The meadow moth occasionally produces outbreaks of large-scale reproduction and is very harmful to agricultural land. This pest is characterized by a wide range of crops it eats, a high proportion of harmfulness of caterpillars, the ability of butterflies to fly long distances and domesticate the widest territories. All these characteristics make the moth one of the most serious pests. The meadow moth goes through four stages of transformation: a caterpillar appears from the egg, which, in turn, becomes a pupa, and an imago, a butterfly, appears from the pupa. An adult is considered a gray-brown moth. In a calm position, it looks like a triangle. Its wingspan reaches 25 mm ... The moth flies in short but fast zigzag flights. The caterpillar has a greenish-gray color, dark stripes on the back and on the sides, between which there are sinuous yellowish stripes. The head is black with a white pattern. Caterpillars feed on both cultivated and wild plants. The most popular are sugar beets, peas, sunflowers, corn, melons and vegetables. The caterpillar eats wormwood, quinoa, bindweed and even bitter and poisonous herbs. During the period of its development, the caterpillar molts four times and goes through five instars. The most harmful time in the life of a caterpillar is age 2-5, its length then ranges from 0.8 to 3 cm . At this time, the caterpillars eat around the clock and stop only to molt. The wintering place of the meadow moththe soil serves. A mature caterpillar burrows into the ground and pupates, leaving a loophole at the top through which in the spring, when the soil warms up well enough, a moth butterfly will fly out.
Control measures . Areas caught by the caterpillar should be plowed deeply. Loosen and huddle plants. A young caterpillar, covered with earth, will not be able to get out. To destroy weeds not only in the fields, but also on the side of the roads and on the adjacent territory. This should be done before the beginning of summer butterflies. You can destroy the weed using the preparations "Glyphos" or "Hurricane Forte". The initial signs of action of these funds will appear in a week. Thanks to the action of the drugs, the butterflies will have nowhere to lay their eggs, and the meadow moth will fly away further. Or they have time to lay eggs, but the larvae will remain without food. During the breeding season, the meadow moth, especially its second generation, is rather difficult to hatch. The use of insecticides will help.