Gnawing scoops - control and prevention measures

You are a novice gardener and gardener and suddenly noticed that the leaves of some fruits in the garden have withered, and when harvesting, the fruits themselves were gnawed from the inside. It can be said with absolute accuracy that now you are faced with scoops that are capable of destroying your entire crop due to gluttony. Let's figure it out. Moths are small insects of the Lepidoptera family, with approximately 35,000 species. Agree, a lot. These small but harmful insects can be found almost everywhere: in the north and south. For you and me, they are pests that can cause colossal damage. The most damaging of all species, however, is the group that anyone who grows vegetables and fruits can encounter - gnawing scoops.

In the category of gnawing scoops, a considerable number of butterflies wake up at night and rush to the nearest garden. Bear, winter, potato butterfly ... Everyone has heard the names of these butterflies at least once. They can be found not only in the garden.

Gnawing scoops - varieties

Gnawing scoops are nocturnal insects, they always fly into the light, be it a phone screen or a lamp on the veranda. Acquaintance with the enemy Any butterfly from the Lepidoptera family is an insect that feeds on almost everything, and often its diet consists of a variety of plants.

They are different: large and small, gray, brown, even brown. In appearance, they are unremarkable. Their wings are narrow, patterned. The front wings are longer than the rear ones. This feature is typical for any type of scoop. Because of the peculiar pattern on the wings, they got their name. It is quite clear, consists of straight and winding lines. Also, rings and circles may be present there. The front wings are darker than the rear ones and have a grayish-brownish tint. But, in addition to the gray tint, there may be red or blue spots on the hind wings.

Nightgirls

This is also the name of this type of butterflies, they fly out to "hunt" in the evening or at night, which is clear from the name. It is practically impossible to see them during the day. During the daytime, they sleep, attached to the back of the plant leaf. That is why you should check the flower before picking it from the garden. Adult caterpillars live underground, feeding on roots and vegetables, nibbling them superficially.

Winter scoop

It lives almost everywhere. The only exceptions are the north and especially arid regions; however, some individuals can be found there as well. It can be found in many regions. She lives throughout the European part of the country, and people in the North Caucasus and in the Urals also suffer from her "raids". However, the geography of the spread of the parasite does not end there. It can be found in the Far East, in the south of Siberia. As you can see, this type of parasite butterfly is widespread in Russia and abroad. The wingspan of the insect is 35-50 mm. Their color can vary from shades of yellow to dark gray. As a rule, the color spectrum of the wings of this insect contains all shades of gray and brown. Dark lines cross them across. There are usually four of them.

Caterpillars are especially tenacious and can survive severe frosts in winter. They survive at a depth of 15–30 cm. As soon as the spring sun begins to warm the ground a little after a cold winter, the caterpillars move to the surface of the earth, where they build peculiar caves and pupate there. Pupae live underground for about a month, where they gain strength and grow.Their cover takes on a reddish-brown hue; at the end of the pupa there are two spines, about 20 mm long. For years, butterflies gather at the end of May and stay there almost until the end of July. The winter moth behaves most actively at night. ,

A cluster of butterflies can be detected by pheromone traps; in the absence of an opportunity to create such a trap, using molasses fermenting in a bowl. It must be installed about 20 cm above the ground. To do this, it is necessary to mix molasses and water in a container in proportions of 3: 1, add the same fermented yeast in an amount of 50 g / liter of water. As soon as the butterflies leave the cave shelters, they go to the nearest green area for reinforcements. There they spend several days, reinforced by immature sprouts and the first fruits. ,

However, their main goal is not to reduce hunger, but to find a cozy shelter for breeding a new generation. Any plant is perfect for this purpose. The butterfly of this species is very fruitful.

For those who actively look after their garden, a very crucial moment comes, which cannot be missed. It is necessary to disinfect and treat the sprouts with drugs in order to prevent a further "raid" on the garden of already ripe butterflies. If the moment is missed, then it will be too late. Getting rid of these parasites is not easy. Grown caterpillars crawl into the upper layers of the earth, closer to the surface, where they live, crawling out at night to feed.

The first generation begins its malicious activity in June. With the onset of warmth, until the beginning of autumn, the parasite years begins. Gnawing moths lay eggs on cultivated plants so that the larvae, just born, have something to eat, grow and gain strength. They apply to crops sown on the eve of winter, laying eggs in the soil where the grain was previously sown. Given the fact that the larvae can easily tolerate the cold, it is highly probable that all crops will be infected by the spring.

Exclamation scoop

Gnawing scoop: photo

A small butterfly with gray and brownish wings. Their wingspan reaches only 30–40 mm. On the wings, closer to the elongated body, the pattern of an exclamation mark appears, which served as a key point in choosing a name for this species. Caterpillars develop according to the principle of the winter scoop. They gladly eat cabbage and carrots, as, in principle, any pests of this type.

Garden scoop

Gnawing scoop: photo

A common representative of butterflies. They are omnivorous, feed on cultivated plants and their fruits. Of the favorite delicacies are nightshade crops. Moreover, they are able to eat tomatoes on an open surface, in the garden and in greenhouses. Adult caterpillars eat the leaves and pulp of fruits, gnawing tunnels there. Small caterpillars prefer to chew on the soft layer of the leaf.

Cabbage scoop

Gnawing scoop: photo

A dangerous and common pest from the group of gnawing scoops. The butterfly's wingspan is 50 mm. Females lay dark gray semi-globular eggs. To preserve them, they attach them to the seamy side of sunflower, lettuce, beet and pea leaves. However, the favorite treat is cabbage. After about two weeks, the green parasites spread out, eating the flesh of the leaves, and after they grow up, they begin to gnaw holes of various shapes. Minus the vital activity of insects in their manner of eating fruit without damaging the shell. It would seem that you are plucking an absolutely whole, beautiful, ruddy head of cabbage. Nothing bodes well for trouble. You bring the cabbage home, cut it, and inside there are incomprehensible black traces and an unpleasant smell. Caterpillars were involved.

Gnawing scoop: control measures and prevention

To prevent possible damage caused by gnawing shovels, carefully follow these guidelines:

1. Vigorously destroy any weeds in vegetable gardens and paths in the garden, especially flowering ones. It is on them that butterflies are often attached for the purpose of food for the coming weeks.

2. Process the soil regularly between the rows of the beds, dig it up, especially during the period when the butterflies hatch new offspring, because we remember that some individuals can lay up to a thousand eggs.

3. To catch butterflies of this species, put bowls of water mixed with jam, honey or beer in the gardens. Remember, gnawing scoops are a sweet tooth and will happily fly to containers, focusing on the smell and not knowing about the danger. Change the contents of the bowls periodically in order to catch more butterflies.

4. Treat any plantings with wormwood tincture. However, only wormwood, which blooms, will do. The smell of blooming wormwood perfectly repels pests. For cooking, you will need to mix 0.3 kg. raw materials, add a glass of ash and a tablespoon of liquid soap. Pour the resulting mixture with 10 liters. boiling water, cover and leave for five hours. Let it brew. As soon as the infusion has cooled, spray the garden.

5. If necessary, you can use a very effective and absolutely harmless method for removing pest butterflies from the garden. Trichograms, a natural enemy, a kind of biological weapon against butterflies, which eats larvae.

6. For this type of caterpillar, preparations containing chemicals are also effective: Decis, 2.5% q. - 2 ml for ten liters of water; Arrivo, 25% c.e. ten liters of water; Sherpa, 25% c.e. - 1.5 ml for ten liters of water. These drugs against parasites should be used only as described in the instructions. With drugs of this kind, make sure that they do not fall on other beds; they will damage the microflora of seedlings that are not affected by the parasite butterfly. Be sure to follow the instructions. In no case should you violate the number of days, wait for the required time after processing and start collecting fruits.

7. In order to destroy the gnawing scoop by the next summer, it is necessary to deeply and thoroughly dig up the soil in late autumn after harvest. If larvae are found, they need to be crushed, so they will not fall into suspended animation and will not survive the next winter.

Gnawing scoop: photo