The Main Department of the State Service for Food and Consumer Protection in the Kharkiv region reports that, according to specialists from the Department of Phytosanitary Safety and Control in Plant Growing, over the past week, butterflies have been flying in crops and eggs have been laid by gnawing (winter, calligraphic) and leaf-gnawing (cotton, cabbage) moths.
Gnawing scoops lay their eggs mainly on plant debris, the soil surface and low-growing weeds (field birch); leaf-eating scoops lay their eggs only on plants. Caterpillars of leaf-eating scoops live on plants, eating leaves, young stems and shoots, buds and inflorescences. Caterpillars of gnawing scoops live in the surface layer of the soil and feed by gnawing the underground parts of the plant or the stem at the soil surface level.
Their caterpillars are expected to begin regenerating and feeding in the next 7-14 days.
When using insecticides, it is important to carry out extermination measures against caterpillars of younger ages. The economic threshold of harmfulness for gnawing scoops in sugar beet crops is 1-2, corn, sunflower, potatoes, other row crops is 3-8 specimens per sq. m; against leaf-gnawing scoop caterpillars, corn and sunflower crops are treated in the presence of 6-8% of inhabited plants.
Agricultural producers are recommended to constantly monitor the phytosanitary condition of crops and take measures to carry out timely chemical treatments with insecticides permitted for use, adhering to the regulations for their use and ensuring the preservation of beneficial entomofauna and honey bees.