Cabbage white cabbage. Cabbage white (Pieris brassicae)

The cabbage white butterfly is quite different large sizes. Males reach 55 mm, females are slightly larger - up to 60 mm in wingspan. Pieris brassicae L. is considered a malicious garden pest that destroys crops of the Cruciferous family and others. What methods exist to combat these insects? Where do these butterflies live, what do they look like, how do they develop? This and much more is discussed further in the article.

Generations

In the hot season and in the southern regions, as a rule, three generations develop, in the north - two. The first comes out in the southern regions by the end of April-beginning of May, in the north - by the end of May-beginning of June. The more numerous second generation appears in July-August. Butterflies fly until the very end of September. The third generation in the southern regions may mix with the second. However, as a rule, individuals of the third instar spread throughout the plant and live further apart from the rest and may linger until October.

Development cycle of cabbage whites

Cabbage whites overwinter their pupal stage on tree trunks, bushes, fences, building walls and other surfaces. A short period of time after emergence, individuals begin to lay eggs mainly on the underside of cabbage leaves and other cultivated and weedy garden plants of the Cruciferous family. The females lay eggs in groups of fifteen to two hundred in a pile. After six to thirteen days, caterpillars begin to appear. At first, the young individuals live together. Caterpillars molt four times. The duration of the stage depends on weather conditions. The duration of the cycle is between 13-38 days. An interval of three to seven days is maintained between molts. Pupae become butterflies, on average, after 10-17 days. This new generation lays eggs towards the end of July-beginning of August (at middle lane). If the crops are not treated and the first emerging individuals are not controlled, then the next ones begin to grow and develop in large numbers. In the southern regions (Central Asia) the pest has three or four, and in some areas (in Transcaucasia, for example) up to five generations.

Area

Cabbage whites are quite widespread throughout Eastern European territory. Representatives of the species can also be found in the temperate zone of Asia, in the eastern regions to Japan, as well as in North Africa. In 1993, the penetration of individuals into the territory of Southern Primorye was noted. Cabbage whites were introduced to Panama and Chile. In areas located north of the zone In the Arctic Circle, you can find mainly migrant individuals. Favorite places representatives of the species are roadsides, forest edges, parks, gardens, clearings, forest belts along the railway track. Cabbageweed is also often found in populated areas, where there are cultivated cruciferous plants. It should, however, be said that the geographic distribution of the butterfly is limited by temperature conditions. Thus, wintering pupae at -20 degrees die in quite large quantities. Optimal temperature For the growth of individuals, 20-26 degrees above zero is considered. In too hot a climate (more than 35-38 degrees), the development of cabbage whites slows down or it dies. The pest is very widespread throughout Russia, except, perhaps, in the region of Siberia and Far North. There its presence and development are complicated enough low temperatures and harsh climatic conditions.

Description

Cabbage white has wings white. The front corners are painted black, and the back corners have a dark stroke on the leading edge of the surface. Females have distinctive features. In particular, there are two rounded black spots on their front wings. Eggs - yellow color, have a bottle-shaped shape. Their height is about 1.25 mm. Longitudinal ribs are visible on the surface of the eggs. Gray-green sixteen-legged caterpillars have dark brown spots and dots on their bodies, which are grouped into relatively even transverse rows. There are yellow stripes (lighter on the back than on the sides) along the sides of the body and along the back. The caterpillar's body is covered with hairs and bristles. The head of juveniles is black, while in adults it is covered with light spots. The length of the caterpillar can reach up to 35-40 mm. Individuals of the first instar are light green in color, and their body is covered with black warts. The pupa has an angular shape, greenish-yellow color, and black dots on the sides and back.

Nutrition

Cabbage whites eat Young caterpillars, being together for the first time, feed on the pulp from the lower part of the leaves, leaving the upper skin. Then the individuals spread throughout the plant. Cabbage grass begins to eat leaves mainly from the edges, adult caterpillars crawl to the upper surface. They gnaw the flesh, leaving only the rough veins. Butterflies prefer to fly to daytime days. They feed (except for the pulp of leaves) on plant nectar. Large concentrations of individuals can be found in areas protected from the wind and located near fences and tree plantations. In large areas that are sown, it usually settles along the edges of the field.

Harm

The caterpillars cause damage to cabbage leaves, radishes, turnips, rutabaga and other crops. They can also feed on plants of other families, for example, nasturtium, mignonette, capers. In addition, secretions from the glands of the caterpillar’s ​​body provoke irritation on human body. There have even been isolated cases of poisoning and death of birds that fed on these caterpillars. Greatest harm cabbage whiteweed is brought to the western and northwestern regions of Russia.

other methods

The reproduction and development of butterflies is significantly hampered various diseases. For example, a bacterial culture of wax moth is often used, which provokes illness and subsequent death of caterpillars. Special meaning Flasheria is among the bacteriological pathologies. Caterpillars affected by it stop growing, become lemon-yellow in color and quickly die. Inside, the tissues of the infected individual turn to mush. One of the races of Trichogramma (egg eater) may also appear in white eggs.

One of the most simple methods The destruction of the white butterfly is considered to be regular inspection of the lower surface of the leaves of cruciferous plants, crushing the laid eggs. Manual collection of caterpillars and their destruction is used. In addition, quite a lot of them are produced today. They are used to spray the future crop at the beginning of the season to prevent the appearance of pests, as well as at their first appearance to destroy young individuals. Treatment of plants prevents further growth of caterpillars and protects crop leaves from damage.

This beautiful pest most common in Eastern Europe and Africa.

Butterfly size varies from 50 to 60 mm, wings are white with black spots. Outwardly it resembles a reptile, only larger. The butterfly's flight pattern is uneven; upon landing, it immediately folds its wings, and thanks to the yellowish color of the lower part of the wings, it remains invisible to birds. The insect's habitat is meadows and fields, especially, as the name implies, crops of cabbage and other cruciferous plants.

What does the cabbage butterfly eat? In addition to cabbage, the butterfly spoils radishes, rapeseed, radishes, horseradish, turnips, and sometimes nasturtium, capers and garlic also suffer from it.

Cabbage butterfly larvae pupate underground. The butterfly is considered a malicious pest - only one individual can lay about 300 larvae according to average indicators, and at favorable conditions- up to 600. After the caterpillars of the white cabbage take over the garden, what remains of the cabbage are leaves that look more like lace.

Photo:

Pupae and caterpillars

Cabbage moths spend the winter in pupae, from where they emerge in April - May, when the weather is warm and sunny outside. Butterflies lay yellow, cone-shaped eggs on the leaves of cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables, as well as on weeds. Soon caterpillars appear, bright yellow in color, 4 cm in length, with 16 legs. Over time, as they grow, they change color to green, tinged with blue, with dots of yellow and black on the sides and back.

How long does the cabbage butterfly live? Small cabbage caterpillars hide on the undersides of leaves, gnawing leaves in the middle, then in groups they move to the outside and begin to gnaw leaves from the edges. The bright color scares away birds, warning that the insects are poisonous. Caterpillars live for several weeks, during this time they molt about 3-4 times.

As soon as the caterpillars are eaten off and grow up to 40 mm, they leave the gnawed plants and move to fences, dry branches, bark, and walls of buildings, where they pupate. Already from these pupae new butterflies emerge, and the second wave of invasion of these pests into vegetable gardens begins.

How to protect your garden from pests?

Usually, during the warm period, the cabbage white has time to live two generations, in the south - three.

After the first butterflies emerge from the overwintered pupae, and they, in turn, lay eggs, several months pass.

During this time, the caterpillars grow, undergo the pupation process, and in July the second generation of cabbage moths appears. If the season is warm- then the pests linger until October, having time to survive the third cycle.

Important! The first appearance of butterflies occurs in April - May. In order to prevent cabbage from spoiling the harvest in the future, it is necessary to begin prevention against these pests in the spring.

Butterflies overwinter in crevices and dark corners of garden buildings, in fences, and can climb under the bark of old trees and onto dry branches of bushes. Before the butterflies leave their shelters, it is necessary to clean tree trunks, inspect barns and sheds, and wash fences and walls of buildings with a strong stream of water from a sprinkler hose.

Butterfly pupae are yellowish in color, with dark spots. The cleaning procedure will not give a 100% guarantee that cabbageweeds will not start flying around the garden in May, but it will help to significantly reduce the insect population. It is better to whiten the peeled trunks of perennial plants.

It is necessary to promptly remove cruciferous weeds from all areas of the vegetable garden and garden. For example, this insect really likes shepherd's purse, rapeseed and marigold.

What does the cabbage butterfly eat? To prevent damage of the entire harvest, when cabbage appears, you need to plant radishes, leftovers, turnips, cabbage and radishes separately from each other. But nearby you can plant marigolds, valerian, lemon balm, carrots, parsley and dill - the white butterfly really doesn’t like them and will serve as a deterrent.

What to do if you settle in your garden?

Almost no precautions will protect you from butterflies that fly to you from someone else's garden. What to do if these dangerous insects are spotted?

On small crop areas you can destroy pests manually and use traditional methods.

1. If the planting area is small, then with regular inspection you can manually collect laid eggs of cabbage moths and hatched cabbage moth caterpillars. They can usually be found on the bottom of the leaf. Often, in addition to the cone-shaped yellow testicles described above, you can find egg-shaped lumps nearby that look like cotton wool - you don’t need to touch them. Soon they will hatch into riders, enemies of cabbage butterflies and helpers of gardeners.
2. Butterflies that have gotten into the habit of flying in the garden can be lured with thick syrup with yeast, pouring it into plates or lids and placing traps near cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables.
3. A frequent mosquito net used to cover the beds can prevent butterflies from laying eggs.
4. Infusions of herbs that need to be sprayed on vegetables about once a week help well against cabbage.

Decoctions for processing Usually they are prepared simply, and the ingredients can be found in the garden itself or in the nearest store.

• one of the simplest solutions is to mix valerian tincture (1 bottle) and three liters of water;
• for the second recipe you will need sifted ash, 0.5 l. It is necessary to stir it in a bucket of boiled water, and after the solution has settled, drain the clear liquid, add 2 tablespoons of liquid soap and mix well;
• You can make an effective decoction from burdock, yarrow and wormwood. To do this, you need to pour boiling water 1:3 over the plants and leave for several days. All that remains is to strain and spray the crops.

When attacked by a pest large areas, and also with a large population of insects, you can use chemicals. Solutions such as: "", "Fitoverm", "Bitoxibacillin", "Kinmiks", "Aktellik", "Lepidocid".

Attention! It is best to carry out the treatment at an early stage of leaf formation so that the plant does not subsequently absorb the data. chemicals.

Bacterial preparations, for example Fitoverm, can be used throughout the development of vegetables, and finished immediately before harvesting.

Cabbage butterflies every year vegetable gardens and crops are attacked- however, having learned how to properly carry out prevention, as well as choosing the most effective method for processing vegetables in a particular case, when a pest appears, you don’t have to worry about the harvest.

Useful video

In this video you will learn how to protect your crops from butterflies:

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Having seen the cabbage butterfly, familiar from childhood, there is no doubt that spring has finally taken the reins. For its beautiful white wings, on which several dark spots sparkle, it was nicknamed the white one. However, gardeners and gardeners are wary of the appearance of this seemingly harmless insect, since cabbage caterpillars cause enormous damage to crops.

Description and habitat of the butterfly

The insect has a rather large body, with a wingspan reaching 5-6 centimeters. It consists of three parts: head, thorax and abdomen.

Knowing the description of the cabbage butterfly, confuse it with others lepidopteran insects pretty hard. The upper parts of the front and rear wings of males are beige and have characteristic black corners. On the wings of females, in addition to exactly the same dark corners, there are two round black spots. The lower area of ​​the wings is pale greenish in color with dark dotted spots.

At the cabbage plant well developed visual organs- two big eyes round shape located on the top of the head. Excellent vision and sense of smell allow her to perfectly navigate in space. The function of the organs of smell and touch is performed by long antennae. A spiral-shaped proboscis capable of straightening is needed to extract nectar from flowering plants.

A butterfly in flight makes uneven, jerky movements, and this manner of movement in the air makes it unattainable prey even for the most nimble birds. The winged insect calmly rises to a height of up to 30 meters and develops a flight speed of about 15 kilometers per hour, thanks to which it safely covers impressive distances. The mass emergence of adults occurs in the second half of spring.

The winged insect itself does not pose a threat to garden crops, since its activity is mainly aimed at pollinating flowering plants. The same cannot be said about cabbage butterfly caterpillars, which are a real scourge of the garden, especially if there are beds with cruciferous vegetable crops.

Having eaten the central part of the leaf and moved from inside on the outside, the white larva begins to gnaw its edges. The pulp of the leaves, as a rule, is completely chewed out, leaving only thick veins. The poisonous color of the pest signals that the insect is toxic, therefore predator birds they try to avoid it.

A massive invasion of white butterfly caterpillars often results in a decrease in the quality of the crop, and sometimes even makes it unfit for consumption. The damage caused by their gnawing mandibles leads to the loss of moisture accumulated by vegetables.

Taking into account the specifics of the cabbage growing season, for which the optimal temperature environment should be around 20 degrees, summer drought, as well as evaporation of moisture provoked by caterpillars, can cause the death of the plant.

Dehydration is only half the story. A variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi develop vigorous activity on damaged leaves.

Fighting methods

Fighting against these insects year after year, gardeners have developed a lot of methods to combat them.

How to get rid of Drosophila fruit flies in your home

With small scale damage to beds by caterpillars, you can limit yourself to safe folk ways, which are not capable of poisoning the human body and negatively affecting plants:

If fighting the butterfly with homemade infusions does not produce results, then there is probably nothing left to do but switch to using insecticides.

Among the drugs biological origin It is worth noting Fitoverm, Lepidocyte, Bitoxibacillin. Such chemicals as Aktara, Karbofos, Decis demonstrate high efficiency.

Prevention of pest occurrence

In winter, butterflies hide in cracks and dark corners of sheds, barns, in fences, and sometimes climb under the bark of trees. Before they leave secluded places, you should carefully inspect tree trunks and bush branches located on the building site. Thoroughly rinse fences and walls using a watering hose.

The cabbage butterfly is familiar to most people from childhood. In terms of popularity of distribution in central Russia, only urticaria can compete with it. But if many rejoice at the sight of butterflies, which signify the establishment of good warm weather, then summer residents and gardeners are well aware of the dangers of the appearance of cabbage whites, that is its other name.

For those who are not entirely familiar with this type of white butterfly, we present the cabbage butterfly in the photo.

Cabbage butterfly

Pest biology

The cabbage butterfly belongs to the family and is a diurnal butterfly; it is also called the cabbage white. It must be said that this family also includes insects such as:

• repnitsa;
• rutabaga;

Attention! The turnip is very similar to the cabbage; there are also black dots on its white wings, but the border on the wings is lighter and the butterfly is smaller in size.

The structure of the cabbage plant is the most common: it has two pairs of wings on a short, dark-colored body. The wingspan of the cabbage butterfly is up to 62 millimeters.

Why the butterfly is called the cabbage butterfly is clear to everyone: cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables are the favorite food of these white butterflies.

Habitats

The cabbage white is found almost throughout the entire territory of Russia with the exception of the Far North. You can say this: when the cabbage grows, so does the butterfly.

As for the occupied territory in nature, there is a clearly expressed connection with certain places the whitefish does not. She actively migrates in search of food and can be found anywhere:

• on the edge of the forest;
• in the meadows;
• in fields with cruciferous crops;
• and of course, vegetable gardens.

Nutrition

As is often the case with other arthropods, cabbage grass insects feed in different ways: adults eat pollen from flowering plants, and larvae feed on leaves of cruciferous crops.

The following plants can be considered as what the cabbage butterfly and its adult insects feed on:

• coltsfoot;
• dandelions;
• meadow greenweed;
• chamomile;
• alfalfa;
• and many others.

At the same time, the female lays eggs on cruciferous crops, on which the insect subsequently develops. The following wild and cultivated plants can be considered food items:

• rapeseed;
• hiccup;
• sverbiga;
• shepherd's purse;
• dyeing woad;
• all types of radishes;
• cabbage of all kinds;
• radish;
• swede;
• turnip;
• horseradish;
• mustard.

Smile! If holes appear on the leaves of your garden horseradish, do not blame any horseradish eater for this - most likely, it was the cabbage white caterpillars that were feasting on it.

Insect development

The developmental stages of the cabbage butterfly are typical for insects with complete metamorphosis, there are four of them:

• egg;
• caterpillar or larva;
• doll
• adult insect or imago.

Laying eggs

The years of cabbage butterflies are spread out over time. This depends on the air temperature in a particular region and the order of generation of the insect. In the middle zone, the cabbage butterfly lives and reproduces twice, in hot years and in the south - three.

Therefore, oviposition occurs in any of the months, from April to September. Insects overwinter in cocoons in the pupal stage; with the warming from the spring sun, the cabbage butterfly leaves the cocoon, and the first generation begins.

After feeding on flower nectar, the butterflies mate, and the female lays up to two hundred eggs on the leaves of the cruciferous plant. Since at this time cultivated plants are just beginning to sprout or be planted in the ground, cabbage plants are forced to lay eggs on wild cabbage species. Therefore, gardeners experience virtually no harm from them.

Another thing is the generation of the second generation. These insects are in abundance, in July-August there is more than enough cabbage in the gardens: root vegetables, and all kinds of cabbage - choose to your taste.

Caterpillar

The cabbage caterpillar is born within a week or two, depending on external weather conditions. It is yellowish-greenish in color with black spots, its body size reaches three and a half centimeters.

Young caterpillars, having just hatched from eggs, remain in the heap for some time, just as they were kept in the clutch. Then, having gained strength, they begin to actively feed on the underside of the leaf.

Attention! Late instar larvae move to top part sheet plates and are able to penetrate inside the head or stem of cabbage.

During its development, the larva of the cabbage butterfly goes through four molts. The change of chitinous cover occurs with a frequency of 3-7 days. The total lifespan of a caterpillar ranges from two weeks to forty days.

It should be noted that, unlike many other insects, cabbage caterpillars prefer dry and moderate weather with air temperatures around 20-25 degrees Celsius. More hot weather and even with an abundance of precipitation it can lead to the death of the larvae.

Doll

The cabbage pupa is very similar in color to the caterpillar, the same yellow-green color with black splashes.

Before the face pupates, it attaches itself with a small silk-like belt to various parts and remains of plants.

Soon the second generation butterflies emerge from the cocoons, and if the season of warm temperatures comes to an end, the insect goes into diapause for the winter.

Our help! Diapause in insects means inhibition of physiological processes and transition to suspended animation.

Struggle

Having familiarized yourself with the insect, you can outline the range of measures to combat cabbage grass. Today we will look at what preventive measures are being taken against this pest, how to fight it using biological and physical methods, including folk ones.

Prevention

Preventive remedies for cabbage can be either purely mechanical or with the use of certain drugs, for example:

1. Clearing the area of ​​all cruciferous wild plants and other weeds at the beginning of butterfly summer. Despite the fact that the first generation of caterpillars is practically harmless, remember that it is from them that the second - the most dangerous generation - will subsequently be formed.
2. Mulching cabbage plantings with fresh grass disorients butterflies with the smell.
3. Spraying plantings with a solution of birch tar. This remedy will also keep your cabbage and other dangerous pest – .
4. Regularly inspect the undersides of cabbage leaves - this is where the egg laying of whites is located. If one is found, the eggs must be destroyed immediately.
5. Tomatoes work well against cabbage whites. Butterflies really dislike their smell, so you can plant these plants nearby for protection. In the second option, you need to spray the cabbage with an infusion of leaves or tomato shoots, of which there are many during preventive care for this representative of the nightshade family.

Attention! In many reference materials Autumn digging of the soil is indicated as a method of preventive control. This is explained by the fact that the pupae rise to the surface and die. This is all nonsense. Firstly, the pupae overwinter in the frozen layer, and secondly, how do you know if the pupa has climbed to the required depth, or if you dig it there with a shovel.

And in general, autumn digging makes the soil lifeless, helps destroy soil microorganisms and hides weed seeds from its surface into the ground.

Destruction

Currently, in order to combat the cabbage butterfly, the use of biological insecticides is common. The most popular of them is made on the basis of a preparation of Bacillus subtilis bacteria. For those who haven’t guessed yet, we recommend it – “Fitoverm”. The action occurs not due to the poisoning of all living things by poison, but because active bacteria are not to the taste of insects. The work of other biological drugs is based on the same principle, such as:

• "Actofid";
• "Vermicide."

If you use, as some authors advise, chemically active preparations, then imagine what quality of harvest you will get at the end of the season. After all, the same authors without a twinge of conscience recommend when processing the use of protective equipment, respirators, gas masks, as during chemical attack at war!

Folk remedies

It must be said that during the cultivation of various cabbages, people have long adapted to these insects and have developed their own ways of fighting against them. Folk remedies from cabbage are available to almost every gardener who cultivates plants from the cruciferous family.

1. One way to get rid of cabbage grass is to spray it with dry mustard infusion. To do this, one hundred grams of powder is soaked in a bucket. hot water and insist for about a week. Before use, dilute again in half with cold water.
2. During flowering, wormwood, in an amount of about a kilogram, is poured with water and boiled for 10-20 minutes. The solution is then cooled and mixed with a bucket of water.
3. Chamomile is infused for half a day in the same proportion with water, but not boiled.

Advice! For better adhesion of the solution, add a little liquid soap to the water.

Butterflies appeared on Earth 250 million years ago - earlier than dinosaurs, and live to this day. What is this amazing creatures? What do they eat? Where do they live? There is hardly a person who would not admire these insects. A butterfly is sometimes called a flying flower. For poets, it is a symbol of tender beauty and airiness.

According to T.V. Yakovenko, biology teacher: “In Ancient Rome They believed that butterflies originated from flowers that broke away from plants. In India, a butterfly is a sign of lovers. In works of art, the goddess Psyche, personifying human soul, was mostly depicted with butterfly wings. Hypnosis - the god of sleep - was ALSO REPRESENTED WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS, albeit on his head, since sleep was considered the periodic liberation of the soul from earthly bonds.”

The famous scientist Carl Linnaeus, giving names to the described butterflies, looked for them in myths Ancient world. This has become a tradition among other scientists. That is why among the names of butterflies there are often names ancient greek gods and heroes: for example, Apollo, Io, Hector, etc.

Currently, the butterfly is a symbol of UNESCO. This is a girl with a blue butterfly, representing the human soul.

Butterflies are beautiful creatures that delight us with their beauty and masterful flight. Has the question never occurred to people: “What are these wonderful insects like?” Were people really not interested in their way of life, their habitat and, finally, their development, starting from an egg laid by a butterfly to an adult or imago? Of course they were interested. And yet it is interesting to know all the features of the development of a butterfly, especially such as the cabbage white butterfly, which is the most common garden pest.

Based on the above, the goal of our work is to monitor the development of the cabbage white butterfly in the moderately warm climate of the Meleuzovsky region.

We set the following tasks:

1. Observe the development of the butterfly and examine each stage of metamorphosis.

3. Based on the results of the work done, draw conclusions about the metamorphosis of the cabbage white butterfly in the moderately warm climate of the Meleuzovsky region

I. Literature review.

I. 1. General characteristics

Cabbage (Pieris brassicae L.) day butterfly from the whitefish family (Pieridae), like sailboats, belongs to the club lepidoptera. It is widely known for those members of the family whose wings are truly white. Of these, three closely related species are often found in our fauna. These are cabbage whites, or cabbageweed (Pieris brassicae), turnips, (P rapae) and rutabaga

Garden whites (Pieris Schrank) -

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Arthropods

Class: Insects

Subclass: Winged

Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Belyanki

Genus: Garden whites

About 2½ cm long, with spread wings 6½ cm wide. The wings are white with several black spots. On the front wing from above: the outer corner almost to the middle of the edge and a spot on inner edge, and females have two more median spots, black; two similar spots on the underside. Hind wing with a black spot at the middle of the anterior margin; yellow below, with black pollen. Caterpillar up to 3 ½ cm long. ; 16-legged; greenish-yellow, dotted with sparse and short black hairs and black dots; along the back and on the sides, above the legs, 3 stand out yellow stripes; head and last body segment, gray above with black dots; in youth it is light green, densely covered with black warts. The pupa is yellowish-green, with black spots and dots and a tubercle on the back. It produces two generations within a year. The pupae overwinter. Butterflies fly in spring and early summer, April-June; At the same time, eggs are laid on various wild cruciferous plants, the leaves of which the caterpillars feed on. This generation does little harm.

The habitat of garden whites is North Africa, Europe, temperate zone Asia east to Japan. Characterized by a sharp expansion of the range to the east. Since 1993, it penetrated into Southern Primorye and began to appear there in large numbers. Distributed throughout the territory of Eastern Europe. North of the Arctic Circle, mainly migrant individuals are found. Less common in southeastern regions European Russia, in the desert zone and the dry steppe subzone. Active migrant.

I. 2. Stages of development of cabbage whites:

In the middle zone it usually develops in two generations, in the south and in hot years in three. The first generation in the south appears in April and early May, in the north in late May - early June. The second, more numerous, appears in late July - early August, and the butterflies fly until the end of September. The third generation in the south often mixes with the second and lingers until October. An adult butterfly feeds on the flowers of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), seedling (Succisa), alfalfa (Medicago), etc. The eggs mature in females 5-7 days after emerging from the pupa. The female lays up to 200 eggs in clusters on the underside of leaves. Fertility up to 300 eggs. Egg stage 5 - 12 days. Young caterpillars are motionless for some time and stick together. Then, spreading out, they begin to scrape off the pulp from the underside of the leaf, molt 4 times, the development stage, depending on weather conditions, lasts 13 - 38 days, usually the interval between moults is 3 - 7 days L The egg is lemon-yellow, bottle-shaped, ribbed , height 1.25mm. After additional feeding, females lay eggs in groups on the underside of leaves of cruciferous plants, preferring cabbage. The fertility of females is up to 250 eggs. After 5-8 days, caterpillars emerge from the eggs and feed on the leaves. The full development cycle of cabbage whites is completed in 26-73 days. The optimal temperature for the development of the pest is 20-26°C.

Larval stage;

Young caterpillars prefer the underside of the leaves of the host plant, while older caterpillars prefer the upper side. From the age of 3 they disperse and live separately. They eat holes in the leaves of developing cabbage heads, contaminating them with excrement, which sometimes leads to rotting of the heads. Older caterpillars eat leaves, leaving only thick veins. In search of food, they can make long migrations, populating neighboring areas. There are glands on the body of caterpillars, the secretions of which cause skin irritation in humans. There have been cases of death and poisoning of birds that ate cabbage caterpillars. Too much heat And low humidity air is unfavorable for the development of cabbage. The optimal temperature for cabbage development is 20 - 26 degrees C. The full development cycle is completed in 26 - 73 days. A newly hatched caterpillar is ocher in color with a large dark head. The adult caterpillar is yellowish-green with black dots, the body is covered with hairs, a yellowish stripe runs along the sides of the body, the caterpillar is up to 40 mm long. Young caterpillars gnaw the pulp of the leaf from the underside, without touching the upper skin. Older caterpillars crawl throughout the plant and eat the leaves from the edges, leaving only the rough veins intact. Control measures: agrotechnical - destruction of weeds; biological - release of Trichogramma, use of biological products (bitoxibacillin - 1-1.5 kg/ha, lepidocide - 0.5-1 kg (l)/ha).

Pupa stage;

The diapausing pupa overwinters, attaching its tail part to tree trunks, various buildings, and stones with its head up. Low winter temperatures lead to the death of pupae and limit the spread of cabbage whites. The pupal stage of the summer generation is 8 - 30 days depending on the temperature. If weather turn out to be unfavorable (cold, rain), caterpillars of summer generations can produce diapausing pupae, from which butterflies emerge only after wintering. Cabbage white - Pieris brasicae Greenish-yellow pupa with black dots. The pupae overwinter on plants, tree trunks, bushes, fences, inside sheds, etc. After 17-30 days, the caterpillars are attached by cobwebs and pupate on trees, fences, etc. The pupal stage lasts 8-17 days, after which the butterflies fly out new generation.

Order Lepidoptera, whitefish family (Pieridae).

The pest is widespread. 2-3 generations develop per year. The butterfly has a wingspan of 60-70 mm, the male is slightly smaller than the female. The wings are white. The female has two black round spots on her forewings on the top, and the male has two black round spots on the bottom. The flight of butterflies begins in spring (late April). Butterflies are especially active in sunny days. In some years, cabbage whites can cause significant damage to cruciferous crops.

II. Material and methodology

The research was carried out in the summer of 2008. The collection of material was carried out from June to August on private territory. Tracking the stages of development of the garden white butterfly was carried out using the site method, that is, daily tracking was carried out over the periods of metamorphosis of the butterfly, and then, based on the data obtained, recorded in a notebook, a count of days was compiled, which is the duration complete transformation cabbage

The following equipment was used in the work:

Aquarium;

Outdoor thermometer;

Notebook;

Camera cell phone Samsung;

Samsung cell phone camera;

Pen-pencil.

Based on the observations, records were compiled for the duration of each period. Identification of butterfly species was carried out using a key.

III. Characteristics of the study area

Meleuzovsky district is located in the south of Bashkortostan. The regional center is the city of Meleuz. The total area is 3254 sq. km. The western forest-steppe part of the region is located on the Pribelsky ridge-undulating plain, which passes in the extreme south into the northern spurs of the General Syrt, the eastern mountainous forest part is on the western advanced ridges of the Bashkir (southern) Urals.

The study area is characterized by a warm-temperate climate.

The average annual air temperature is +2.5 C, the absolute maximum is +41 C, the absolute minimum is -51 C.

The Meleuzka River flows in the southeastern part of the city. The main type of development is private. Industrial enterprises there are none in this part of the city. The streets are crossed by highways with little traffic.

The species composition of trees is quite poor: birch, spruce, poplar, maple, garden trees on private plots, and their numbers are clearly insufficient.

IV. Results and discussions

Generalized data on the duration of each stage of development of cabbage whites.

Stages of butterfly development Duration of each stage in days

Larval stage 25

Pupa stage 13

Based on the results of observations in the summer of 2008, using the site method, the development of the cabbage white butterfly was studied, starting from the egg stage and ending with the adult butterfly or imago. The observation was carried out in an open area - in a garden planted with various cultivated plants: fruits (raspberries, cherries, currants, apple trees, strawberries), vegetables (tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, etc.). The studies took place from June 27 to August 10 at personal plot on Gagarin street.

During this period of time there was warm temperature air, which is the most important factor in the course of stable metamorphosis of the butterfly. The degree of environmental pollution is also of great importance for the normal development of cabbage. There is no busy traffic on Gagarin Street. Species diversity trees average.

The total duration of the butterfly's metamorphosis was only 44 days. The duration of the egg stage as a percentage was 14%, the larval stage - 57%, the pupal stage - 29% of the total number of days. Having done this work, I was convinced that the total duration of development during normal conditions quite coincides with the proper (standard) duration of metamorphosis of cabbage whites (44 days according to our observations and 30-56 days according to the norm). All observations were carried out in person, in real time.

Based on the results of processing the literature data and observations made, we can draw a conclusion. Stable development or metamorphosis of the cabbage white butterfly largely depends on normal natural conditions. Thus, throughout the development of butterflies, they were observed average temperature(23-24 degrees) air and a small amount of precipitation. And great importance For the normal development of cabbage, there is also a degree of environmental pollution.

The total duration of cabbage metamorphosis was 44 days. Based on the results of our observations, we can draw a conclusion about the duration of each stage and, using a personal example, we found out that the duration of the egg stage is 6 days, the larval stage is 25 days, and the pupal stage is 13 days.

Despite the fact that the cabbage white butterfly is a garden pest, the number of this species cannot be reduced or disappeared, because there are no absolutely beneficial and harmful insects, but each of them is important for nature. After all, butterflies are beautiful creatures that decorate our gray, boring life and fascinate us with their masterly flight. And that is why they need to be attracted to our region. To achieve this, street landscaping is necessary.

It is necessary to sum up the results of the previously carried out work to protect and attract these wonderful insects, so that schoolchildren can personally see how useful work They perform by planting plants on the streets of the city.