The vegetable owl not only hides a popular recipe for children's birthday parties, but also a harmful insect. Moths and caterpillars lead hidden lives, while their tracks are clear. With the right measures, you can fight the pests.

The caterpillars of the vegetable owls love to nibble on our vegetables

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. recognize vegetable owls
  3. Forage plants of the vegetable owl
  4. combat
  5. Prevent
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • The caterpillars of the vegetable owl are a pest that likes to eat vegetables
    • The insects are up to 4.5cm long, bright green, brown, gray or pink with broad yellowish or white lines down the sides
    • Vegetable owl caterpillars particularly like to eat tomatoes, lettuce, peas, cabbage, but also fruit such as currants, ornamental flowers such as cyclamen and even stinging nettles
    • Assassin bugs, Bacillus thuringiensis and neem oil are effective remedies against vegetable owls

    recognize vegetable owls

    Children love the vegetable owl, while amateur gardeners tend to fear them. The vegetable owl is an insect whose caterpillars prefer to attack tomatoes in the greenhouse. It is not uncommon for leaves to become pitted and fruits to show traces and legacies. If there is superficial damage, you can still process peppers and tomatoes. Thoroughly wash off traces of feces and remove damaged areas. In the vegetable owl, damaged vegetables are no longer noticeable and the children like the colorful creation with dip best.

    peak flight time particularities
    vegetable owl May to June ring and kidney shaped spots
    Changeable herb owl April to June, July to September clear wavy line, reaching into the wing fringes
    pea owl May to August indistinct W-marking, conspicuous v-spot

    features

    The vegetable owl is an inconspicuous moth

    Vegetable owls are among the moths that are widespread in Europe and can be observed twice a year when the weather conditions are ideal. They first appear between mid-May and late July. The next generation flies from early August to mid-September. Their wingspan is about four centimeters. The forewings of adult moths are brown-red in color, while the hindwings are light red in color. There are different color variations. Occasionally specimens with yellow-red or black-brown forewings can be observed.

    Samples and drawings:

    • indistinct transverse lines, some of which are missing
    • gray and reddish lines, ring or kidney shaped
    • white W drawing

    development

    Females lay their green colored eggs on suitable forage plants. The caterpillars hatch after about a week. The caterpillars molt five to six times between September and October. After 30 to 40 days, underground pupation occurs in a dark reddish-brown cocoon, in which the caterpillars overwinter. These caterpillars represent the first generation. Second generation caterpillars develop between August and September.

    caterpillars

    Like the adults, the voracious offspring are nocturnal and hide at the base of their food plants during the day. This makes the plant pests difficult to identify. Occasionally the caterpillars can be observed in an elongated position on the leaves during the day.

    Identify caterpillars:

    • Length up to 45 millimeters
    • variable body coloring: green, brown, gray or pink
    • fine white spots
    • broad, pale yellow to white line
    • yellowish to greenish brown head

    Forage plants of the vegetable owl

    The butterfly likes to come into the light and can be observed on various flowers. Preferred nectar donors include Canadian goldenrod, bindweed, common daphne or butterfly bush. The caterpillars feed on plant tissue. They do not specialize in any food type and eat both leaves and fruit. They often appear on tomatoes, peppers and lettuce.

    Food plants of the caterpillars:

    • vegetables: cabbage, peas
    • fruit bushes: currant, sloe
    • ornamental plants: cyclamen, common heather, small toadflax
    • weeds: dock, nettle
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    Fight vegetable owl

    The caterpillars of the vegetable owl cause great damage both in commercial vegetable cultivation and in private gardens. As a field pest, the species is of little importance because of the use of insecticides. When growing your own vegetables, you should avoid using chemicals and fight the pests biologically.

    Control of caterpillars by nematodes

    Roundworms are suitable for controlling pests that prefer to live in the soil and feed on plant roots. That is why they do not develop their full effect on the caterpillars of the vegetable owl. However, they can be used to reduce stock density. If the caterpillars attack root vegetables such as carrots, Steinernema carpocapsae nematodes can be a useful measure.

    Destroy moths with a pheromone trap

    The traps attract male moths with species-specific sex hormones. When attempting to land, these stick to the glued surface and can no longer escape. Although this measure prevents the males from mating, a heavy infestation by the vegetable owl cannot be eliminated with any pheromone trap. Such products are suitable for control and should only be used in the greenhouse.

    Natural enemies

    Assassin bugs eat herbivorous pests

    Assassin bugs are active hunters, lurking on flowers or crawling through vegetation and grabbing a variety of prey. Live insects can be bought in specialist shops. Release assassin bugs and larvae at different points in the greenhouse so the beneficial insects can start hunting immediately. Storage is possible but should be avoided. The longer you wait before applying, the more assassin bugs can die from lack of food.

    Proper storage:

    • no more than a day or two
    • at temperatures between eight and ten degrees Celsius
    • in the dark

    digression

    This is how assassin bugs hunt

    The insects have not specialized in any specific prey. They prey on arthropods and insects, which can also be much larger than themselves. Assassin bugs and their nymphs hold prey with their strong and sometimes hairy fangs. They insert their long proboscis into the prey to inject saliva. This paralyzes the prey and causes the internal organs to decompose. Assassin bugs only have to suck out the juice.

    neem oil

    Neem oil contains azadirachtin, which has an insecticidal effect. It is often advised that a few drops of neem oil can be added to the irrigation water. The plants should absorb the ingredients and transport them to the leaves. These taste bitter, so the caterpillars look for other food plants. Nothing is known about the effect of this method.

    However, neem oil is successfully used as a contact insecticide. If you spray the affected plants with a small dose of water and oil, the effect is deadly. Note, however, that products containing neem oil extract are legally recognized as an insecticide, with specific regulations governing their use in private gardens. The ingredient is non-selective and also harms beneficial insects.

    Products containing neem oil extracts are considered insecticides by law and should be used as directed.

    Bacillus thuringiensis

    The bacterium occurs naturally in the soil and often lives in the company of plant roots. It produces certain toxic substances that are fatal to some insects. These toxins are used to control harmful beetles, hymenopterans, dipterans and butterflies. The substances are ineffective in plants and vertebrates.

    This is how the bacterium works:

    • secrete proteins that attach to intestinal cells
    • these create pores in the cell wall
    • Intestinal cell is destroyed and organism dies

    tips

    There are different products for spraying. Note the information in the leaflet, because such agents are only approved for certain areas of application and plants.

    Prevent

    To prevent the pest from spreading, you should protect your plants from the voracious caterpillars. In general, mixed cultures help to keep pests in check in a natural way. There are enough beneficial insects here and many plants give off repulsive smells.

    Borago officinalis

    The smell of the beautiful Borago officinalis is said to deter vegetable owls

    Borage is a plant from the borage family, which is used in the kitchen as a spice or vegetable. Its blue flowers are rich in nectar and attract honey bees. The scent is supposed to have a deterrent effect on vegetable owls, so that female moths are prevented from laying their eggs. Put some plants between your tomatoes and watch how the butterflies behave.

    protective nets

    You should stretch protective nets over your vegetable plants so that the moths are efficiently prevented from laying their eggs. Check your plants regularly for pest infestation. Caterpillars can be collected by hand and placed on another forage plant in nature.

    tips

    Chickens are efficient pest controllers. They scratch in the ground and peck at the dormant caterpillars.

    frequently asked Questions

    How common are vegetable owls?

    The natural habitats of the vegetable owl include floodplains, swamp forests and valley floors. However, it is a cultural successor and widespread in Europe. The moths mainly colonize cultural landscapes such as parks, gardens or fallow land with suitable forage plants. They have not specialized in any particular plant, but feed on species from different genera. The caterpillars can often be observed on tomatoes and peppers.

    How do I recognize an infestation by the vegetable owl?

    The caterpillars feed on the soft leaf tissue. They leave feeding marks on the leaves and occasionally infest the fruit or roots of vegetable plants. During the day, the caterpillars hide at the base of the stem or bask in the sun stretched out on a leaf. Because of their green color, they are difficult to spot. When touched, they curl up.

    What can I do about a vegetable owl infestation?

    Protect your plants with close-meshed nets so that the female moths can no longer lay their eggs. If you find caterpillars, you should collect them and place them on an alternative food plant such as the stinging nettle. Products containing neem extracts should be used with care as they are not selective. Supportive measures for combating assassin bugs and nematodes or special bacteria.

    How to make an owl from vegetables?

    Tomatoes form the owl's body, which is filled with cucumber slices. Pepper strips use these as wings and beak. Mix cream cheese with garlic and mint and fill the dip into two equal containers. With an olive in the middle, the bowls act as eyes

Category:

Animals in the garden