Diamondback moth

• Homestead • Gardening • How to Start a Garden • Planting Zone Map • First & Last Frost Dates • Planting Calendar • Garden Size Calculator • Plant Growing Guides • Fertilizer Calculator • C/N Compost Calculator • Gardening Basics • Animals • Chickens • Beekeeping • Goats • DIY • More • Frugal Living • Food & Drinks • Home Decor • Survival & Prepping • Handmade Dealing with pests in the garden is something that no one wants to face, but it happens to all of us from time to time. Diamondback moths are pests that attack all plants in the cabbage family. The larvae do the most damage, eating through the leaves and potentially destroying your veggies. If you’re growing brassicas and you have some pest damage, you might have a diamondback moth problem. Here’s what you need to know. What is a Diamondback Moth? Diamondback moths ( Plutella xylostella) are night-flying moths that originated in Europe but migrated into the Americas, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in the mid-to-late 1850s. If you live somewhere that you can grow cabbages, these pests are sure to be around. Often compared to cabbage loopers, these moths lay eggs that hatch into larvae that can really damage your crops. Gardeners typically see the adult versions, which are small, slender, grayish-brown moths with long antennae. They don’t live too long; males live for 12 days, and females live for 16 days, on average. That’s enough time for these pests to lay eggs and start the lifecycle over again. Diamondback moth...

List • • Phalaena xylostella Linnaeus, 1758 • Phalaena tinea xylostella Linnaeus, 1758 • Cerostoma xylostella (Linnaeus, 1777) • Cerostoma maculipennis Curtis, 1832 • Plutella maculipennis • Plutella albovenosa (Walsingham, 1907) • Plutella karsholtella Baraniak, 2003 • Plutella cruciferarum Zeller, 1843 • Plutella brassicella Fitch, 1856 • Plutella limbipennella Clemens, 1860 • Plutella mollipedella Clemens, 1860 • Gelechia cicerella Rondani, 1876 • Tinea galeatella Mabille, 1888 • Plutella dubiosella Beutenmüller, 1889 • Plutella dudiosalla Moriuti, 1977 The diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella), sometimes called the cabbage moth, is a moth species of the family The moth has a short life cycle (14 days at 25°C), is highly Originally, Description [ ] This small moth is colored gray and brown. It can potentially identified by a cream-colored band that may be present in the shape of a diamond on its back. The adults of this species are visually identical to the adults of the New Zealand endemic moth Geographic range [ ] The diamondback moth has a global distribution and is found in Europe, Parental care [ ] Oviposition [ ] Diamondback moths prefer the cabbage plant, from the plant species Female diamondback moths use both Host plant learning and selection for egg laying [ ] Host plants [ ] Host plant selection is crucial because diamondbacks spend the majority of their life near their host plant. These include • • • • • • • • • • • Several wild species in the family also ...

Diamondback Moths damage brassica and cole crops. Diamondback moth larvae are small, slender, green caterpillars. Full-grown larvae are about 3/8 inch long. Adult moths are dark brownish-gray and very slender. When the moth is resting with its wings held together, if viewed from above the light gray markings on the wings look like three diamonds along the midline of the back. The moth's wingspan is about 1/2 inch. Damage Caused by Diamondback Moths Caterpillars usually feed on the undersides of leaves of plants in the cabbage family. Larvae eat one leaf surface and inside of the leaf, leaving the other surface intact. This "window-pane" damage is very characteristic. They may wiggle vigorously and drop from plants when disturbed. Life Cycle of the Diamondback Moth Diamondback moths overwinter in Illinois as adult moth, though the percentage that survive is low in normal to severe winters. Eggs, larvae, and pupae may be introduced on transplants shipped in from southern regions, and northward migration of moths during the season also can extend its range. • Flat, yellowish eggs are laid singly or in small groups, often near leaf veins or on stems, but they usually go unnoticed. Larvae initially mine between leaf surfaces, then they feed externally, often consuming all but the upper or lower epidermis. • They pupate within a light silken cocoon on a leaf, and the adult moth emerges a week or so later. Each generation takes 3 to 4 weeks for growth and development, and there c...

Host Plants: In the garden: Stocks, wallflowers and other ornamental brassicas On Crops: All members of the cabbage family including cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, collards Where Found: Worldwide in temperate climates Description: The diamondback moth is also called the cabbage moth, because it lays its eggs almost exclusively on cabbage family crops. Starting in spring, the moths lay eggs that hatch into tiny green caterpillars with forked tails, often in large numbers. They do not have the velvety skin texture of cabbage worms, which are a different pest. The caterpillars are less than ½ inch long with whitish heads and feet. Damage: The larvae rasp holes in plant leaves that gradually enlarge to give the leaves a windowpane appearance. The caterpillars are found mostly on leaf undersides. Preventing Problems: In areas where cabbage moth is a chronic pest, try making a small planting of cress each spring, and let the bugs have it. The adult moths will lay their eggs there rather than on your garden plants, and you can chop up the cress and compost it when it is loaded with larvae. Many gardeners also use protective row covers to exclude this and other pests from cabbage family crops. Managing Outbreaks: Diamondback moths have become resistant to most pesticides, including Bt. Hand picking is a better option, and can make a big impact when you check your plants every day. Beneficial insects including many types of wasps and hornets harvest large numbers of immature ...

Platella zylostella Diamondback moth is a pest of all brassica crops and is present throughout the growing season. Diamondback moth feeds on all plant foliage, rather than concentrating its feeding in the head like imported cabbageworm. Identification: Diamondback moth (DBM) adults are the smallest of the brassica lepidopteran pests (<1/2 inch), light brown with a yellow diamond-shaped marking, and rest with their wings folded together like a tent. Historically DBM did not overwinter in the Northeast, but caterpillars have been reported by May in recent years, suggesting that they may be overwintering in high tunnels or other warm spots. Regardless, this pest also blows in every year from warmer areas to our south. Adults are weak fliers, but populations are known to disperse long distances on wind and annually reinvade areas well into Canada. Eggs are laid singly or in small clusters. Caterpillars go through four instars and are small (< ½ inch when fully grown), light green, and appear segmented, with a forked end and pointed shape. When disturbed they wiggle vigorously and may drop off the plant on a string of silk. Feeding causes small, round holes that don’t break through the top layer of leaf tissue, leaving translucent films across holes, called “windowpane” damage. Feeding tends to be spread across the foliage and not necessarily concentrated in the head. Monitoring & Thresholds: Scout fields by checking leaves (underside) on 25 plants across the field. In the Nort...