Night moth - economic importance and harm

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

In the class of insects, the moth ranks second in terms of the number of species. Most of them lead a gloomy lifestyle and differ from daytime specimens fluttering under the rays of the sun in a more thickened body, not so bright, but in a more uniform and dull color. Their antennae do not have a pin-shaped rounding, therefore this species is called razor-whiskered.

In nature, all insects are important: bugs, mosquitoes, butterflies. The night butterfly also has its economic importance. What is it? Butterflies nocturnal feed exclusively on nectar and are very valuable pollinators of many crops that bloom at night. For example, the flower of the yucca plant is very difficult to pollinate without the participation of night moths. This butterfly collects pollen from several flowers, rolls it into a ball and very accurately inserts it into the pistil of the flower, which ensures fertilization and the possibility of obtaining a seed. At the same time, the moth lays its eggs in this flower, providing food for its future offspring. The larvae, of course, eat a small part of the young seeds, because this is their only food, but without them they cannotthe fertilization of the flower would take place. It is known that different types of moths serve to fertilize certain types of plants.

The night moth, which has no symbiotic bonds, lays its eggs by attaching them to various objects, such as leaves, branches, or fallen tree trunks on river banks. Wind or flood waters carry these objects to new areas, and insects are also carried to new territories, where they emerge from eggs in the form of larvae. Their larvae look like worms, they are called caterpillars.

The caterpillars have a hard head, and three pairs of legs have claws. False legs are present on the fleshy abdomen. Pay attention to how moths look during this period of development, the photo fully reflects the structure of the body of the caterpillar. In the course of their short development, the larvae molt several times. After the last molt, they weave a cocoon of silky thread for themselves, turn into pupae and fall asleep in them until the time comes to turn into a butterfly.

Silk fiber is produced by caterpillars with special glands. The salivary glands secrete a protein-rich fluid. When dried in air, this liquid turns into a very strong thread. Caterpillar silk fiber is actively used by people for the production of natural silk fabrics. For the sake of this, certain types of butterflies are specially bred.

The caterpillar approaches weaving a cocoon very responsibly. First she finds shelter. It might be tornit is an underground mink, a gap in wood, or another type of shelter that meets the safety rules and protection methods laid down by nature in the program of self-preservation. Only then does the larva of the night moth curl up into a cocoon, where it remains motionless until the time comes to turn into a butterfly.

The moth itself is harmless and harmless, but its offspring are extremely voracious. Some of their species eat leaves, plant roots, others destroy food stocks stored in storage, and others damage textile fibers. Thus, they cause very great damage.