1
Take a suitable container.
The hairy caterpillar can be safely housed in a clear plastic or glass jar. The jar must have a lid so that the caterpillar does not escape. You can also use a cardboard box instead of a jar.
Make several small holes in the lid or take a lid with ready-made holes. The holes are necessary to allow air to enter the jar.
2
Place a twig in the jar.
The caterpillar will need a branch to build its cocoon. Insert a small branch into the jar containing the caterpillar. The branch should lie diagonally so that the caterpillar can climb onto it when it wants to spin a cocoon.
3
Clean the jar regularly.
The caterpillar will leave droppings in the jar daily. It needs to be cleaned regularly. Remove the caterpillar from the jar and remove the droppings with a napkin.
4
Keep the jar outside.
Read also: How to fight moths in an apartment: fumigators, lavender, tangerine and how else to “evict” voracious pests from the closet
The hairy caterpillar requires a cold environment to grow. Store the can in a safe place outside your home. A safe place for caterpillars can be a garage or shed near the house.

Part 2

Feed the caterpillar

1
Place the plant on which the caterpillar was found in the jar.
Caterpillars prefer plants that are familiar to them. Pick a few leaves and plants from the area where you found the caterpillar. Put them in a jar.
For example, if you find a caterpillar on a tree in the garden, pick a couple of leaves from that tree.
2
Feed the caterpillar leaves.
It is very beneficial for caterpillars to eat leaves. If you find a few leaves on the ground, take them and bring them into the house. Scatter them across the bottom of the jar or box containing the caterpillar. Both green and already dried leaves are suitable for this. The caterpillar needs to be fed leaves every day.
3
Place flowers and grass.
Caterpillars also eat flowers and grass, so pick some from outside your home. For good growth of the caterpillar, plants such as dandelions, grass, plantain and burdock will be very useful. Provide the caterpillar with fresh flowers every day.
4
Spray the jar regularly with water.
Hairy caterpillars do not need a container of water, especially since they can drown in it. However, the jar with the caterpillar must be regularly sprayed with water. Spray the bottom of the jar with a spray bottle every day. Thanks to the tiny drops of water, the caterpillar will not suffer from dehydration.

Part 3

Release the caterpillar

In winter, add fallen leaves to the jar. When winter comes, add fallen leaves to the jar with the caterpillar. They will serve as warm housing during the cold winter months. The caterpillar will eventually build a cocoon, but this will not happen until spring.

It is very important that the caterpillar does not freeze in winter. 2

Bring the jar or box containing the caterpillar into the house when it builds a cocoon.

In the spring, the caterpillar will stop moving and remain on the branch. After a while she will build a cocoon. When this happens, the jar with the caterpillar can be brought into the house. This will allow you to better see the butterfly inside.

Feed the butterfly when it is born. Before the butterfly emerges from the cocoon, place a few more twigs and fresh leaves in the jar. Since the butterfly will remain in the jar for several more days, it will need these food sources.

Release the butterfly after two days. Watch the butterfly for a couple of days after it emerges from the cocoon. Take a closer look at her and watch how she eats leaves and grass. If you have children, this will be a great learning experience for them. However, after a few days the butterfly will have to be released into the wild in the same place where you found it. For a butterfly, unlike a caterpillar, life in a box will not be as comfortable.

Professional destruction of the leather beetle

To get rid of skin beetles in an apartment forever requires a professional approach:

If you don’t know how to get rid of the leather beetle, order the destruction of the leather beetle from our specialized company. Cost from 1700 for a one-room apartment.

Specialists will solve your problem in the shortest possible time. They will treat skin beetles using products that are completely safe for people or animals, protecting your property for a long time.

seamless murals for walls what is it

Source

Ursa Hebe

This species lives in the steppe zone and has a wide distribution area. Butterflies are found in central and southern Europe, Transcaucasia, Asia Minor, Mongolia, China and many other countries. On the territory of Russia, individuals can be found in Siberia, the Caucasus, Crimea, Central Asia and Kazakhstan.

Outwardly, it is a black caterpillar, on the body of which there is a large number of long dark gray hairs. On the sides these fibers have a more orange tint. They feed on dandelions, plantain, milkweed, millennial, and thyme.

Thus, the caterpillars of butterflies of the bear family are characterized by an unusual appearance, which helps them camouflage in different territories. To protect the caterpillars there are poisonous fibers. This allowed the individuals to maintain their populations. For agriculture, the gluttony of caterpillars poses a real danger and requires the use of additional measures to prevent eating crops.

Classification

Each butterfly was a caterpillar, and the color of the caterpillar may differ from the color of the butterfly. Most often, caterpillars are herbivorous insects, but predators can also be found in nature. Depending on their food, caterpillars are divided into the following classes:

Polyphages. This type of caterpillar feeds on almost any plant. They represent butterfly species such as wine hawk moth, blind hawk moth, kaya bear, peacock eye and other insects.

Monophages . These caterpillars prefer to eat only specific types of plants, which is where their names come from. Examples of monophages include cabbage moths, apple moths, silkworms and other species.

Oligophages. The food of these insects is limited to one type of plant that belongs to a specific family or type. As a rule, this is a pine butterfly, swallowtail, polyxena.

Xylophagous. The diet of this class is varied with various tree barks. Such caterpillars are leafworms, woodworms, and so on.

Caterpillars also differ in their distribution area. A number of species inhabit the subtropics, and some inhabit the northern regions. Among the large number of caterpillars, there are also quite valuable representatives, for example, silkworms. Silk threads are obtained from their cocoon.

Varieties (types) of caterpillars

Cabbage butterfly. This type is the most common. The larvae most often parasitize cabbage leaves. This is a green hairy caterpillar, its body length does not exceed 4 centimeters.

In addition to cabbage leaves, the insect eats the following crops: radishes, turnips, horseradish. The duration of stay in the caterpillar stage is from 2 to 5 weeks.

Moth. This is a brown caterpillar that resembles a small twig in appearance. What do caterpillars of this species eat: tree needles, currant and raspberry foliage.

Redtail. This is a brown or gray hairy larva that eats the leafy mass of green plants - apple trees, plums, rowan, hornbeam, oak.

Peacock eye. It is large in size and green in color. It feeds on fruit trees: apple, pear, plum, cherry.

Clothes moth. Eats natural fur and furniture coverings. You can also often find a small white worm in bags of flour and corn grits.

Characteristics by which the larvae of different butterflies are classified:

nature of nutrition;
nocturnal or diurnal lifestyle;
habitat;
the structure of various parts of the body;
availability of protective devices.

According to the position of the head relative to the body, caterpillars are divided into several types:

orthognathic (the longitudinal axis of the head and the axis of the body form a right angle);
prognathic (the longitudinal axis of the flattened head continues the axis of the body);
semiprognathic (occupies an intermediate position).

The first type is the most common, the second is typical for species with a mining lifestyle. They eat out passages and tunnels in the pulp of leaves and fruits. The third type includes caterpillars that live secretly.

According to the structure of the sole

The sole is the terminal part of the abdominal legs. It has hooks and a retractor muscle. With the help of these devices, the caterpillars can move along a vertical plane, upside down and in any direction. Based on their structure, there are two types of soles:

the hooks are located along the edge, and the retractor muscle is in the center;
hooks are present only on the inner side, and closer to the outer side there is a muscle, part of the outer edge is covered with keratinized tissue.

Swallowtail larva
Most caterpillars feed on various parts of plants. Depending on food preferences, they are divided into 3 groups:

polyphagous (can live and feed on different types of plants, for example caterpillars of moths);
oligophages (feed on several related plant species: the swallowtail larva loves dill, fennel, parsnips and other umbelliferous plants);
monophages (their body is adapted to process only one type of plant: the silkworm feeds exclusively on mulberry leaves).

However, plants are not the only source of nutrition for small voracious creatures. Some of their varieties eat wood (xylophages), mushrooms (bagworm larvae), honey or beeswax (moth larvae), wool and leather (moth larvae).

Secretive species prefer to live in a secluded place, out of public view. As a rule, such caterpillars have a nondescript color and are not armed with protective outgrowths.

Habitat of secretive caterpillars:

soil (underground caterpillars);
water (underwater caterpillars);
leaves twisted in a special way (leaf rollers);
pathological growths on stems or leaves (gall formers);
pulp of fruits (codling moths), roots;
wood (xylophages).

Cabbage butterfly. This type is the most common. The larvae most often parasitize cabbage leaves. This is a green hairy caterpillar, its body length does not exceed 4 centimeters.

In addition to cabbage leaves, the insect eats the following crops: radishes, turnips, horseradish. The duration of stay in the caterpillar stage is from 2 to 5 weeks.

Moth. This is a brown caterpillar that resembles a small twig in appearance. What do caterpillars of this species eat: tree needles, currant and raspberry foliage.

Cabbage butterfly

The cabbage butterfly caterpillar is one of the most common in the European part of Russia. The green caterpillar has a body 3-4 cm long, covered with black growths and hairs. She was named after her favorite dish - cabbage leaves. In addition to cabbage, the garden pest also likes to feast on other vegetable crops:

The length of time an insect stays in the caterpillar stage depends on weather conditions. This period can range from 2 to 5 weeks. However, even such a short time period is enough for the whitefish to cause serious damage to the crop.

Prevention measures

To prevent woodworm from appearing in the garden area, it is best to take preventive measures. They consist of regularly clearing trees of moss and cracked bark. To preserve trees, you will need to lubricate the trunk using any of the following mixtures:

Mix clay (2 parts) with lime (1 part).
Prepare a product from insecticide, glue and clay. To do this, dilute the clay in a bucket with water to such a consistency that it resembles sour cream. Then add 10% Karbofos and 250 g of carpentry or casein glue. If the trees are young and their bark is very thin, you should not add glue.

The selected mixture should be used on days when there is no rain. The frequency of application is twice per season: in the spring, when there is still snow cover, and in the fall, after the leaves have fallen. It is necessary to coat not only the tree trunk with the mixture, but also the base of the branches. Coating height is 2 m or more.

The main enemies of wood

In addition to plant pests (fungi, mold), the integrity of wood can also be threatened by harmful insects. There are about 130 species of the animal kingdom that technically damage various parts of the tree, making them unusable. They are classified taking into account geography, seasonality, species and stage of wood processing. Pests, including root pests, regard it as food and habitat.

The integrity of various parts of the tree is threatened by termites and wood-boring beetles:

Subspecies

Cossus cossus cossus
Cossus cossus albescens Kitt, 1925 (, )
Cossus cossus araraticus Teich, 1896 (, , , )
Cossus cossus armeniacus Rothschild, 1912 (Türkiye)
Cossus cossus chinensis Rothschild, 1912 (: Shaanxi)
Cossus cossus dauricus Yakovlev, 2007 (Russia: )
Cossus cossus dersu Yakovlev, 2009 (Russia: )
Cossus cossus deserta Daniel, 1953 ()
Cossus cossus gueruenensis Friedel, 1977 ()
Cossus cossus kopetdaghi Yakovlev, 2009 ()
Cossus cossus kossai Wiltshire, 1957 (, )
Cossus cossus lucifer Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 ()
Cossus cossus mongolicus Erschoff, 1882 (Mongolia)
Cossus cossus omrana Wiltshire, 1957 (Iraq, )
Cossus cossus tianshanus Hua, Chou, Fang & Chen, 1990 (Kazakhstan, , , , )
Cossus cossus uralicus Seitz, 1912 ()

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.

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.