Resourceful Oriental Moth

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The Eastern moth is a pest native to East Asia, from where it first came to the United States, and later was introduced to southern Europe. At the moment, it is quite harmful in the central, southern and western regions of Russia, and this villain damages mainly the fruits and shoots of apricot, pear and apple tree. The shoots of medlar, quince and plum also suffer from its invasions. And the eastern moth will not refuse to feast on the shoots of cherries and cherries, as well as hawthorn, laurel and almonds

Meet the pest

The eastern moth is a dim butterfly with a wingspan of 11 to 15 mm. The pests are painted in brownish-grayish tones, and in the middle of the inner edges of their wings, you can see two pairs of intermittent slanting whitish lines that look like sling. The mirror of the eastern moths is weakly expressed, and the tops of the wings are framed with black thin velvety lines. The hind winglets are paler than the anterior ones and are grayish-brownish with a slight iridescent sheen. And the light brownish fringe on the wings is distinguished by a pronounced silvery shade.

The eggs of oriental moths grow in size from 0.6 to 0.8 mm. Initially, they are whitish, and after some time they turn to light orange tones. All eggs are oval and slightly flattened. Caterpillars of the first instar are colored milky white, the second instar yellowish-whitish, the third instar whitish-grayish, and the fourth and fifth instar red. The breastplates of the caterpillars are yellow, and the heads are brown. Brownish pupae, growing up to 5, 3 - 7, 7 mm, are equipped with two rows of spines on the abdominal segments, and 10 - 18 transactions of unequal length are located at the tips of their abdomens. All pupae turn black just before the butterflies emerge.

Caterpillars that have completed development overwinter in silky and rather dense cocoons within the radius of tree-trunk circles in plant remains, as well as in mummified fruits, in soil, in cracks in the bark, in various containers and in other shelters. Pupation of eastern moths occurs during the budding period of quince and peach, as soon as the average daily temperature reaches nine to ten degrees. This usually happens in mid-March. And closer to the end of the peach flowering, somewhere in the third decade of April, one can already observe the years of butterflies.

In summer, the average life span of butterflies reaches seven days, and in autumn - from twenty to twenty-five days. Approximately three to six days after emergence, the females begin to lay eggs, placing them on the lower sides of the leaves, as well as on the kidney scales, on the sepals, on the tops and on the bark of young shoots, and on the unopened surface of the fruit. The total fertility of pests reaches one hundred to one hundred and twenty eggs.

The embryonic development of gluttonous parasites usually takes six to twelve days in the spring, three to six days in the summer, and five to sixteen days in the fall. Caterpillars make their way into young shoots and begin to move to growth points, and on quince and apple trees, they mine leaf blades, making moves from the tops to the bases. As soon as the caterpillars reach the stiffened tissues, they make through round holes and move into nearby shoots.

Shoots attacked by oriental moths wither rather quickly, twist and dry out or crack along the passages made by them. And in fruits, caterpillars gnaw out rather deep cavities, which are instantly filled with loose excrement. By the way, these gluttonous parasites damage not only the pulp, but also the seeds. Often, in one shoot, up to four caterpillars feed at the same time, and in fruits up to several dozen individuals can coexist at once. Caterpillars feed for twelve to twenty two days. After that, they leave the damaged fruits and shoots, move to shelters, equip comfortable cocoons there and pupate. Slightly less often, they can pupate directly in damaged fruits and shoots. In the south of Russia, eastern moths are capable of developing in four generations, superimposed on one another.

How to fight

The soil in the near-trunk circles must be carefully cultivated, and in the fall it must also be plowed well. It is important to systematically clean tree trunks of dying bark areas, and damaged shoots should be promptly cut off and immediately burned. Damaged volunteers must also be collected and disposed of in a timely manner.

Before flowering, as well as three to four days after its end, fruit trees are treated with biological products or insecticides. And to disorient the males, pheromone vaporizers are hung in the garden.

In addition, the pupae and caterpillars of pests infect over thirty species of ichneumon wasps from the families of braconids, etc.