When will the fleece attack?

The wool clot is usually reproduced every 8-10 years, and during this period, their caterpillars appear in an extremely large crowd. They are stripping everything that comes into their way, whether it's wood, bush, or any kind of plant.

The gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), one of Hungary's most significant forest pest. In addition to the oak trees, it also causes great destruction in orchards and house gardens near the forest, and at times it has to be mass-produced in many parts of the country.

The lifestyle of the wool clot

One generation of butterfly develops each year. His drawing begins in June and lasts long during the summer. Especially the warm, dry summers are favorable for multiplication. Despite their large wings, the females are reptilian, so it is up to the males to find them on the basis of the seductive fragrances emitted by the other sex to make the mating happen. The males are also supported by their large feathered tentacles. Females are laid in lumps covered with yellow-brown chitin hair, usually on the trunks, branches of the trees, but sometimes even on the leaves. A bunch of hundreds of eggs can be included. Light brown egg knots can be seen and recognized from afar. Woolly hairs protecting the eggs provide both effective protection against the weather and the natural enemies of the pest. The larvae of the eggs will only come out in the spring of next year. The caterpillar's body is also covered with fur. If they appear in a large area, they can cause serious damage, so-called snoring.

Their most popular food plants are oak, poplar and various fruit species. Some plants (such as acacia, horse chestnut, elderberry, etc.) are less liked, but they still find plenty of food in the forests and orchards. When the larva has been fully developed after repeated threshing, it is encapsulated. Dark brown puppets are mostly found on the trees between the previously chewed and stacked leaves. After the pawn rest period, the drawing of butterflies begins in early summer and the next cycle begins.

Possibilities of forecasting

We have already developed methods for the forecasting of the swarm of wool and predicting the extent of the expected damage.  light and pheromone traps are used . If the number of moths collected by a light trap in a season is more than 30, it is already a threat, indicating the beginning of a mass increase in the pest. Pheromone traps will always catch more individuals, so the hazard threshold will change. One of the easiest methods to estimate the population of wool mite is egg counting . In the case of an average of 1 to 10 egg knots in an orchard or forest , the defense is justified. It is worth noting that if the number of new ovaries is higher than the old ones (from which the larvae have already hatched in previous years) and their size is larger, then the pest is multiplying, otherwise we can count on the decrease of the population of the wool mite.

Types of defense

One of the oldest, yet highly effective, defense methods is the destruction of the egg knots . In the past, some oily substances were injected into the ovaries. However, it is sufficient, simpler, and cheaper to remove these from the bark scraper during the end of winter care and burn it . At the same time, make sure that the skin of the ovaries, larvae and pups can cause healing and eczema-like rashes in people with sensitive skin! Due to the need for handwork, the bark-abrasion procedure is unfortunately limited to house gardens, or smaller orchards, and cannot be adequately protected in larger plantations and forests. In the latter case , plant protection treatment for young larvae may be the solution.The number of effective formulations is high, but it is definitely preferable to use environmentally friendly products and bio-preparations . The wide spectrum of agents have decimated many useful insects, including the natural enemies of the wool clot, and their use in forests is particularly dangerous for both rich fauna and human health.

Fruit orchards are authorized to control young larvae of the pest. Dimilin 25 WP chitin synthesis inhibitor.

Bactucid P and Dipel may be recommended for bio-preparations. The listed preparations are one-to-one free circulation (category III) and their green plant protection classification. In addition to the wool mite, they also kill caterpillars of other pest species. Bactucid P and Dipel can also be used in organic farming. The occupational health waiting time for each listed agent is 0 days. The withdrawal period is usually longer, but only 1 day for Bactucid P.