2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The gooseberry moth is most often found in the central forest-steppe regions and in woodland. In addition to gooseberries, she is not averse to feasting on currants. And sometimes it can be seen on raspberries. The main damage is caterpillars, which fasten fruits and flowers with leaves with thin silk threads. The damaged berries entangled in cobwebs turn red and quickly dry out or begin to rot. If the gooseberry moth begins to multiply en masse, the yield of berries will be much lower, so you must definitely fight these parasites
Meet the pest
The gooseberry moth is a dull butterfly with a wingspan of 27 to 30 mm. The front grayish-brownish wings of the pests are equipped with dark brown transverse bands, as well as rounded brownish specks in the center of the wings and jagged black lines running along their edges. The hind wings are slightly paler than the front ones and are framed with dark edges. The lobes of harmful parasites are weakly convex, and the fancifully protruding scales covering them fold into distinct cones. Both males and females are endowed with short-ciliate filiform antennae.
White eggs of gooseberry moths are oval in shape and reach 0.7 mm in size. Light-colored caterpillars, growing in length from 9 to 14 mm, are endowed with slightly blurred dark stripes. The thoracic and anal plates of the caterpillars are brownish, and the heads are black. The size of the brownish pupae is about 7 - 9 mm, and their bodies are equipped with eight curved spines.
Pupae overwinter in paper-like spider cocoons in cracks in the soil and in the upper soil layer under currant and gooseberry bushes. As soon as the tiny buds of the gooseberry begin to bare, the butterfly years begins, lasting about a month. And the massive years of pests and the process of their laying coincides with the completion of the flowering of various gooseberry varieties. Butterflies fly mainly in the evenings, laying one egg inside the flowers (less often - two or three). Sometimes pests can lay eggs on the ovary, as well as on young leaves and twigs. Their total fertility reaches two hundred eggs.
Eight or ten days after the pests lay eggs, small caterpillars revive, gnawing the columns of pistils and sinking into the ovaries. In the event that several caterpillars gather on one flower at once, they begin to gradually move to neighboring flowers with berries. Caterpillars feed mainly on the pulp and seeds of berries. Each individual damages on average up to fifteen currant berries and up to six gooseberries. Caterpillars develop for twenty five to thirty days, and after this time they begin to pupate. As a rule, their pupation occurs during the ripening period of the berries. Throughout the year, only one generation of these voracious scoundrels manages to develop. And in some, rather warm and dry years, the development of an optional generation can also be observed, although this happens quite rarely.
On gooseberries, gluttonous parasites eat out the contents of fruits and seeds from the inside, and on currants they gnaw unripe fruits and ovaries from the outside.
How to fight
In spring and autumn, it is necessary to process the soil under the berry bushes as thoroughly as possible. And at the end of flowering, if more than 2 - 5% of inflorescences are populated with gooseberry moths, they begin to spray with insecticides or suitable biological products. In addition, light traps are also used to combat these harmful parasites.
Predatory ground beetles also contribute to the reduction in the number of pests. And in caterpillars nimble riders from the braconid family parasitize. Also, various diseases can affect the gooseberry moth, for example, pink muscardine and some others.
Recommended:
Moth Bow
Onion moly (lat.Allium moly) - a representative of the Onion family, characterized by increased decorative properties. The plant is known as Golden Garlic. It is found naturally in many European countries. In Russia, it is cultivated as an ornamental crop.
Gooseberry Moth - A Pest Of Berries And Fruits
The gooseberry moth, also called the gooseberry moth, is found everywhere. It damages not only gooseberries with black currants - although less often, this pest will not refuse to feast on bird cherry, peach, apricot and plum as well. The main harm is caused by gooseberry moths during the period of spring development, therefore, you should be vigilant in relation to this pest and start a fight against it in a timely manner
Pale Meadow Moth - The Enemy Of Umbrella Crops
The pale meadow moth is found literally everywhere. This parasite can be encountered especially often in central Russia and the Caucasus. It mainly damages the testes of carrots and parsnips, as well as some other umbrella crops. The result of its harmful activity is a noticeable decrease in the quality of seeds and a significant decrease in yield. Harmful caterpillars damage the testes of umbelliferous plants quite badly - they not only gnaw fragile pedicels, but also
Inconspicuous Fruit Striped Moth
Fruit striped moth from year to year feasts on cherries and cherries, as well as juicy apricots and fleshy plums. Nevertheless, in addition to stone fruit crops, it sometimes damages apple trees. Entering the fruit, the voracious caterpillars of pests begin to actively eat away at the pulp, reaching the very bones. The result of such attacks is the manifestation of gum flow in the damaged areas (most often near the peduncles)
Angry Currant Currant Roll
The crooked currant leafworm lives everywhere and is very partial to berry crops. Most often, it damages currants, blackthorns, mountain ash, various fruit crops, wild rose and hawthorn. Spruce, hazel, buckthorn, birch, oak, larch, barberry, as well as ash, poplar and maple do not escape her attention. So that the destructive activity of harmful caterpillars does not lead to the loss of most of the crop, these gluttonous parasites must be actively combated
