The rowan moth loves to attack rowan fruits, but due to circumstances it can harm apple and hawthorn trees. It is widespread in the forests of the European zone of Russia, in the Urals, the Far East, and Siberia. After wintering in the ground, butterflies emerge from pupae.
Over the course of their entire life cycle, they can lay up to 50 eggs, from which caterpillars emerge that eat plant foliage. By gnawing holes in the fruit, the parasites settle in the pulp before they mature. They then leave the fruits and pupate. It is difficult to control the pest, especially at the caterpillar stage.
To completely destroy the parasite, 5 sprayings of fruit bearings may be required. Usually the same means are used as when baiting the codling moth.
How to deal with bud and rowan moths
Fruit crops such as currants and gooseberries are damaged by bud moth . In the spring, after wintering, they begin to feed on kidney tissue.
Damaged buds look like they are burned and dry out. In addition, after the leaves bloom, damaged shoots are noticeable.
To protect plants from moths, pruning and burning of affected shoots and collecting fallen leaves and cocoons should be carried out. Spraying plants with a decoction of tobacco grass helps in the fight against caterpillars.
You can protect carrots from carrot flies, and onions from onion flies, by planting onions early next to carrots.
The rowan moth is a small gray moth whose wingspan does not exceed 1 cm. Its body length is 6 mm. Rowan moth caterpillars are up to 1 cm long, greenish-gray, sometimes with a red tint.
The rowan moth damages the fruits of rowan and hawthorn, and during periods of mass invasion of the pest or years of poor harvest for rowan, the moth can also attack the apple tree.
Overwintering of moth pupae takes place in dry grass, under fallen leaves and in the upper layers of soil.
During the flowering of the mountain ash, the flight of butterflies begins. Females lay eggs on the top of young rowan ovaries. After some time, caterpillars appear and penetrate the pulp of the rowan berries, gnawing narrow passages in them, from which droplets of juice then protrude, and dark spots appear on their surface. The affected fruits taste bitter.
Adult caterpillars leave the berries and move to the wintering site, where they pupate.
An effective way to fight garden moths is to spray plants with tansy decoction.
It is necessary to dig up the soil under the trees, promptly rake and burn the leaves, and also clean the bark of lichens and growths.
We study the diseases of mountain ash and begin the fight
Diseases of leaf blades
Main diseases of leaf blades:
- Powdery mildew. The cause of this disease is powdery mildew. A similar problem appears in the second part of July. The leaves are covered with white cobwebs. If nothing is done, then after a short time spherical fruits will form on the surface of the plates. Initially, such dots have a yellow tint. They can be located either singly or in groups. Ripe formations change color over time and become dark brown.
- Rust. This disease appears as a result of the development of a multi-host rust fungus. The spring stage of such a fungus appears in the first half of summer. This problem can be identified by the presence of pinkish spots on the leaves. They are often located on the top plate and are quite large in size. The diameter of each formation ranges from 2 to 5 mm. Cone-shaped brown growths may sometimes appear on the lower part of the leaves. Their length ranges from 1 to 2 mm. Basidia with basidiospores overwinter on the trunk of rowan, and in the spring they infect young leaves. If no treatment is carried out, then in the near future the plates will change color and begin to deform.
- Brown spot. The cause of this problem is the fungus Phyllosticta sorbi. This disease can be distinguished by the presence of brown spots that cover the leaves in the second half of summer. They have different sizes and shapes. In the middle of each spot there are black dots, which are pycnidia. They appear on the top of the plates and develop quite quickly.
In addition to these diseases, there are other problems that require closer acquaintance.
Scab
This is one of the most common diseases that is caused by the fungus Fusicladium orgiculatum. Scab appears in the form of spots that are located on both sides of the plates. They have a brown tint and radiant edges. Often the edging is irregular in shape, but there are spots with perfectly smooth edges.
If such a disease is not dealt with, the tree will quickly lose its attractiveness. The second stage of development of the fungus Fusicladium orgiculatum is the presence of an olive coating on brown spots.
Ring mosaic
This disease appears in the spring. Greenish rings form on the leaves. When there are a large number of them, a mosaic pattern appears. If the leaf plates are severely affected, they begin to deform and fall off.
How to get rid of fruit stripe moth
This pest is a small brown-gray moth whose wingspan does not exceed 14 mm. Fruit striped moth caterpillars are 12 mm long, brown with a black head.
Fruit stripe moth damages stone fruit crops (cherries, cherries, plums, apricots), but is sometimes found on apple trees.
Caterpillars overwinter under the bark in places where young branches branch. They are easily identified by accumulations of excrement in the form of dust.
In the spring, during the budding period, the caterpillars leave their wintering grounds, begin to bite into the buds, and then into the middle of the young shoots, which subsequently dry out. The caterpillars move to other shoots, which leads to the death of parts of the plant. Each caterpillar is capable of destroying up to five shoots.
After some time, the caterpillars leave the shoots and move into cracks in the bark, where they pupate.
In June, butterflies of the first generation appear, which hide during the day and fly out at dusk to lay eggs. Females lay eggs on the bark of shoots, leaves and fruits.
After 2 weeks, caterpillars appear and begin to bite into the buds and shoots, causing them to die. In the fruits, the caterpillars reach the seeds and eat them away. In places where fruits are damaged, gum formation is observed.
After finishing feeding, the caterpillars leave the fruits and leaves and move to other places to pupate.
At the end of summer, second-generation fruit striped moth butterflies appear and begin to lay eggs, and the emerging caterpillars continue to feed on the bark of the shoots until the fall, eating away the tunnels in them and remaining there for the winter.
A great way to get rid of fruit moths is to spray the trees with chlorophos during bud break.
It is necessary to promptly prune damaged shoots and burn them .
Necrotic diseases of rowan.
Nectria necrosis.
It is almost impossible to detect pathogenic fungi, the causative agents of nectar necrosis, at the initial stage. Often, signs of the disease appear only when fungal growths, the so-called pink stromas, protrude through the cracked bark. Their appearance means the death of the part of the branch or trunk where they are found.
The affected parts of the tree can only be cut off and burned. And for the purpose of prevention, treat rowan with Bordeaux mixture, which has a protective and antiviral effect.
Cytosporosis.
Necrosis of this type spreads noticeably faster than the previous disease. Necrotic tissues are oval in shape and, over time, become covered with bark. In a short time, these formations can completely encircle a branch or thin trunk.
Under the bark, many small tubercles begin to grow, the tops of which protrude to the surface. In spring or summer, you can see a certain mucous mass - these are spores of the fungus that causes the infection.
A tree infected with cytosporosis cannot be cured; it is cut down and burned to prevent infection of other plants and shrubs.
Prevention of the appearance of cytosporosis, as in the previous case, is spraying rowan with Bordeaux mixture
It is important to carry out the treatment before the buds open, this increases the likelihood of destroying pathogens at the initial stage. By the way, this product will contribute to longer storage of the crop and preservation of its quality if the tree is sprayed a month before harvesting the berries
In addition, it should be taken into account that the concentration of the working solution used at the early treatment stage and subsequently will be different. Also, you should remember the need to observe safety precautions when working with the drug.
Black necrosis.
Necrosis of this type is also of fungal origin. The trunk of an infected tree turns yellow and the bark cracks. Over time, the number of cracks increases, they grow and the bark lags behind the trunk and branches. The wood darkens and an unpleasant odor emanates from the wood.
Unfortunately, this necrosis is one of the diseases that cannot be treated. Rowan affected by Black necrosis is cut down and burned. Therefore, prevention of their occurrence comes to the fore in the fight for a tree with necrotic diseases. In addition to early treatments, you should regularly inspect the tree and promptly remove affected areas to avoid spreading the disease to other plants.
Fighting hawthorn circle moth
This pest is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 6 mm. The length of the caterpillar is 5 mm.
The hawthorn moth damages the leaves of all fruit trees, especially apple trees.
Overwintering of moths and pupae takes place under fallen leaves and in bark cracks.
Caterpillars eat away the passages in the leaves without damaging the skin of the leaf blade. Sometimes they can eat leaves, forming round holes in them with a diameter of up to 8 mm.
Pupation occurs in arachnoid cocoons on the underside of the leaf.
To combat the hawthorn moth, it is recommended to spray the trees with an infusion of hot pepper. To do this, you need to pour 1 kg of fresh or 0.5 kg of dried red pepper into 10 liters of water, boil for 1 hour, leave for 24 hours, then strain. The resulting solution should be bottled and stored in a cool, dark place. Before spraying, it is recommended to add 125 ml of the resulting solution and 40 g of laundry soap to 10 liters of water. Trees should be sprayed once every 2 weeks. In total, 2-3 sprayings should be carried out per season.
In addition, colonies of caterpillars along with spider nests should be collected and destroyed.
How to get rid of moths in the garden and prevent them from coming back? In autumn, it is necessary to rake fallen leaves and dig up the soil under the trees, and whitewash the trunks in a timely manner.
Before flowering, trees can be sprayed with insecticides, but most chemicals are only effective against young caterpillars.
Damage caused
An overgrown colony of caterpillars can completely destroy a tree. But even if it doesn’t come to this, the apple tree or bird cherry tree on which the ermine moth has settled will suffer serious damage. Throughout their short life, the caterpillars destroy the leaves of the tree. First, they eat away the core (parenchyma) of the tender young leaves, leaving only the outer shell. Without internal cells, leaves cannot function, photosynthesis stops, leaves dry out, turn brown and fall off. Then, under the web, insects continue to eat the crown of the tree, leaving the plant without green cover. A plant that has lost its foliage cannot develop further; it slows down its growth and is unable to bloom or bear fruit. Subsequently, recovery may take more than one year.
In cities, the reason for pest control is not so much the likelihood of tree death, but rather the aesthetically unsightly appearance of plants that have been affected by ermine moths. Photos of such apple trees and bird cherry trees demonstrate how depressing and inappropriate they look on city streets.
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How to deal with the tomato pest miner moth
The tomato pest leaf miner is a small insect of the butterfly family, the wingspan of which usually reaches 5-15 mm. The head is round, smooth, has a crest of hair-like scales, and thread-like antennae. The back of the insect is covered with adjacent scales of various shapes. The wings of the moth are narrow, lanceolate, with a pattern of clearly defined light stripes and spots on a dark background. Moth moth caterpillars harm the apple tree, as they damage its leaves, eating away tunnels in the green tissues of the plants.
They often hide under a leaf, wrapping it up and thus forming a cap, tube or pocket.
Entomophagous insects - lacewings and predatory bugs - help reduce the number of moths. Insect ichneumon parasitize the caterpillars of the pest.
The carriers of black currant blight, which leads to crop infertility, are aphids and bud mites. In diseased plants, the leaves are underdeveloped, the latter become elongated, similar to the leaves of stinging nettle, and their smell is lost.
Flowers affected by the disease change their shape and color - their petals are elongated, green or purple, they become terry. The flowers dry out but remain on the plants. In most cases, there are no berries on the affected bushes.
How to get rid of moths on plants using effective methods? It is recommended to carry out the following measures: digging up and destroying infected bushes, attracting entomophagous insects to the site that feed on aphids and mites, timely treatment of crops with infusions and decoctions of insecticidal plants that repel disease carriers.
Morphologically related species
In appearance (morphology) almost all representatives of the genus Nepticula are close to the described species. These are mainly dark-colored butterflies with a contrasting light pattern in the form of transverse bands and strokes (or with longitudinal stripes and strokes). Some butterflies have plain wings without a pattern. In addition, species differ in the structure of their genitalia.[6]
The most common species of this genus are: Rose moth (Nepticula centifoliella), Blackthorn moth (Nepticula plagicolella), Southern apple moth (Nepticula pomella), Plum moth (Nepticula prunetorum).[1]
How to deal with topside moths on an apple tree
This pest is a small butterfly that damages the leaves of all fruit trees, especially apple trees. The moth caterpillar overwinters under fallen leaves, in cracks in the bark. In spring, the moth can lay up to 30 eggs on the upper side of budding leaves. Caterpillars eat away passages in the pulp of the leaf without damaging the skin of the leaf blade. Their pupation takes place in cobweb cocoons on the underside of the leaf. In this case, the sheet contracts and bends.
To combat top-sided fruit moths, it is necessary to collect and destroy colonies of caterpillars along with web nests. In the fall, you should rake fallen leaves and dig up the soil around the trees, clean the bark of moss and dead particles, and whiten the trunks.
How to deal with moths on an apple tree when a large number of pests invade? It is recommended to spray trees with insecticides before flowering, but most drugs are only effective against young caterpillars.
When working with the sprayer, the liquid stream should be directed towards the underside of the leaves.
The distance between the sprayer tip and the surface to be treated must be at least 0.5 m. It is better not to hold the jet in one place, otherwise the liquid will begin to drain.
Nutrition
Insects feed on plant leaves, and the variety is so great that it boggles the imagination. Even conifers are amazed by their miners. Below are lists, far from complete, of quarantine objects, for example, trees:
- horse chestnut;
- Linden;
- holly;
- sycamore;
- Rowan;
- poplar;
- thuja;
- juniper;
- Apple tree;
- cherry;
- citrus.
Shrubs:
- rose;
- rose hip;
- hawthorn;
- honeysuckle;
- spirea.
Herbaceous plants:
- balsam;
- strawberries;
- clover;
- clematis;
- bell;
- centaury;
- dandelion;
- violet, including indoor violet.
Vegetables:
- tomatoes;
- potato;
- cucumbers;
- beet;
- salad;
- parsley;
- cabbage;
- melons;
- and others.
Leaves damaged by leaf miners
Protection against grape moth
This pest is a butterfly with a wingspan of 4 mm. Its forewings are brown with white spots. The hind wings are dark brown. The fringe of the wings is long, gray-white. The antennae are thread-like. Caterpillar 3 mm long, yellow. The pupa is 2.5 mm in size, light yellow.
Overwintering of caterpillars that have completed feeding takes place under loose bark. In April, pupation occurs, and after 10-12 days the butterflies fly out, their lifespan is about a week, so soon after emergence they mate, the females begin to lay eggs, placing them on the veins of the leaves.
The revival of caterpillars occurs after 5-7 days. Then they begin to feed, gnawing into the middle of the leaf and making round holes with a diameter of 1.5-2 mm. After the development of the caterpillar is completed, the second generation butterflies fly out in 8-10 days.
The mass flight of the first generation is observed in June, the second - in July, the third - in September. If the damage is significant, the leaves will fall off. The caterpillars of the last generation, after finishing feeding, move to wintering areas.
To protect against grape moths, it is recommended to strip the dead bark and burn it.
Signs of tree damage
Since sapwood settles mainly under tree bark, it is quite difficult to immediately detect its presence. Larvae and adults can only be seen with a thorough examination of the tree. However, there are several signs indicating that a tree is affected by a bark beetle:
- the appearance in the surface of the cortex of small holes with an oval or round shape, the diameter of which is 2 mm;
- accumulation of whitish or brown powdery plaque at the base;
- drying of individual branches and withering of the foliage on them;
- lag in the development of a young tree, lack of new shoots;
- formation of underdeveloped ovaries, cessation of fruiting;
- the presence on the trunk of a large amount of resinous substance (gum), which has an external resemblance to frozen glue;
- accumulation of birds in the garden, especially woodpeckers.
Signs of an apple bark beetle infestation can be seen by making a puncture in the surface of the bark with a sharp object.
How to deal with cherry shoot moth
This pest is a small brown butterfly with a wingspan of 1 cm.
Cherry moth caterpillars are up to 6 mm long, greenish-yellow. Cherry shoot moth damages and destroys buds, flowers and leaves of cherries and cherries.
The caterpillars overwinter in cracks in the bark, near the fruit buds of the tree. They come out during the swelling of the buds and bite into them, which leads to further drying of the buds. Then the caterpillars move on to young leaves and buds, gnawing them and leaving behind a thin web with excrement.
Cherry shoot moth caterpillars can penetrate young shoots, causing them to dry out.
At the end of flowering of cherries and sweet cherries, the caterpillars move to the upper layers of the soil around the trunk, where they pupate. During this period, it is recommended to loosen and dig the soil under the trees.
In July, butterflies appear and begin to lay eggs.
Symptoms of cherry moth damage to a plant are often confused with signs of a tree freezing.
To combat cherry shoot moth, it is recommended to spray trees with a decoction of yarrow.
To prepare it, you need to pour 600 g of dry yarrow herb into 8 liters of water, boil for 30-40 minutes, then cool, strain, add 2 liters of water, let it brew for 2 days. Before use, dissolve 40 g of soap in the broth.
Development cycle
Moths are insects with a full development cycle. Before turning into adults, the larvae go through 3 stages:
- eggs
- pupae
- butterflies.
In favorable conditions, the entire life cycle does not exceed 2 months. Let's take a closer look at all the periods of development and breeding characteristics of food moths.
Reproduction
The adult food moth lives no more than a week. They are not adapted by nature for a longer existence. They have no mouth, and their digestive system has undergone significant metamorphosis.
Immediately after emerging from the pupa, the butterflies mate, releasing pheromones into the air that attract sexual partners. After this, the days count down. Males die soon after copulation. Females look for a suitable place to lay eggs. It may turn out to be a linen bag of flour with a hole, an open jar of cereal, or even a forgotten box of chocolates gathering dust on the mezzanine.
In total, the female is capable of laying more than a hundred eggs. To prevent the offspring from suffering from overcrowding, she makes several clutches, distributing the eggs over several places. Soon after the last egg is laid, the female's life course ends and she dies.
This is what an adult food moth looks like:
Development
The larvae that hatch from the eggs immediately begin to actively feed. In order to grow into an adult, she needs to gain a certain weight. As a rule, she moves little, crawling from place to place only in search of food. Immediately before pupation, it crawls out of the feeding substrate, looking for a suitable place for subsequent metamorphosis.
The entire development period from egg to pupa takes 1.5 weeks. During this time, the larvae grow up to 1.5 cm in length and gain sufficient weight for further development. As a rule, it is during this period that moths reveal themselves, as they begin to actively move, preparing themselves for adult life. The rest of the time they are practically invisible, especially if they are in flour.
The insect spends only a few days in the body of the pupa. During this time, profound changes occur in his body, transforming the clumsy, fat larva into an elegant butterfly. The adult individual emerging from the pupa is completely ready to fulfill its duty to nature - to continue its race.
Features of life
Favorable conditions for the development of insects are a temperature of approximately 25 C and a relative humidity of about 50%. When the air temperature drops, the development of larvae slows down and can sometimes be delayed for several months.
In one individual insect population, approximately two generations of moths are replaced per year. Due to its fertility, this pest actively colonizes large areas in a relatively short time.
The distribution range of these insects is quite wide. Their larvae can be found wherever there is something to eat. Food moths can tolerate short-term heat and cold. However, for its development it chooses warm, damp, food-rich places.
How to get rid of ermine fruit moth
This pest is a butterfly with a wingspan of 18-22 mm. The forewings are white with black spots. The hind wings are gray. The egg is 0.3 mm in size, yellowish, round. Caterpillar 14-16 mm long, yellow-gray. The pupa is 8-11 mm long, dark yellow, and its head is black. The cocoon is thin and white.
The ermine fruit moth damages plum, cherry plum, apricot, cherry, cherry, rowan, and apple trees.
The caterpillars overwinter under the shield. At the end of April, they emerge from under it and immediately begin to weave web nests, connecting leaves in pairs. Their development continues for 1-1.5 months.
Pupation into spider nests occurs separately from each other. After 8-10 days (late May - early June) butterflies appear. Their years last until mid-August. 2 weeks after emergence, the butterflies begin to mate, after which on the 5-6th day they begin laying eggs. The female lays 15-40 eggs on the smooth bark of thin branches and fills them with mucus, which quickly hardens in the air.
After 8-15 days, the caterpillars are revived, which then remain under a moisture-proof shield until the spring of next year. In spring, caterpillars begin to damage leaves and entwine tree branches with thick webs. With significant damage, the quantity and quality of the harvest decreases, the growth of shoots decreases, and the process of formation of fruit buds is disrupted.
To combat ermine fruit moth, it is recommended to spray trees with a decoction of marigolds and wormwood. To prepare it, you need to pour 200 g of dried crushed marigold herb into 5 liters of water and boil for 1 hour. Then pour 5 liters of water into 200 g of dry crushed wormwood herb and boil for 20 minutes. Cool the marigold and wormwood decoctions, mix, strain, add 2.5 liters of cold water. Carry out the treatment 2-3 times during plant budding.
Features of chokeberry (rowan)
Chokeberry is a frost-resistant deciduous shrub, characterized by strong branching; it reaches a height of up to 300 centimeters. Its root system is located very close to the soil surface. The crown of young specimens is very compact, but in an adult shrub it can reach a diameter of about 200 centimeters. Young stems are colored brown-red, which eventually changes to dark gray. Single-piece simple leaf plates of elliptical shape are alternately arranged and have a crenate-toothed edge. They reach 4–8 centimeters in length and 3–5 centimeters in width. The front surface of the leaves is glossy, dark green leathery, and the underside is whitish in color, which is associated with the presence of pubescence. From mid-September the foliage color changes to red-purple. Corymbose dense inflorescences consist of fragrant flowers of pale pink or white color, which have purple anthers. Flowering begins from mid-May to early June. The glossy, spherical fruits can be black-purple or purple in color, and have a bluish coating on their surface. Their ripening is observed in August or September. In wild plants, the mass of fruits, as a rule, is no more than 1.5 g, while in cultivated varieties they are not so small.
This plant is cultivated as a medicinal, fruit and ornamental plant. Chokeberry is considered a relative of pear, bird cherry, quince, peach, almond, hawthorn, cherry, apple, plum, cherry plum, apricot, nectarine, rose hip and cherry. All these garden crops belong to the same family.
Planting and caring for chokeberry
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