Opennatur

It’s a polyphagous and migratory pest. The populations reach the maximum in summer. It’s nocturnal. Because of their biology, a population explosion may take place in a short period of time. There can be until six generations per year in warm weathers.

Adults: have a wingspan of 2.5 to 3 cm. The forewings range of earthcolored brown to gray. They have two feature spots: orbicular and renal, booth of orange colors that bring out from the rest. The hind wings are white with darker veins, the edge of which is of diffuse blackish brown.

Eggs: are usually laid in small groups (10-250 eggs), covered with white scales. Just after being, eggs are from white to yellowish-brown color, and turn to dark brown before hatching. Also have vertical stripes and a shape similar to a dome. The average size ranges from 0.35 to 0.37 mm.

Larvae: are of variable color, depending on the diet and even on the way of grouping. Usually green when are found individually, and brown in the gregarious phase. On the lasts larval stages have an ocher head with a white grid. They have dark wrinkled stripes on dorsal area and yellow lines along the body. Have 3 pairs of thoracic legs and 5 pairs of fake abdominal legs. After hatching its size is about 1 mm, but reaching 30 to 40 mm when are fully developed. They roll when are touched.

Pupae: are green at first, but after turn to bone-brown color. On the bottom are provided with four hooks, whose function is the subjection of the adult when it emerges from the chrysalis. The average size is of 20 mm.

Using a monitoring device consisting on Funnel Unitrap trap with insecticide (DDVP vapone) and pheromones allows to detect the presence of adults in each plot.

• Place 3 to 4 Funnel Unitrap traps per hectare of crop or per monitored area. Place it over the crop for good ventilation, and put them up as the crop grows.
• Place the pheromone into the basket and the insecticide into the receptacle of the trap. Always use protection gloves.
• Traps are monitored 1 time per week, to collect and note down the number of insects captured and verify that traps are still in the correct position.
• Attractants must be renewed every 6 weeks.

To carry out the control of the pest, follow these instructions:

• Place 8 to per hectare 10 Funnel Unitrap traps of crop, depending on the density of catches. Place them about 20 cm. over the crop, inside the plot, but also outside it, strengthening the areas with most catches, where the distance between traps will be of 25 meters.
• Mass trapping will take place throughout all the development of the plant.
• Mass trapping needs to be complemented with the phytosanitary treatments recommended by the technicians of Pest Protection Service.