Poplar moth: habitat, what it eats, how to get rid of it?

Poplar moth (Lithocolletis populifoliella) is one of the varieties of nocturnal winged pests. Thanks to the bright pattern on its gray velvety wings, it is called the Pied. The period of distribution of the small insect occurs during the flowering of the poplar. Moths breed in the fluff and along with it end up on balconies, houses and apartments.

Moths do not damage clothes like other representatives of the species. It selects household appliances indoors, penetrates them and lays eggs, causing the devices to malfunction. Since there are few effective means to eliminate parasites, preventive methods are used.

Appearance of poplar moth.

Where does the poplar moth live?

There are many nocturnal inhabitants found in nature. This variety is most common in the Caucasus, in Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan) and in European Russia.

The parasite prefers regions where balsam, pyramidal, sweet-scented and laurel-leaved poplar grow, and avoids areas with black and Canadian poplars. Leaves wild forests unattended.

On the South American continent there is a large subspecies with a wingspan of 7 cm and above.

Habitat of the poplar moth.

Thanks to their coloring, insects are invisible during the daytime. In the evening, they gather in the light of lanterns, cover the ceiling, fly into open windows, into entrances, and land on people.

Unwanted guests do not allow the home to be ventilated. Colonies of the moth quickly fill electrical appliances, chandeliers and lampshades.

White fluff is a favorable environment for the parasite to reproduce. The summer heat protects against the growth of pest numbers. Cool summers and warm winters, on the contrary, contribute to an increase in the population and lead to sharp surges in numbers and invasions.

What does it look like

The name “poplar moth” is considered conditional. Entomologists classify the insect as a subspecies of the Butterfly family. Because of the characteristic marks that the small pest leaves on the foliage, it is called a leaf miner.

Moths are distinguished by narrow, blade-shaped wings edged with fringe. The front pair is brown with small white and brown contrasting inclusions, the back pair is shorter, steel color. The wingspan of an adult insect (imago) is 6-10 mm, the average length is 5-8 mm. Such colors and sizes make the moth invisible against the background of trees.

Cocoons hide in cracks and crevices of houses, bark, hollows, fall into the ground with fallen leaves and continue to live after wintering. At the end of spring, harmful insects fly out and actively mate.

Photo of an adult moth.

How to recognize an insect

The greatest damage from the pest occurs in urban green spaces. The main food is poplar, but the parasite does not ignore other plants.

You can recognize an insect by its characteristic features, including:

Leaf fall. Moth colonies eat the foliage, causing it to fall prematurely and the branches to freeze. In such cases, many trees die.
Moves of different configurations. Depending on the type of tree or plant variety, the pestle makes pinpoint punctures, bizarre passages of white and yellowish colors, and grinds off the entire surface.
Through holes in young leaves (mines). The caterpillars choose a place for pupation in fresh greenery, eating large holes with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm.
Spots on the crown. Damaged plates quickly turn yellow, fade and fall off.

Poplar leaves damaged by moths.
Old trees are more difficult to tolerate pest invasions.

How to deal with poplar moths on the site

Chemicals

Depending on the stage of development of the moth, methods of combating these insects also differ. For example, products containing paraffin are effective against moth eggs. And in greenhouses, a good option is to use the enemies of the larvae - riders. Pyrethrum-based products will help if you spray the leaves with them regularly and several times.

Adult pests are resistant to pesticides and are best caught using special sticky boards. Preparations with pyrethrum are less effective.

Poisons should be used when the area is heavily infested, observing all safety measures. Carry out the procedure in the morning or evening 5-6 times every 3-5 days. This is necessary to destroy the larvae; the moth dies after one treatment. The insecticide does not affect pupae; to combat them, you need to water the soil with a solution of pyrethrum.

Traditional methods

As mentioned above, use riders in greenhouses.
Check your plants regularly for pests. Cut off affected leaves and destroy them.
If the plants have thick, strong leaves, you can spray them with spring oil.
Miners will not be able to lay eggs if the plants are covered with non-woven fabric.

Stages of reproduction

One complete phase of the poplar moth life cycle is 2-3 months:

Mating occurs in mid-spring.
In May, the female lays alternately up to 32 eggs on the underside of last year's leaf. The eggs are oval in shape, flattened at the edges, covered with the secretion of the gonads. They have a rough texture, matte, with a diameter of 0.2-0.3 mm.
In 1-1.5 weeks, larvae form, which climb into the leaf plate and are covered with a thin film. At this stage of development, they vigorously eat greens, accumulating the necessary nutrients.
After 2-3 days, young caterpillars 3-5 mm long hatch. The shape of their body is transformed 5 times - from legless and pale, the caterpillar turns first into white, then into lemon with 2 pairs of legs. Eats only fiber.
A loose cocoon of cobwebs forms in the through hole. The development stage lasts from a week to 10 days. The sharp cocoon of a light brown hue reaches 4-5 mm in length.
From late July to early autumn, the pupae turn into butterflies and live for 3 days.

Stages of moth reproduction.
Each adult strives to lay as many eggs as possible. Suitable places for breeding are bags of flour, cereals and dried fruits.

Destruction of butterflies on the street

The following are considered environmentally friendly methods of controlling poplar moths used outdoors:

autumn destruction of old fallen leaves;
attracting entomophages (riding beetles) to the site, used as food for adult moths, larvae and egg-laying moths;
inspection and manual removal of infected leaves;
Poplar moth larva.
the use of special sticky traps;
flush;
using spring plant oil to repel insects;
the use of non-woven material to cover low-growing crops (cucumbers and flowers) in order to prevent reproduction;
sanitary pruning of tree crowns;
replacing poplars with trees that are unattractive to this pest.

In some cases, the use of chemicals cannot be avoided:

Spraying the trunk, crown, and tree trunk area with pesticides (karbofos). It is aimed at destroying larvae; this toxic substance has no effect on adults and pupae. Compliance with safety precautions is considered a prerequisite for the use of toxic substances.
The use of paraffin-based products that have a negative effect not only on moth larvae, but also on moth eggs.
The use of ecological preparations made from plant raw materials - pyrethrum (from Dalmatian chamomile). Affected trees require weekly treatment.

When poplars are massively infected with variegated grass, they are completely cut down.

What does it eat?

The main source of food for the insect is poplar. Caterpillars eat green foliage, and adults find food in the tree trunk. In the cold season, they make do with fallen poplar leaves and linden bark.

In addition, the moth also likes to profit from other plants, these are:

fruit bushes and trees (pears, apple trees);
hardwoods (aspen, maple and linden);
flowers (rhododendron, roses, violets and chrysanthemums);
greens (lettuce);
vegetables (cucumbers, etc.).

The moth eats each green space in different ways:

intersecting paths remain on the crown of apple trees;
brown burrows appear on pear trees;
rhododendron foliage is completely eaten;
through dots and curly patterns are visible on the rose bush;
cucumber and violet plates are distinguished by narrow paths with whitish dots.

Signs of plant damage

The main sign of moth presence on fruit trees and other plants is the formation of pits on the leaves:

On the leaves of the apple tree it is a serpentine or round shape;
Beige and brown burrows are visible on pear leaves;
The leaves of roses have small holes and zigzag passages;
Violets and lettuce have bright dots and passages;
The leaves of the chrysanthemum have light zigzag strokes;
The cucumber leaves will be gnawed with white dots.

Therefore, as soon as you notice signs of the presence of moths, you must immediately begin to fight it.

Source

Do poplar moths bite?

The moth cannot bite a person; it can only cause psychological inconvenience and disrupt the cozy and comfortable atmosphere of a house or apartment.

Is it dangerous for humans?

The parasite is not dangerous to human life or pets.

Poplar moth is absolutely safe for humans.

Poplar moth, unlike rodents (rats, mice) and some insects (lice, mosquitoes, flies, bedbugs), is not a carrier of severe infectious diseases, and therefore does not harm health.

Having flown into a room, moths do not spoil clothes and food, but leave marks that are difficult to remove on furniture and home textiles.

Electrical installations, equipment and lighting fixtures suffer from moth infestations. Insects flock to the light, get into chandeliers and lampshades, and lay eggs in equipment, damaging and dirtying it.

The presence of uninvited guests in the house irritates the owners, so all available methods of control are used.

Ways to fight in an apartment

The main rule for effective control of harmful insects is that all steps are taken before the poplar begins to bloom.

In the event of pest penetration into a home, before choosing a method of destruction, it is necessary to determine the stage of its development.

To combat this species, there is no drug that can simultaneously cope with both larvae and adults.

You can fight moths or prevent their appearance in your apartment in the following ways:

Installing a mosquito net with small mesh on the windows (if not available, use gauze). Such a barrier protects the room if there is a danger of an adult insect entering it.
Use of fumigators. Small and economical electrical appliances operate from the mains, electricity consumption is only 3-5 W/day. The device is refilled with modern insecticides that are harmless to people and animals in liquid form or in the form of plates.
Clutches of eggs have to be destroyed in cracks and holes using a vacuum cleaner.
The use of insecticidal preparations in the form of sprays and aerosols against adult moths. Such means kill both flying and crawling individuals. After spraying, wet cleaning and airing of the room are indicated.
An effective method of control is to install glue traps, which the insect is afraid of.

With the first frost, the pests die. Next season, it is recommended to use preventive measures to prevent mass invasions. Since mid-spring, municipal institutions have been carrying out special treatment of plantings.

Types of funds

It is impossible to achieve complete disappearance of the pest in one go. Many areas are addressing the problem ahead of time. In the fall, fallen leaves are destroyed, and in the spring, the crowns, trunks and tree trunk areas are sprayed with chemical compounds.

It is recommended to choose poisons with caution.

Urban landscaping uses plants that attract natural moth regulators. Entomophages eat up to 60% of moths.

In addition to preventive measures, the following chemicals and poisons are effective in combating the poplar moth population in urban environments and garden plots:

Numerous clutches of eggs and caterpillars are destroyed by compounds that contain paraffin or karbofos. The drugs are ineffective in removing adult moths. Toxic substances can damage other crops; the proportions specified in the instructions must be strictly observed.
Safe insecticidal mixtures of pyrethrum (Caucasian chamomile) in liquid or powder form are used against caterpillars and butterflies. A fast-acting composition without a strong odor has a paralyzing effect. Diluted and applied in the morning or evening up to 7 times per season, with breaks of 4-6 days. To destroy the pupae, the solution is poured into the ground.

Tree processing.
Since insects quickly adapt, are highly resistant to many poisons and are not afraid of pesticides, it is recommended to alternate drugs or combine them.

With numerous outbreaks, the number of miners is reduced in a radical way - poplars are cut down and other tree species are planted.

Traditional methods

Experienced gardeners and summer residents use the following methods to kill moths:

cleaning infected trees with strong water pressure - acts as a deterrent, helps get rid of a large number of individuals, and interferes with reproduction;
boards with glue or special baits from a specialty store;
settlement of ichneumon beetles on the site, in the greenhouse, eating imagoes and oviposition;
inspection of plants and mechanical removal of damaged leaves;
to prevent reproduction, low-growing crops (flowers and cucumbers) are covered with non-woven fabric;
oil of spring crops applied to the foliage can repel the pest.

The insect will not disappear completely. The methods are effective for reducing the number in the current period.

Getting rid of moths in an apartment

There are no special preparations for moth moths. But if it is found in the apartment, purchase a spray against flying insects. The most common are Raid, Dick 3, Mosquitoll. It should be remembered that such drugs are harmful to health.

You can fight it in an apartment in a safer way - with a vacuum cleaner. It is necessary to thoroughly vacuum the places where insects accumulate. But it is important not to throw away the garbage, but to burn it or throw it down the drain and wash it away.

To prevent the appearance of moths in the apartment, protect the windows with mosquito nets.