Beautiful lush pine trees are wonderful decoration For suburban area or dachas. However, in last years gardeners complain that they have caterpillars appearing on pine trees, which eat the needles. In almost a few days, they turn the tree into a bare trunk with gnawed branches. You can fight caterpillars on a pine tree in order to save evergreen beauties and restore their appearance using folk recipes, chemicals.
On coniferous species trees are capable of harboring various pests that enter the area garden plots from the forest belt, through the soil or when purchasing seedlings of spruce, cedar or pine trees.
The most common of them:
Most often, coniferous trees are attacked by red sawflies, which spoil the appearance of cedars, pines and spruces. Females lay a clutch of 1.5-2 thousand eggs directly under the bark, and during the summer they manage to reproduce twice.
Interesting!
Sawflies got their name for the originality of the process of laying eggs: females have a special organ that, when laying eggs, “saws through” the external tissues of a branch or leaves. In appearance, adults are similar to flies, so they are difficult to distinguish.
A characteristic sign indicating a sawfly attack is yellowing of the needles. You can determine that caterpillars have attacked a cedar, spruce or pine tree by the eggs on the needles, which look like clusters with capsules Brown. The larvae mature in them, which, after emerging from the eggs, have a black or dirty green body with a flat head. When in danger, sawfly caterpillars raise the front part of their body.
Young sawfly larvae first eat only the side parts of cedar or pine needles, causing them to dry, turn yellow and curl. If at such a moment you do not take urgent measures to destroy them with the help of insecticides and other remedies against caterpillars on pine trees, then, gradually growing up, they are able to eat the whole tree.
Considering the number of larvae in the clutch, they can not only occupy coniferous trees, but also lead to their complete drying out and death. Young seedlings dry out in 3-5 years with gradual weakening and reduction decorative properties landings, deterioration appearance landscape. It is necessary to save mountain pine and other types of coniferous trees as quickly as possible, because if they are re-infected, the plants die in the winter.
On a note!
Among coniferous species, the most susceptible to sawfly attacks are common pine and some ornamental species: Weymouth and Banks pines, as well as trees planted on dry ground. sandy soil with high relief. Often caterpillars attack lonely plants. Only Crimean pines suffer less.
To increase the efficiency of action various methods and their preparations must be used alternately, depending on the degree of damage and the condition of the trees. Simple traditional methods allow you to fight caterpillars on the Christmas tree by mechanical means or using baits. However, they are only effective when small quantity pests. In case of severe damage, the caterpillars can be killed only with the help of chemicals.
If the number of caterpillars on coniferous trees is too large, then the following rescue methods are used:
Biological or insecticides, which are designed to kill pests such as the pine cone moth, black and green caterpillars.
Popular insecticidal preparations:
To prevent caterpillars from infesting trees, care should be taken to preventive measures Oh:
If on garden plot If black ants and caterpillars are found on a pine tree, then only the use of protective chemicals or folk remedies will help save the trees from loss of appearance and subsequent death.
Every year, gardeners and gardeners have to meet the beginning of summer fully armed - with insecticides and motor sprayers in their hands. More and more often we hear complaints from owners of suburban areas about pests that destroy pine and spruce, especially young coniferous trees that have taken root well in place.
Why do caterpillars eat pine and spruce?
The point is that our wild forests are in dire straits. No matter how much the owners take care of their plot country houses, various harmful insects are migrating en masse from nearby forests - leaf rollers, bark beetles, aphids, sawflies, spores of dangerous fungi growing on the bark of trees. After all, today the forests are not cleaned; they have no owner. There are thickets and windfalls everywhere. Why be surprised when you see that caterpillars eat something even on a pine tree?
Who is eating our trees?
The source of diseases is not only insects from the forest belt, but also the inhabitants of imported soil or planting material. Weakened wood is a tasty morsel for many wood eaters and pathogens. The first ones hear such a tree by smell and pounce on it like flies on jam in order to penetrate the tree or gnaw on the pine needles. But pathogens - disease provocateurs - are transferred to trees by wind, rain, humans, insects or birds.
Sucking pests
Such pests feed on the sap of the plant, inhibiting its vital activity or completely destroying it. Most often such insects are: leafhoppers, bugs, coccids, aphids, gall and spider mites. Caterpillars often eat needles or buds on pine trees. They are called Butterflies of these representatives of the insect world lay eggs on old needles in rows, from which hordes of hungry insects emerge from the end of June to the end of September. Most often, this pest eats, but can also feast on spruce and cedar.
Another pest is the pine cutworm. Although this pest does not stay in the caterpillar stage for long, it manages to “mischief” noticeably. The pest caterpillars located on the pine tree happily gnaw the May shoots, eat young needles and buds, which leads to the drying out of the tree, especially in dry weather.
Black caterpillars on pine trees may be referred to as "pine leafminer moths." The needle is entwined with a web, which is why it stays on the tree. But the wind blows and the needles fall off, so the crown can become completely bald. Small caterpillars literally gnaw out round holes at the base of the needles. Sometimes it can be very difficult to establish a diagnosis; to do this you need to take the needles in your hands.
How to fight?
What to do if there are caterpillars on a pine tree in your area? First of all, against the pine moth late autumn you need to dig up the soil around the trees, because caterpillars pupate in the soil. Various sprayers can be used, they are large quantities sold in specialized stores.
Caterpillars sitting on pine trees, which are the offspring of pine cutworms, are effectively destroyed by food baits. This method is convenient because the bait with fermentation additives is installed once and lasts the whole summer. Be sure to dig up the ground under the tree to destroy the brown insect pupae. During bud break, the tree is treated with biological products or insecticides.
Repeated treatment of wood with a solution of liquid soap helps against leaf miner caterpillars. You can lay cellophane under the tree and brush off the dry pine needles with a fan broom, then burn it.
When butterflies begin to flutter over the cabbage beds, it’s not very good sign. The butterflies themselves do no harm, but their caterpillars can destroy an entire cabbage plantation. They make holes in the leaves and damage the heads of cabbage by gnawing labyrinths in them.
There are two species of butterflies whose caterpillars are harmful pests of cabbage: the cabbage white moth and the cabbage moth.
Cabbage butterfly – This is a diurnal butterfly with beautiful white wings. The top of the front wings are painted black, and there are small black spots on the top or bottom. Up to three times per season, these butterflies lay elongated oval eggs on the underside of the leaf. yellow color. Small caterpillars emerge from them, which are pests.
The color of the caterpillar is yellow with a green tint, black hairs are sparsely located. The length of the body is up to 3.5 cm. For some time, young caterpillars live in a heap, and as they grow, they spread over all the leaves. First they gnaw the underside of the leaf, then move to the top. If these pests are not dealt with, they will eat the entire head of cabbage, leaving only thick veins.
Cabbage scoop – this is a nocturnal butterfly, in the dark it flies towards a bright light . Colored brownish, sometimes clearly visible on folded wings dark pattern. She folds her wings flat on her back, as if covering herself with them. Eggs white, rounded. They are laid inside the head of cabbage, up to twice a season. If the weather is favorable, they may postpone it a third time. They overwinter in the ground. Both eggs and pupae can overwinter.
Cabbage is damaged by the caterpillars of this butterfly. Are they brown or gray, may have a pattern of dark figures on their backs. Sometimes there are individuals with a greenish tint. Size from 2.5 cm and more. They gnaw holes in the heads of cabbage, and their waste products cause the cabbage to rot.
Chemical remedies should be used with caution. It is better to choose insecticides of hazard class 4, which include such biological products as: “Bitoxibacillin”, “Lepidotsid”, “Akarin”, “Fitoverm” and others.
Biological preparations should be treated repeatedly; their effect on pests can be seen only a few days after application.
If the infestation of caterpillars is too large, then treatment with class 3 pesticides is possible. It must be remembered that it will be possible to harvest only a month after treatment.
It is necessary to process 3 times per season: in May, July and late August or early September. To accurately determine the processing date, you should monitor the moment when the butterflies appear.
It is best to carry out treatment when eggs are found on the leaves, or when the caterpillars have just appeared and have not had time to cause serious damage.
Foliar feeding of cabbage reduces the number of pests. To do this, dilute 1 teaspoon of potassium chloride and 4 teaspoons of superphosphate in granules in 4 liters of water.
The most the best remedy control - mechanical destruction of egg clutches and manual collection of caterpillars. You should only work with gloves, because they release a substance that causes irritation on the skin.
If manual harvesting is not possible due to the size of the plantations, then spraying cabbage against caterpillars is suitable:
To prolong the effect of these products, add a little liquid or grated laundry soap. Treatment is carried out once a week.
Cabbage caterpillars are a delicacy for wasps; they feed their offspring with them. To attract them, you need to irrigate the cabbage beds with sweet water or drop a few drops of sugar syrup on the plants.
To avoid the appearance of caterpillars, butterflies must be scared away from cabbage beds. When the first individuals appear, it is necessary to cover the beds with a fine mesh net or the thinnest white covering material. This should be done in May, July and towards the end of summer.
Butterflies do not lay eggs in territory already occupied by others. You can deceive them if you stretch a string over the beds and tie egg shells strung on a thick thread to it.
Young seedlings can be powdered with ash. In dry weather, this method will work for several days.
Some plants with a pungent odor repel butterflies. Marigolds, calendula and celery planted between cabbage should do the trick.
Butterflies do not like the smell of potato tops, nettles, and tomatoes. The crushed tops are infused in a small amount of water, filtered and sprayed on the plantings.
After harvesting, the area must be dug up to a depth of at least 15 cm. This will destroy egg laying and pupae that overwinter in the soil.
Back in 1969, the moth was brought to the American continent for industrial purposes to breed silkworms. But attempts to develop this area failed, and the delivered insect eventually became a major pest in most of the United States and Canada. Every year new methods of dealing with this problem appear. Similar pests include the cutworm, which causes significant damage to gardeners every year.
This family has about 100 species. They are butterflies of various colors - gray, brown, often dark. Cutworm butterflies do absolutely no harm to the plant, since they feed exclusively on their nectar. But their offspring - caterpillars - eat everything that gets in their way.
Depending on their feeding method, these insects were divided into two groups:
Both species are active only at night. Both butterflies and larvae hide during the day and remain in a stationary phase until dark. Let's take a closer look at each pest separately.
This insect breeds on ordinary non-chernozem soil. This species leads to colossal yield losses of potatoes, onions, rhubarb, sorrel and other plants. I would especially like to note the breeding of cutworms on tomatoes. Its appearance on tomato plantations is very common and leads to almost 100% yield loss. A butterfly of this species is characterized by large grayish-yellow wings with red or brown tint. Its caterpillar is bright yellow or red in color with a longitudinal stripe on its back and reaches a size of half a centimeter.
The laid eggs of the potato cutworm successfully survive the winter, and already in May they begin their revival.
The initial food for young caterpillars is leaves and stems of cereals. Already adult insects move to larger plants, damaging stems and root system. The period of transformation of caterpillars into pupae takes place at the beginning of summer directly in the soil near the affected plants. The matured adult butterflies fly out and lay new eggs on the ground until mid-autumn. wild plants, such as timothy and wheatgrass. Eggs can also be laid on potato and rhubarb leaves. This species reproduces only one generation.
Methods of combating this pest are the destruction of all plant residues after harvesting, as well as the disposal of all weeds belonging to cereal varieties. Such measures are often used to destroy many other pests.
The screech owl reproduces very successfully and is distributed almost everywhere. This species attacks the root crops of the crop. The insect got its name due to the presence of coloration in the form exclamation point on the surface of the wings. The caterpillar has a gray-brown color with a yellowish tint and reaches a size of half a centimeter. Mature caterpillars tolerate cold well and overwinter in the soil at a depth of about 30 cm, where the pupation process occurs in the spring.
Eggs are laid in small groups on the leaves of weeds, sometimes just on the soil. The viability of the caterpillars occurs within a week.
At first they lead an open lifestyle, and then hide, but with the onset of darkness they crawl out for reinforcements. Young insects gnaw away succulent green leaves plants to the very veins, then bite into root crops, roots, eat embryos and seed sprouts right in the soil. Behind summer period Only one generation of this pest has time to reproduce.
Methods of dealing with the exclamation scoop are as follows:
Another harmful insect, widespread almost everywhere, is the cabbage cutworm. Her preference is the following crops: cabbage, peas, beets, lettuce and onions. This is a butterfly that has brown wings with a kidney-shaped gray spot on the surface. Initially, its caterpillar has a lush green color, then it changes to a brownish-brown shade with lines on the back.
Cabbage moth pupae, like other species, overwinter in the soil, burrowing to a depth of no more than 4 cm. Already at the beginning of summer, butterflies fly out and lay their eggs on the inside of the leaves of plants growing in areas with high moisture. The mass appearance of caterpillars occurs in July-August. Wet and cold environment – favorable conditions for their reproduction. They penetrate the cabbage head and eat the root crop from the inside. Leaves eaten away to holes are a sign of the appearance of this pest. The cabbage cutworm is especially dangerous because it can reproduce in several generations over the entire summer period.
But fortunately, there are methods to combat this insect:
All these measures are really very good. But, nevertheless, experts are developing new ways to combat this harmful insect, since every year the armyworm adapts to existing drugs.
One of the most popular pests that affects both root crops and plants that produce fruit on the surface is the common heart armyworm. Potatoes, tomatoes, rhubarb and about three dozen other plants that are affected by this type of pest. The butterfly has a bright and two-color wing color of rusty yellow and brownish purple. Her caterpillar is different large size, reaching up to 0.5 cm, and has a yellow, sometimes off-white color.
The eggs successfully survive the winter at the base of plants, as well as at elderberry bushes. Young caterpillars in the active phase are especially dangerous. They penetrate the stems and gnaw them from the inside. Such plants no longer have a chance to recover; they break and simply dry out. At the beginning of summer, mature caterpillars descend along the passages made in the stems and gnaw holes for the butterflies to emerge, after which they successfully pupate. One plant can be affected simultaneously by several caterpillars.
The methods used to combat this cutworm are the same as those used to destroy the potato cutworm.
The most dangerous for almost all cultivated crops is the fall armyworm. It is widespread throughout almost the entire territory of the countries of the former Soviet Union. The list of plants affected by it includes about 40 crops. But most of all she prefers rutabaga, tomatoes, cabbage and radishes. The butterfly has bicolor wings of brown and red with two spots of yellow and gray on the surface. Caterpillars come in both green and brown colors.
The garden cutworm can produce two generations in the southern regions and one in the northern regions. Corn, millet, and sugar beets are the first crops that young caterpillars begin to infect. Then they move to cereals and melons.
Successfully overwintering at a depth of up to 25 cm, the caterpillars rise to the surface and, with the onset of warmth, pupate. In mid-June, butterflies appear, the life period of which lasts until August. Females lay eggs on inner side leaves on absolutely all nearby plants. The emerging caterpillars gnaw through plant leaves and also infect unripe tomato fruits.
Use different ways combating this pest: 
Destruction of all weeds, especially nettle, quinoa, and white goosefoot, on which the armyworm especially likes to lay its eggs.
Spraying with compounds used to destroy cabbage cutworm.
All these measures to combat the armyworm are very effective, the main thing is that they must be carried out in a timely manner and according to instructions. Then the plants will be healthy and give you a wonderful harvest.
21.01.2017
Pine trees filling the garden different shades emerald, are a decoration for any suburban area. There is an insect that can spoil overnight decorative look coniferous plants- pine sawfly. A caterpillar eating pine needles can not only worsen the appearance of the tree, but also destroy it entirely.
Sawflies cause the main damage to pine trees while they are in the larval stage. The distribution range of the pest is quite wide: central Russia, Far East, Caucasus, Siberia, Ukraine. 
There are six varieties of the insect: red, greenish, yellowish, pale-legged, black-and-yellow and common pine sawfly. Sawfly larvae look like caterpillars, are about 2.5-3 cm in length and vary in color. The color, depending on the species, varies from white-yellow to grayish-black. Stripes and dots run along the body. 
An adult insect resembling big fly, does not feed on needles and does not cause mechanical damage to trees. Larvae and adults are visible to the naked eye. In early spring, you can tell that caterpillars have attacked a pine tree by looking at the formations on the needles. Sawfly eggs are very small and are visible on the edges of pine needles. The pupae are convex oval formations of a light brown hue. 
Let's figure out why the pine sawfly is dangerous. And it is dangerous because it causes great damage to conifers. The first outbreak of pine damage occurs at the end of April - beginning of May. Damage to coniferous cover during this period is insignificant. By mid-May the damage intensifies. The caterpillars eat pine needles, causing serious damage to dwarf and young specimens, often leading to death. Older coniferous trees get sick, but cope with the consequences of the pest’s activity. A mature pine tree can survive up to four active sawfly outbreaks. 
If no measures are taken to destroy the pest, adult pines will also die in the fifth year.
As the caterpillars grow, they pupate. Adult insects then emerge from the cocoons and lay new sawfly eggs.
A favorable environment allows the pest to reproduce two generations of offspring in one summer.
For this you need:
Prolonged heavy rains cause infection of insects at different stages of growth, contribute to the sawfly going into hibernation and can lead to its complete destruction.
Pests of coniferous trees overwinter in the root zone of coniferous trees, where they camouflage themselves in grass and fallen pine needles.
At optimal conditions There is a rapid increase in the insect population. Therefore, measures to destroy it should be taken as early as possible. On the territory of a suburban area, the fight against pine sawfly includes mechanical, biological and chemical methods. 
If caterpillars are eating pine, the first thing you can do is collect the pests. The procedure can be done manually, removing individuals from the branches. Or wash off the insects from the tree with a strong stream of water and clean the pine tree trunk.
When manually collecting pests, personal protective equipment is required. Sensing danger, sawfly caterpillars secrete a damaging substance that can cause an allergic reaction in humans.
Another method of how to get rid of caterpillars on a pine tree mechanically is a catching belt. It blocks pests as they move through the tree. The belt can be adhesive or destructive. In the first case, the insect sticks to the trap, in the second, it dies. To create this means of protection, you need to wrap the barrel with a piece of cloth and treat it with the selected composition. You can buy the product, or you can make it yourself. The glue trap uses resin or tar applied to the belt. To make a destruction belt, you need to impregnate the material with insecticide. 
The biological method of combating pine sawfly includes treatment with herbal infusions and spraying with preparations created based on the action of beneficial microorganisms.
The most famous folk remedy for caterpillars on pine trees is a strong garlic infusion. Infusions of tomato tops and tobacco will repel pests.
To prepare the infusion, grind 200-300 grams of the selected herbal component, add a liter of water and leave for a day at room temperature. The finished composition is filtered and added to a bucket of water. Infusions are used to spray diseased pine trees.
Among the biological products used to combat sawfly, coniferous trees are treated with Lepidobactocide, Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocide, and Fitoverm. The products are first dissolved in water according to the instructions.
Mechanical and biological protection of pine from caterpillars does not give 100% results, since it allows you to destroy only those pests that are visible to the eye.
If obvious damage to the needles or a large sawfly population is detected, the pine trees should be treated with a chemical insecticide.
The most effective are drugs that combine enteric-contact and systemic actions. Such products destroy insects upon direct contact and when they eat poisoned pine needles. Due to its systemic nature, in addition to caterpillars and adult insects, oviposition and pupated pests are destroyed.
When choosing what to treat pine against caterpillars, you should not stop at one insecticide. You should choose several drugs with different active ingredients and alternate them. This will prevent insects from getting used to one product and will make protection more effective.
To destroy the pine sawfly, the following means are used:
Using one method to completely destroy the pest is not enough, since saving pine from caterpillars can only be done using an integrated approach. Mechanical techniques should be combined with regular spraying of trees.
To prevent black caterpillars on a pine tree from becoming an unpleasant surprise, you need to carefully inspect coniferous trees in early spring. When the first signs of pest damage appear, you must immediately begin treatment.
If it was not possible to prevent the appearance of caterpillars, it is necessary to destroy them as quickly as possible. Coniferous trees can easily recover from minor damage. If a young pine tree is eaten, a lot of effort will have to be made to restore it.
You can prevent sawflies from entering your area if you follow the rules for caring for coniferous plants:
During a summer outbreak of sawfly infestation, digging is required to prepare the area for winter. tree trunk circles. The soil under the pine trees should be sprayed with insecticides to destroy pests that have prepared for the winter.
Compliance with preventive measures will preserve the health and beauty of coniferous trees.
