Varieties and methods of combating moths on apple trees with drugs and folk remedies

Every gardener encounters various insects while growing fruit trees and bushes. They reduce productivity and worsen the appearance of plantings. If a person thinks that he can live in an apple tree, a moth comes to mind.

Varieties

There are many varieties in nature. They differ in appearance and color. Some parasitize only on one tree, while others manage to spoil apples, pears and other fruits.

Apple

Belongs to the family of ermine moths. It is considered the most dangerous insect for apple trees. A moth with a beautiful body color can deprive a gardener of not only the harvest for the season, but also destroy the tree.

Ermine

It has a characteristic color that distinguishes it from other types of moths. The maximum body length is 2 cm. Due to the presence of inclusions on each wing, the species received this name.

Rowan

It begins to parasitize mountain ash, gradually moving to apple trees. Eats leaves at a rapid rate. It waits out the winter in the pupal stage.

Mining

Leaves significant damage on apple, pear, apricot and plum trees. Adults are small in size - 7-10 mm. The color is silver-brown.

Biological description of the moth

Knowing this information, a person will be able to recognize the insect and start fighting the insect in time.

External description

A mature butterfly reaches 1.5-2 cm in length. Snow-white wings are covered with small black dots. The cover is velvety with a shiny sheen. The hind wings are gray with a long fringe. The head is decorated with thin antennae.

Stages of development

Before turning into a butterfly, a moth goes through several stages of development.

Eggs

Round in shape and slightly flattened. Each clutch contains about 55 eggs. The duration of this stage is 2 weeks.

Larvae

At the end of the yellow body there is a black head. At this stage of development, the caterpillar goes through 4 molts. In winter, the larvae do not sleep, but actively eat the tree bark from the inside.

Pupae

The duration of the stage ranges from 7 to 14 days. Appear at the end of June. After 2 weeks, the pupa turns into an adult. The male moth lives 10 days less than the female.

Related species

There are many varieties of this insect:

• plane tree;
• linden;
• thuja;
• acacia

There is a moth that parasitizes tomatoes, poplar and juniper. The listed species belong to the group of Speckles. The inside of the leaves leave marks called mines.

How does it reproduce and when does it appear?

A moth is an insect with complete metamorphosis. At the beginning it is an egg. It goes through several stages of development, and in the end it becomes a butterfly. Caterpillars can be seen on branches as buds open. The appearance of butterflies occurs in the first 2 weeks of June. During the day, moths hide under leaves, and at night they begin to fly actively.

In which regions does the parasite live?

The moth is found anywhere where trees grow, the leaves of which it feeds on.

What harms the butterfly or the caterpillar?

The insect should be feared at the caterpillar stage. She actively eats leaves.

What is the danger of infection for an apple orchard?

If moths have settled on trees, the branches shed their ovaries. Since the buds are not formed, a person will not see fruits.

Active reproduction and spread through trees leads to the destruction of the deciduous part. As a result, this negatively affects the harvest.

Ways to combat the parasite

A person who has had to deal with moths wonders about methods of destroying them. The wrong approach aggravates the condition of apple trees. You need to know how to fight moths.

Mechanical destruction

In the spring, a person collects brown leaves containing caterpillars.Each of them has a spider's nest. This method is suitable for gardeners who have a small plot of apple trees.

Pheromone traps

With the help of a special substance, females try to attract males in order to form offspring. This feature of insects became the basis for the creation of pheromone traps.

The capsule with the substance is placed in a container with a sticky bottom.

Males smell the scent, fly into the capsule and stick to the surface. Since there are fewer males, they are easier to catch. Females remain unfertilized and do not produce offspring. The capsule is renewed every 2 months to maintain the result.

Trap belts and sticky traps

You can prepare the device yourself or buy it in a store. It is a tape hung between the branches and covered with a sticky composition. To make insects react faster to the trap, it is painted in a bright color.

Biological control method

You can reduce the number of insects by using the ageniaspis ichneumon. It lays eggs in the moth eggs and thus destroys the pest from the inside. The parasite develops throughout the year.

Chemical treatment

They get rid of moths by spraying trees with insecticides. This method is suitable for gardeners who have problems with large scale sizes. Treatment with chemicals is carried out in the spring before flowering begins.

Bordeaux mixture, Parisian greens and arsenic are suitable for processing. The spraying procedure is repeated after flowering to destroy the remaining insects. To solve the problem completely, it is recommended to alternate methods of moth control.

Preventative treatment

In autumn, tree leaves are raked into a heap and burned. It is also recommended to check the bark for the presence of clutches of eggs.In spring, spray trees with chemicals. Moths are an insidious pest that can deprive a person of their apple harvest. At the first signs of parasitism, immediate action must be taken. It is considered one of the most serious insect pests. Eats leaves, preventing the formation of fruits on the tree.