- Description of the scoop butterfly
- Types of cutworms and how to distinguish them Winter cutworm
- exclamation scoop
- Cutworm
- Cabbage scoop
Cutworms are small brown butterflies that closely resemble house moths in appearance. However, despite their small size, they are the worst pests of agricultural crops. The moth moth is distributed throughout Eurasia and North Africa.
Armyworm caterpillars damage all crops from the Cabbage and Solanaceae families, as well as sunflowers, green crops, cucumbers, and ornamental flowers. Details of the description of this butterfly and measures to combat it are included in this material.
Description of the scoop butterfly
These pests belong to the insect family. The span of their brownish or brown wings can reach 5 cm, and when folded they fit tightly to the body. The life expectancy of cutworms does not reach 1 month.
Females lay 200 or more eggs on the back of the leaves, from which voracious caterpillars hatch after 1.5 weeks. Immediately from the day they are born, the caterpillars begin to intensively feed on the delicate tissues of young leaves.
The massive flight of butterflies in the Moscow region occurs in the middle of the first month of summer. In the southern regions of the Russian Federation this happens a month earlier. At the end of August, the moth moth disappears somewhere.
Larva (caterpillar)
What does it look like?
It has an elongated thick body, most often naked, less often covered with sparse hairs. They can be evenly scattered throughout the body or grouped in small groups.
The main color is green, gray, yellow or chestnut, with purple and pink tints. The pattern is characteristic of the cutworm family , it includes a longitudinal light stripe running along the back, and thinner and darker stripes on the sides.
Photo of cutworm larvae.
The larvae have thoracic legs (3 pairs), abdominal legs (3-5 pairs) and false legs (4 pairs). The youngest and oldest caterpillars often do not have abdominal legs, or they are underdeveloped.
Stages of development.
During the growth process, cutworm caterpillars molt from 3 to 5 times, depending on the species and living conditions. They go through 5 or 6 generations. The larvae of the first two instars are considered young , and the last two instars are considered adults. In many species of cutworms, it is the adult larvae that hide for the winter, which, after emerging, severely damage young shoots, seeds and buds of food plants.
Scoop caterpillars photo.
The stages of development do not differ much from each other in appearance ; only the proportions of the body and head change. The initially large head shrinks and the body elongates. The coloring remains largely unchanged.
Types of armyworms and how to distinguish them
In total, more than 3 thousand varieties of cutworms live in the world, but the maximum damage to agricultural crops is caused by gnawing cutworms. This group includes the following scoops:
- winter;
- exclamation;
- potato
Butterflies begin to become active at dusk and continue to remain this way throughout the night. They also lay eggs at night. Cutworm larvae damage the following crops:
- carrot;
- cabbage;
- sunflower;
- beets;
- peas.
In tubers and root crops located deep in the soil, the larvae make passages without affecting their shell.
Fall armyworm
It is represented by a medium-sized butterfly of gray-yellow color, which lives in the European part of the Russian Federation. The mass flight of butterflies occurs from May 10 until the end of July. The fall armyworm differs from other similar insects in its fertility.
During the season, female winter cutworms lay 1000 eggs, from which caterpillars hatch within a week. At the first stage, the larvae live on the leaves of the lower tier, and then they move to the fertile soil layer.
An older caterpillar has a yellow-green color with a sheen, its body is quite thick, and its length reaches 5 cm. One such caterpillar can harm 10 plants in 1 night. In the southern regions, this variety of cutworm produces 2 generations.
Those caterpillars that were born in the fall eat grain and young shoots of winter crops. This is where the name of this insect comes from - the winter cutworm.
exclamation scoop
The wingspan of this gray butterfly reaches 35 mm, and its dark gray larvae reach a length of 3 cm. The development process of such butterflies is in many ways identical to the winter armyworm, so we will not dwell on it. Plantings of cabbage crops and carrots suffer most from exclamation scoops.
Cutworm
The pest is represented by medium-sized brown-brown butterflies. Their caterpillars can also be colored brown or light green. The massive flight of butterflies is observed at the end of May; they lay an average of 60 eggs on the reverse side of the leaf. After 10 days, caterpillars are born from the eggs, damaging the following crops:
- turnip;
- radish;
- pepper;
- legumes;
- cabbage;
- tomatoes.
Cabbage scoop
This moth is one of the most dangerous pests of vegetable crops. Cabbage suffers most from it. Butterflies are large in size, colored in dark gray tones, and the edges of their wings are jagged. Mass flight of such scoops is observed at the zenith of May.
Females give 2 generations during 1 season. They place eggs on cabbage leaves, less often on lettuce, pea or beet leaves. From the moment the eggs are laid until the larvae appear, an average of 10 days pass.
The emerging caterpillars gnaw on the leaves, leaving holes in them. Sometimes they bite inside the head of cabbage, contaminating it with waste products.
Prevention
Of course, cutworms can appear on tomatoes by flying from a neighboring area. But then it is much easier to deal with them than if you “breed” pests on plant debris or in the soil.
Preventive actions:
- Before the onset of frost, dig up or plow the soil to a depth of at least 10 cm;
- always remove plant debris from the site in the fall;
- in the spring, weed out weeds from the moment they appear, and not before planting tomatoes;
- during the summer of butterflies, spray tomatoes with infusions of garlic, wormwood or other herbs with a strong pungent odor;
- carry out preventive treatment of tomatoes with drugs that also act on the cutworm;
- alternate crops in garden plots;
- plant tagetis between the rows, pick flowers or leaves from time to time, knead them and throw them on the beds with tomatoes.
How to deal with cutworms
An integrated approach should be used to combat this insidious pest. For example, you cannot rely only on commercial chemicals or folk remedies, since this may not be enough to free crops from cutworms.
Agrotechnical measures should also be practiced to curb the development of the pest. In some cases, a biological method may be effective.
All methods of struggle are divided into the following types:
- agrotechnical;
- mechanical;
- biological;
- folk remedies.
Agrotechnical method
Having fed, the caterpillars move into the soil in the fall, where they soon turn into pupae. In the pupal state they go into winter. With the onset of spring, the pupae undergo transformations and become butterflies.
The number of pupae, and therefore butterflies, can be reduced by deep plowing to 24 cm with a rotation of the layer. The pupae will be turned to the surface, where they will die from frost.
The same goal is pursued by spring deep cultivation at the earliest possible date. When loosening the rows, during the summer growing season, the larvae appear on the surface and are readily eaten by birds.
In early spring, the cutworm butterfly eats pollen from quinoa, nettle and white goosefoot. If you mow the weeds in a timely manner, this will deprive the butterfly of the opportunity to feed, and it will leave your area.
Damage caused
Due to the gluttony of caterpillars, cutworms are classified as pests. First they eat the leaves of weeds, and then move on to cultivated plants. They gnaw through the stems and petioles at the root collar, and eat away the upper part of root crops.
Gnawing armyworms are polyphagous and harm more than 145 plant species. The caterpillars feed on grains and melons, potatoes, beets, corn, sunflowers, tomatoes, grapes, carrots, lettuce, etc. The pest overwinters in the soil as an adult caterpillar.
Chemicals against armyworm
In case of massive damage to crops, the most effective way to combat armyworms is the use of insecticides. Now the most popular drugs against this pest are the following:
- Karate;
- Samurai;
- Decis;
- Stefesin;
- Proteus;
- Bazudin;
- Fufanon;
- Kinmiks.
The preparation of solutions based on these purchased products must be done strictly according to the instructions and in protective equipment. Harvesting begins 20 days or more from the date of the last treatment.
Biological method
There is nothing better than using their natural enemies to combat cutworms. This is what the biomethod is aimed at. To solve this problem, you can use Trichogramma, which eats armyworm eggs. This predatory insect is released when the armyworm lays eggs, at the rate of 350 insects per hundred square meters.
In addition, domestic and imported biological products are available for sale that effectively suppress the development of armyworms and are absolutely harmless to humans. The active ingredients in them are usually strains of fungi or bacteria that infect the pest. The following brands have gained the most popularity among biological products:
- Fitoverm;
- Entobacterin;
- Bitoxibacillin;
- Aktofit;
- Agravertine;
- Nature Guard.
Means of struggle
Biological drugs
They are divided into 2 groups - bacterial and avermectins . Bacterial agents contain microbial toxins with a neurotoxin effect on pests.
Avermectins are waste products of streptomycetes pathogenic fungi. They also destroy mites and nematodes.
- Dendrobacillin. A bacterial agent that is effective against cutworms and safe for humans. Consumption rate: 25-30 g per bucket of water. You can do up to 2 treatments per season.
- Bitoxibacillin. A product of bacterial activity that inhibits the production of digestive enzymes disrupts intestinal function. In addition, it has a negative impact on all subsequent generations of the moth. The consumption rate is quite economical - about 20 ml of product per hundred square meters, first diluted in a bucket of water.
- Lepidocide. A bacterial agent that acts against any leaf-eating caterpillars, including cutworms. The consumption rate is 25-35 g per bucket. Enough to process 1-2 acres.
- Entobacterin. Microbiological remedy for leaf-eating caterpillars. The consumption rate is 3.5 kg per hectare of area.
- Fitoverm . Bacterial preparation against many pests, including all types of cutworms. Consumption depends on the type of crop being treated and ranges from 1 to 4 ml per bucket of water.
- Agravertine . A product obtained from fungi. It has a long shelf life, is safe for people and the environment, and works against most pests. Consumption: 3 ml of product per liter of water.
- Aktofit . An innovative product from the avermectin series. Consumption 4 ml per 1 l.
- Nature Guard . An insecticide from the Sophora plant with neurotoxin properties. Causes paralysis of limbs and death of pests. Consumption: 10 ml, diluted in 5 liters of water.
Chemicals
They are divided into neonicotinoids, organophosphorus compounds and pyrethroids. Modern products of the latest generations often have a combined composition.
- Proteus . A two-component drug consisting of deltamethrin (pyrethroid) and thiacloprid (neonicotinoid). The composition also includes oil, which protects the main substances from washing off and evaporation. Up to 5 liters of working solution obtained from 7 ml of product are consumed per 1 sq.m.
- Zolon. Organophosphorus agent with high toxicity. It has selective properties and does not harm beneficial insects. Consumption - 2 ml per 5 liters of working solution.
- Karate - Zeon . Pyrethroid class insecticide. Destroys caterpillars and adults. 100 ml of the drug is consumed to treat a hectare of area.
- Decis is a pro. Effective against all types of cutworms, including gnawing ones. Used to treat the plant itself and the soil around it. To make a treatment solution, mix 1 g of the product with a bucket of water. The volume is enough for 2.5 acres.
- Fury . Analogue - Kinmiks. Preparations of the pyrethroid group. Contact and intestinal remedy against many pests. Consumption per bucket of water is 1.5 ml of product.
- Bazudin . Granular soil treatment agent. Use in damp soil increases its effectiveness. To process a hectare of plantings, about 20 kg of granules are required.
- Stefesin . Synthetic pyrethroid with enteric contact route of penetration. Consumption of 1.5 ml of product per bucket of water to treat 100 sq.m. landing
Organophosphorus agents with identical effects also include Dursban, Fufanon, Danadim.
Read more about folk methods of struggle.
