Butterfly larvae - caterpillars - are distinguished by a variety of shapes and colors. And anyone who does not feel disgust for the caterpillars can enjoy watching these amazing creatures and, perhaps, learn something new for themselves. This is especially true for pupation, because it's one thing to just know about life cycle insects, and the other is to see firsthand the process of transformation of one creature into another.

hawks

hawks (Sphingidae) - a family of butterflies of large or medium size. The body is powerful, often conically pointed; wings - narrow elongated span from 30 to 175 mm.

For some unknown reason, with an aunt of filing, most of his life he called hawks Bobk A mi. What the beans such - it is not clear, except for the aunt, this word has not been heard from anyone, and Yandex only finds a story of the same name by Dostoevsky for such a request.

Caterpillars are large, beautiful, usually brightly colored with contrasting stripes and false eyes. On the tail they have a characteristic horn.

The pupae of most hawks also have horns.

Next, we will talk about the history of pupation of two caterpillars found simultaneously in our area and identified as larvae. hawks: wine And fake. Actually, it was not difficult to determine them, since it is known that hawk hawk caterpillars are very picky and selective towards their food plants, therefore, if a caterpillar is found on grapes, then it can be argued with a high probability that wine hawk hawk should come out of it.

So, the first story, happy ...

Wine hawk (Deilephila elpenor)

The caterpillar was found eating grape leaves. She was fat, resilient and green, with a horn and four false eyes in the front.

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She behaved actively, in captivity she did not refuse food. I also didn't mind taking pictures in different poses. Click on the pictures - they have a lot of details!

But a couple of days later, it disappeared. Gently turning over the leaves piled on the bottom of the aquarium, I discovered a certain conglomerate: the leaves were clearly glued together. In the depths of the shelter, the strangely altered body of a caterpillar, covered with mucus, lay motionless.

After a day or two, I decided to see what happened in the house of leaves. As soon as I started to rake them, I felt something vigorously twitch inside. The leaves were glued together well, but what could one poor caterpillar oppose to the destructive power of the human mind?

For no one, I think, the fact that the leaves were hiding chrysalis.

The anterior part of the pupa is completely rigid, the posterior part consists of three movably connected segments and ends with a horn. When the chrysalis is nervous, it can beat intensely, frightening the offender and jumping from place to place:

Here's what struck me the most. Next to the pupa in the leaves lay the blackened and withered head and the front part of the body of the former caterpillar with six horny legs. I never thought about the fact that when turning into a chrysalis, the caterpillar discards head!(“What does she think about ???” - an idiotic question arises, from which, however, another follows: “Do caterpillars think in principle?”)

The idea for the demotivator is born by itself: “Don't be a larva! Don't lose your head!"

Now it remains only to put the chrysalis in a secluded cool place, and perhaps in the spring I will be able to observe the most exciting stage of transformation: the birth of a butterfly.

Added after 6 months: it was possible to observe the birth of a butterfly, however, a little earlier than expected. Details and photos - by clicking on the picture:

Medium wine hawk - the one that hatched from me six months later.

And now the second story, tragic ...

Lime hawkweed (Mimas tiliae)

This caterpillar was caught on a linden, and when caught it was about the same green color as our previous hero. However, by the time of the photo shoot, she noticeably changed color to green-yellow. If I had read about this caterpillar earlier, I would have understood that it was already about to pupate - in the lime hawk hawk, this is preceded by a change in color.

If the caterpillar were immediately planted in the leaves and not touched again, then, perhaps, I would now still have a chrysalis of lime hawk hawk. But I did not allow the poor creature to calmly fulfill my biological program. While transplanting, while photographing ...

We all know firsthand that nature creates such masterpieces that at first glance seem quite unusual and even partly cosmic. There are more than enough examples of this among representatives of the world flora and fauna. In particular, toothed patu fish, water deer with fangs, bald cats, anteaters with huge trunks, California condors (birds that are impossible to look at without tears), drop fish resembling characters from a science fiction film with horror elements. The list of natural phenomena is endless.

Incredible types of caterpillars that exist side by side with humans

Today I would like to talk about which subsequently turns into a beautiful creature - into a butterfly, in any case, this is written in all encyclopedias about wildlife and the world around us. So, we will talk about caterpillars with horns and their features, which, judging by the name, should not be so few. Looking ahead, I would like to note that such caterpillars are characteristic of many species and they even pose a certain danger to smaller insects, and some to humans. But be that as it may, such representatives of the flora cause only delight in the one looking at them, because they are incredibly beautiful and divinely beautiful.

An inhabitant of Russian latitudes, who is often mistaken for an alien

Of course, at the very beginning I would like to talk about those types of large green caterpillars with horns that live on the territory of our country. The most common larva of hawk hawk and all its subspecies. For example, lime hawk. Its larva is a fairly long caterpillar. Sometimes it reaches 10 cm in length. Its color, unlike other caterpillars with horns, is quite calm and not particularly attracting attention. Most often, this insect is light beige or light brown in color with a white abdomen, on which there are horny growths, which are nothing more than the rudiments of the legs of an insect. To the touch, they are quite hard and tenacious, thanks to these properties, the caterpillar can easily move along tree trunks. In rare cases, the larvae of the lime hawk hawk may be bright green or black with a brown speck. No matter what color There were caterpillars, on the tail they always have a sharp, hard spike, which many take for a horn, confusing the head of an insect with its tail.

Ocellated hawk hawk

Speaking of butterflies that hatch from the pupa of the hawk caterpillar, it should be noted that all representatives of the family of these unusual insects are considered quite rare, and many of them are listed in the Red Book. Their extermination may lead to serious consequences and is punishable by law. For example, By the way, its larva is one of the most unusual: green with white stripes, located symmetrically relative to each other. It is a large green caterpillar with a pale blue tail horn. Speaking of the larva of the ocellated hawk moth, it must be said that the thorn of these insects is not at all for beauty, but for protection from annoying small brothers: ants and small bugs. It is something like a sting, in which, like wasps, there is poison (acid) that acts on the enemy. For humans, the "weapon" of the hawk caterpillar does not pose any danger.

Dead Head

Another prominent representative of the hawk moths living in Russia, which should be mentioned separately, is the dead (Adam's) head butterfly. Her caterpillar is unusually beautiful. It is large, bright green, one-color or with variegated spots scattered over the body. The spike on her tail is the color of the color itself. But a jet-black butterfly with bright brown spots hatches from such a miracle. In general, this species resembles in its color the king of the savannah - a leopard. The hawk dead head is, without a doubt, more beautiful than the beetle and several times larger. Now, having met any of the larvae described above in your garden, the attentive reader should not have a question, what is the name of the caterpillar with a horn on its tail.

poisonous caterpillars

There are not so many representatives of horned caterpillars in our country, probably due to the harsh and cold climate, but on other continents, where it is almost warm all year round There are plenty of such beauties. By the way, there is such an opinion regarding the colors of insects that the brighter the color of the caterpillar, the more beautiful the butterfly will hatch from it. And yet, if the larva is too beautiful, then it should certainly be feared. A catchy color warns of the poisonousness of the insect. At the very beginning of the conversation about alien caterpillars with a horn on their tail, photos of which can be viewed in the material presented, I would like to discuss poisonous species.

Saddle caterpillar - a beauty that is better not to touch

The most poisonous caterpillar in the world is simply unusually beautiful: a brown head with pronounced light green "glasses" and a torso, and a brown rhombus on its back, resembling a horse's saddle. Of course, thanks to this attribute, this larva is called saddle. On the head and on the tail of the poisonous caterpillar there are two impressive horns, completely covered with sharp spikes. It is they who pose a great danger to everyone who decides to touch an unearthly, bewitching creature. By the way, if you look at a saddle caterpillar from above, it is impossible to make out where its head is and where its tail is, as it looks like poisonous insect absolutely symmetrical.

This miracle of nature lives in North America, it can be found mainly on deciduous trees. As with the other caterpillars with a horn on the tail, discussed above, this species contains poison in the process. However, if nothing happens when touching the hawk hawk, then touching the poisonous caterpillar, a person will feel discomfort, as if he had been stung by a bee. Side effects can be unpleasant: nausea, vomiting, headache and rash at the site of contact. Symptoms persist for up to two days.

"Burning rose" does not grow in the garden, but eats it

Another beauty caterpillar that lives across the ocean and poses a certain danger to people is the "burning rose". She got her name not for a single horn on a very small body (only 2.5 cm), but for the poisonous spikes abundantly located on it. If you touch it, then serious skin irritation is guaranteed to you. Distinctive feature such a green caterpillar with horns are longitudinal orange and black stripes, as well as bright red and yellow spots on the body. Looking at it, it becomes clear why scientists consider the most beautiful and unusual insects to be among the most dangerous.

The most beautiful caterpillar in the world

Since we have already examined the most poisonous caterpillar in the world, now I would like to oppose it to the most beautiful and harmless - the larva of the monarch's danaid. It is worth saying that even the name of this large caterpillar with a horn speaks for itself. A truly royal creation immediately appears, enchanting with its beauty and pleasing to the eye. Its main color is white and, if it were not for the bright yellow stripes on the back, the caterpillar would look like a zebra, because it is also completely covered with thin black stripes. She has already three pairs of horns: two on the head, two on the tail and the same number in the middle of the body. They are located symmetrically to each other.

Belongs to the number of the most famous butterflies of North America. It is easy to recognize by the characteristic pattern on the wings: black stripes located on a red background. The wingspan of the danaid reaches 10.2 cm. This is one of the few insects that flies across the Atlantic Ocean during migration. In Russia, the species is found in the Far East.

The world's largest butterfly hatches from a caterpillar with horns

In Asia (on the territory of China, Vietnam, on the islands of Java and Borneo), real giant butterflies live. Their wingspan reaches 27 centimeters. The females of this species are much larger than the males. The situation for the world of insects is not unique, sexual dimorphism is observed very often. The beautiful giant peacock-eye atlas is called. The color of her caterpillar is completely unremarkable: pale flesh, and sometimes gray. Mandatory attribute - numerous horns on the body. However, a spectacular and bright butterfly is obtained from the larva. It is noteworthy that her oral apparatus is not developed at all. The imago does not feed and lives off the resources accumulated during the larval stage.

Black is always combined with white - a rule that even nature observes

Probably, many have heard about the next caterpillar with horns, but not everyone has seen such an incredible beauty created by nature. We are talking about the larva of the swallowtail. Imago has a bright yellow coloration with four round black eye-like spots on the wings. Who would have thought that, being a caterpillar, the swallowtail is not bright. On the contrary, the larva is completely black with horns of the same color located all over its body. However, in the later stages of caterpillar development, just before pupation, the black color of the body is diluted with numerous contrasting white spots.

Summing up what has been said

In fact, there are a great many caterpillars with horns in nature. There is simply no point in listing them all within the framework of one article, because the text can turn out to be voluminous, like the well-known masterpiece of Russian classics "War and Peace". We introduced you only to the brightest and most unusual larvae, which nature has awarded with one or more horns. I would like to say that without exception, all caterpillars endowed with such an attribute use it as self-defense. They deftly take advantage of the moment, curling up into a ball during danger, and then sharply throwing their tail with a horn towards the enemy. Remember that nature designed caterpillars to be admired, not experimented on or destroyed.

It happens that you walk along the path, and next to it, such a charm sits on the bottom of the leaflet. Beautiful black caterpillar with tufts of stiff reddish hair on top and sides of each segment. On the sides it has a bright white stripe, interrupted in the middle of each segment by a red spot, from which a tuft of wool sticks out. On the back of the caterpillar is a pattern of white, black and yellow spots. In her posture, a curved hump is noticeable next to her head. It looks like a caterpillar of a rather nondescript butterfly sorrel scoop, she is oxalic shooter(lat. Acronicta rumicis), which, contrary to the name, feeds not only on sorrel.

The caterpillar is densely covered with long black hairs, oblique white and red spots and stripes on the body. On the back, a central yellow spot is surrounded by black and then white, resulting in a pattern resembling an eye, which is likely to deter birds and other predators. In a month, the caterpillar grows up to 40 mm long and, attaching to the branches and trunk, weaves a cocoon, inside which it turns into a chrysalis. The pupa is dark brown, in a thin cobweb gray cocoon. After 12-15 days, a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.

Two generations of butterflies manage to grow in a year: butterflies fly at night from May to July, in some regions a second generation appears in August and September. Caterpillars are very voracious and extremely polyphagous. They feed on herbaceous, shrubby and woody plants. As the name implies, they feed on sorrel, as well as milkweed and other herbaceous plants. Significant damage is caused to seedlings, nurseries and young gardens, eating leaves. fruit trees, as a result of which growth stops and the stock does not develop.

The sorrel moth butterfly has a wingspan of 30-35 mm, the length of the front wings is 17-21 mm. Butterfly wings are dark gray or light gray, but 1-2 white spots stand out clearly at the rear edge. Hindwings brownish gray.

The species is distributed almost throughout Europe, with the exception of northwestern and northern Scandinavia and northern Russia, found in Northwestern Africa, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Cyprus, the Caucasus, north of the Urals and Western Siberia to Far East. Butterflies live in various biotopes and are numerous everywhere.

Sometimes in the summer on the meadow paths, or even in the city, you can meet slowly crawling large caterpillars. Someone will say “fu, what a disgusting thing!”, And someone, on the contrary, will pick it up with interest. The caterpillar, of course, does not like this, it begins to squirm and curl up into a ring, because it has eaten for several weeks and is now looking for a secluded place to pupate. The caterpillar shown in the photo wine hawk hawk(lat. Deilephila elpenor) light brown, with a greenish tint; on the sides of the front of the body, not far from the head, it has dark spots with a white border on top and a small horn on the tail. If the caterpillar is frightened, it retracts its head, inflates segments with eye patterns, which makes them look like a snake's head with eyes, which should scare away uninvited predators. This caterpillar feeds on fireweed, better known to us as Ivan-tea, bedstraw and grape leaves (for which it got its name). After pupation, next year it will hatch from a wine hawk hawk moth, a rather large twilight moth, which is very similar to a hummingbird in its flight and feeding habits. Even in English it is called elephant hawk moth, which can be roughly translated as "elephant moth".

Wine hawk(lat. Deilephila elpenor) - a butterfly from the family hawks (Sphingidae). Wingspan 50-70 mm. The color of the front wings and body is olive-pink with transverse oblique pink bands on the front wings. The hindwings are black at the base. Widely distributed in the Palaearctic. Flight time - from mid-May to mid-August, one, in some places - two generations. Caterpillar stage - from mid-June to August. The color of the caterpillar varies from light green to brown and almost black, on the 4th and 5th rings there are "eyes" with a dark core and a white border. The horn is short, black-brown. Forage plants of caterpillars are fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium and E. hirsutum) and fireweed (Chamerion); less often bedstraw, touchy, grapes. Pupation on soil, pupa hibernates.

Below is a photo (not mine) of what an imago (adult moth) looks like:

Photo by jean pierre Hamon, Wikipedia

The wine hawk belongs to the genus Deilephila. These are large and medium butterflies with a wingspan of 40-80 mm. The wine hawk moth is an olive butterfly with a pink pattern. The base of the hind wings is black. Wingspan 50-70 mm. The head, thorax and abdomen of a moth are olive green. Pinkish stripes on the back near the abdomen merge into one longitudinal line. Antennae thickened, grayish-pink. The eyes are large, complex, covered with scales. Insects have excellent eyesight, they see objects in low light. Insects are common in Europe, including the south of the Urals. They are found in Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, India, Korea, Japan and China. It lives in gardens, on the edge of the forest, roadsides. Settles on honeysuckle bushes, flowers of petunias, iris. Moths living in gardens and parks pollinate 5-10% of the nearest trees and shrubs.

The caterpillar of the wine hawk hawk may be green or dark brown, almost black in color. On the 4th-5th segment of the body there are round black eyes with a white border. The tail horn is short, black at the base, the tip is white. Due to the large size of 70-80 mm, the caterpillars make a frightening impression on people. In fact, they are not dangerous. Even plants, the larvae do not cause serious harm.

The caterpillar of the wine hawk moth, in case of danger, is able to inflate a segment of the body with eyes. She pulls her head inward, assumes the pose of a sphinx, lifting her front legs off the surface. It makes her look like a snake. Given the impressive size of the body, enemies such as birds prefer not to fight.

Butterfly summer time is from May to August. They are active in the evening until midnight. Moths feed on flowers and mate. Depending on the region of habitat, they give from one to five generations. For plants that open buds at close times, they are excellent pollinators. During the mating season, they often fly to light sources.

Hawk hawks are excellent flyers, during migration they cover thousands of kilometers. Butterflies are able to hover in one place, feeding on the nectar of flowers, move vertically up and down.

The fertilized female lays single or paired round eggs on the leaves and stems of fodder plants. Green masonry with a glossy surface. The embryo develops in 7-10 days. Young larvae are yellow or light green in color. As they mature, most become grey-brown with black streaks. This stage lasts about a month.

The caterpillar of the wine hawk moth can be beneficial and harmful. It depends on her diet. The larva that settled on the weeds helps to get rid of the grass without weeding. Insect does no harm agriculture. The fodder plants of hawkweed are flowers and ovary of fireweed (willow-herb), bedstraw, and touchy. In rare cases, it feeds on grape leaves.

Having reached the fifth instar, the larva descends to the ground and prepares for pupation. She chooses a place at the foot of the plant on which she ate, and forms a cocoon. The pupa is brown, 40-45 mm long. They overwinter in the litter or upper layers of the soil.

Hawk moths fly at speeds up to 50 km/h. The wind interferes with them in flight and while feeding on flowers. With a wind strength of 3 m/s, insects do not fly out to feed.

The medium wine hawk is listed in the Red Book of Karelia and Belgorod region like a rare species.

The wine hawk moth received the Latin name Deilephila elpenor in honor of the hero of mythology: Elpenor is a friend of Odysseus, returning with him from Troy; died falling from the roof of the palace of the sorceress Circe.

There is an assumption that these spots on the caterpillars of wine hawks imitate the "glasses" of a cobra. However, it is unlikely that birds can confuse a small caterpillar with a snake, especially since wine hawks are widespread even where cobras are not found. A simple experience has shown that birds are very willing to eat ocellar caterpillars. There is no definite answer to the question about the reason for this coloration. The horn of the caterpillar of the middle wine hawk is weakly expressed.

The hawk hawk family (Sphingidae) is one of the fastest flyers not only among butterflies, but also among insects in general. Some develop speeds up to 60 km / h! Narrow and long front wings, streamlined, aerodynamic body make their flight swift and maneuverable. It was they, like some birds, who became the prototype for the creation of jet aircraft, thanks to observant designers. Hawk hawks make 37 to 85 wing beats per second, while the swallowtail, for example, makes only 5-6 beats.

The wine hawk moth can be brought out of the chrysalis at home on its own, but for this, after pupation, it must be stored in the refrigerator for some time, otherwise the adult insect will hatch somewhere around the new year, when it will have nothing to eat. detailed information about their breeding

A caterpillar is one of the stages in the development of a butterfly.

Before becoming a beautiful butterfly or moth, it is in the larva or caterpillar stage. The life of a caterpillar is very short, but very interesting.

Description, characteristic

A caterpillar is the larva of any insect from the Lepidoptera order. The sizes of the caterpillars are different: it can be from a few millimeters to 15 cm. Touching some of them is life-threatening. They are poisonous.

The body of a caterpillar has a head, breast and abdomen. There are several pairs of limbs on the chest and abdomen. The whole body has several rings separated by grooves. Pulling up the rings, the caterpillar moves and moves its paws.

The caterpillar breathes through the stigma. There are several on the body. The head and chest are hard shelled. The rest of the body is soft, loose. The head is formed from several rings fused together. The shape of the head can be round, rectangular, core. The parietal parts can protrude forward and even form "horns".

The oral apparatus of caterpillars is highly developed. They can chew through any materials and get their own food with the help of external jaws. Inside there is an apparatus for chewing food with salivary glands. The eyes have a simple structure. There are several pairs of eyes on the head. Sometimes merged into one large eye. The entire body of the caterpillar is covered with hairs, scales, warts and other protrusions.

Types of caterpillars

• There are as many species of caterpillars as there are species of butterflies and other Lepidoptera.
• Cabbage butterfly caterpillar. It grows up to 3-4 cm. It has a yellow-green color with black spots on the back and long white hairs.
• Surveyor. It looks like a thin brown twig. The limbs are not developed, it moves with "loops".
• Big harpy. It reaches a size of 6 cm, has a green color. There is a purple spot on the back. There is a pink frame around the head. The limbs and horns on the body are striped black and white. When defending, it shoots out a caustic substance.
• Peacock-eyes. The largest representative Grows up to 12cm. has a blue-green color. Throughout the body, instead of hairs, there are outgrowths in the form of horns.
• Bear caterpillar. It is black and yellow in color and has tufts of hairs.
• Silk caterpillar. Any caterpillar can produce silk, but only the silkworm was domesticated by man several centuries ago. The caterpillar is called the silkworm. She has color white color with many blue warts. At the end of the cycle, it changes color to yellow. The caterpillar develops and lives for about a month. While pupating, it spins a cocoon of threads up to 1500 m long. Color can be white, pink, yellow, green. To obtain natural silk, the chrysalis is kept for a couple of hours at a temperature of 100C. This temperature makes it easier to unwind the cocoon and use silk in production.

poisonous caterpillars

Coloring allows you to distinguish a poisonous caterpillar from a “peaceful” caterpillar. The brighter the color. The more likely that the caterpillar is poisonous. Contact with it for a person can cause a tooth, redness of the skin, shortness of breath, various pains and develop diseases.

• Caterpillar coquette. Lives in Mexico. Very similar to a hamster. Fluffy brown beauty 2-3 cm long. contact may cause chest pain, shortness of breath.
• Saddle caterpillar. It has bright color: the back is a poisonous green color and a large brown spot in the middle. The head and the end of the abdomen are brown with thick horns. There are hard hairs on the body. At the ends of these hairs there is a strong poison.
• Lazy cleaver. Lives in Uruguay and Mozambique. The short length of the caterpillar is 3-4 cm. It has a black and white color with green tufts of hard milky-green hairs. Her poison can break nervous system cause bleeding of internal organs.
• Burning rose. The main color is yellow, has red and blue stripes. Thick horns have spikes with poison. Upon contact, the spikes break off, and a rash appears on the skin.

Caterpillar development

Its development can last very quickly, or it can drag on for several decades. Hatching from an egg, a caterpillar undergoes several stages. Some of them are accompanied by significant changes, molting and other metamorphoses. The caterpillar itself grows and reaches adult size.

Some species make several molts and change color. This is typical for silkworm caterpillars. At the end of their life span, they look for a place to pupate and prepare their home.

caterpillar stinging rose photo

Caterpillars molt, they are characterized by molting. Depending on the species, the caterpillar can molt from 2 to 40 times. Most often, during its life span, the caterpillar molts 4-5 times. The record holder for the number of molts is a mole. She can shed up to 40 times, with females doing it even more often.

Caterpillars - miners shed the least. Only 2 times. The reasons for molting may be the tightness of the already grown larvae in the old body. According to scientists, molting is accompanied by the fact that the respiratory system does not grow with the caterpillar and changes only with new "skin". In the head of the larva there is a pheromone, which gives signals to shed the skin.

Where do caterpillars live?

The limited mobility of the caterpillar does not allow them to move quickly and change their habitat. Most often, caterpillars live on the ground, leaves, plants. Some species live underwater. Depending on the lifestyle, secretive caterpillars and openly moving ones are distinguished. Hidden species include those who practically do not appear on the surface of the earth, but are located in the crust, underground.

They are divided into the following representatives:

• Listoverty. They live in the leaves of trees, making a tubular house.
• Carpophages. They live in the fruits of plants, berries.
• Xylophages. They live inside tree trunks, under the bark.
• Underground larvae live underground
• Water caterpillars live in water bodies.
• Miners. They live in roots, leaves, buds.
• Future butterflies lead an open lifestyle. They live where they feed: on the leaves of flowers, plants.

What do caterpillars eat?

Most caterpillars are vegetarians. They prefer plant leaves, roots, flowers. Some make their way to their treats and lay their eggs there. These pests include moths. She loves honey. At night, the moth sneaks into the hive and lays eggs in the combs. The hatched larvae devour wax and honey.

In general, the caterpillar is very voracious. To become a chrysalis, she must gain mass. An apple moth caterpillar can gobble up all the leaves on an apple tree and not “eat up”. If there are no other trees nearby, it pupates even when "hungry".

There is also exotic food depending on the species:

• The cork moth feeds on algae and fungus in wine barrels and vats of beer;
• Moth caterpillars live on the body of a sloth and eat its algae, which grow on wool;
• Fireflies eat the building material of ants - paper;
• Caterpillars of scoops and pigeons eat ants, while the ants love the juice that it produces and live together;
• Predatory caterpillars feed on small insects and other caterpillars.

Fighting caterpillars: means and methods

Caterpillars can harm a person's crop and devour his land. To save the crop, some control methods are used. Sometimes uses all in turn:

• Collection of caterpillars. Every day, collect colonies of caterpillars, destroy pupae and eggs.
• Chemicals. Industry and botanists create various formulations to preserve the crop and get rid of unwanted visitors. This way is good in the beginning. After the caterpillars get used to the drugs.
• In fields and large areas, birds do this work. They love to eat caterpillars. By building birdhouses, you can get rid of non-friends.
• Infusions of herbs and leaves. Tops of tomato, tobacco, chamomile, wormwood, herbs, potatoes have good efficiency.

• Man eats caterpillars throughout his existence. More than 20 species of caterpillars are consumed in food
• From the pupae of caterpillars of some species are prepared medicinal tinctures
• The Chinese use caterpillars infected with a special fungus in the treatment and Tibetan medicine
• The caterpillar blends in perfectly with environment
• All caterpillars produce silk during their lifetime.
• In the Arctic, the caterpillar lives up to 13 years, falling into hibernation before each winter.

The caterpillar takes its place in nature. Her life seems imperceptible and short. But without it, we never saw beautiful butterflies. Many species feed on caterpillars, especially birds. An unusual color allows her to disguise herself or warn the enemy about the threat.