In recent years, a strange pest has gradually entered our field of vision, its name is called the grassland night moth.
This pest seems to be far away from us, but in the corn I bought last year, I seem to have seen this small thing.
The meadow moth (scientific name: Spodoptera frugiperda), also known as marching insects, belongs to the insect class, winged subclass, lepidoptera, noctuidae, and gray-winged noctuidae. It is a common agricultural pest, small in size, the larvae can grow up to 4 cm long, the lifespan is not long, the entire life cycle is only 30 days.
But it can't stand it to reproduce fast and not taboo, basically the grass plants it loves to eat, we eat grains such as corn, wheat, rice, sorghum, millet and many cash crops such as sugar cane are grasses, we cultivate Asteraceae and legumes They also like it.
Originally found in the Americas, the grassland moth spread to Africa in 2016, into Asia in 2018, and was first discovered in Yunnan, China in 2019, and has now spread to the whole country.
The reason why they are able to plague so many countries is that their adult insects are extremely capable of flying, flying 100 kilometers in a day and night, and the breeding generation can migrate more than 500 kilometers.
Fortunately, they are not hardy and cannot overwinter below zero degrees, so their main distribution range is still tropical and subtropical.
But they will follow the air currents and monsoons, and more frighteningly, with the planes and ships, spread to every place where there is something good to eat.
Adults feed on a variety of nectar, and when they mate at night, the female releases a large amount of hormones to lure the male to come.
There are also fights between males, and the strong victors have the right to reproduce.
After mating, the female worm lays eggs, and a female can lay about 1000 eggs, and the eggs can hatch in 2 to 3 days.
The task of the larvae is to eat and eat, and in just two weeks, the larvae can grow hundreds of times in size. The roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits of plants basically cannot escape their large mouths.
Because the hatching of larvae is often carried out at the same time, the number of larvae in the field will increase explosively, and the yield of the plot where the pest infestation occurs will often be reduced by more than 20%, and the harvest will be severe or even lost.
After eating and drinking enough, the larvae will pupate, spend one to three weeks in the soil and feather into adults, starting a new life cycle.
The meadow moth has begun to evolve over the years in the process of wrestling with people, differentiating into different subspecies. One mainly eats corn and the other mainly eats rice, and the living habits and behavior patterns of the two subspecies have also begun to have some differences.
They also have natural enemies, and various parasitic bees and parasitic flies can effectively reduce their numbers, but it is more difficult to completely eliminate them.
Now this insect has a relatively strong resistance, so it is still necessary to be cautious in prevention and control.
Summary: For adult grassland moths that migrate into the country, it is necessary to actively culling, interfere with mating, and reduce their spawning. This reduces or even eliminates these pests and avoids producing populations as large as those in the southern United States, where they originate.
Thank you for watching.
Talk about the prevention and control of the grassland night moth
Author: Su Yan Title: Rural Agricultural Farmers
Grassland nightcrawler control measures
Author: Sunshine Title: Agricultural Knowledge
Use predators to control the grassland moth
Author: Title: Farmhouse Bookstore