How to control leaf roller moths? A full breakdown of practical methods

The leaf roller moth is an insect with a small adult body and broad forewings. Its larvae feed on plant leaves or bore into fruits to feed on them, and some roll leaves into tubes, spinning silk inside to make cocoons, harming fruit trees and other crops. It is commonly known as the leaf roller. It is distributed in Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi and other provinces, and its main host plants are osmanthus, tea, oak, camphor, citrus, persimmon, pear, peach and others.

Morphological characteristics

The female adult is 10 mm long with a wingspan of 23-30 mm, and its body is light brown. The antennae are filiform. The forewings are nearly rectangular and light brown, with dark brown wingtips; the wing surface is scattered with many dark brown fine lines, and some individuals have a dark brown diagonal transverse band in the middle; the scales on the inner margin of the wing base are relatively thick and extend beyond the wing. The hindwings are flesh-yellow and fan-shaped, with the color slightly darker along the front margin and outer margin, or mostly tea-brown. The male adult is 8 mm long with a wingspan of 19-23 mm. The forewings are yellowish-brown, with the center of the base and the wingtip deep brown; the center of the front margin has a blackish-brown round spot, and the base of the front margin has a deep brown nearly oval protrusion, part of which folds backward and covers the shoulder angle. The hindwings are light grayish-brown. The egg is 0.8-0.85 mm long, flat and oval, and light yellow. The mature larva is 18-26 mm long, with a yellow-green body and a yellowish-brown head; the pronotum is nearly semicircular and brown, with the posterior margin and both sides dark brown, and below each side there are 2 blackish-brown oval small horny spots; the thoracic legs are dark in color. The pupa is 11-13 mm long, dark brown, with a long anal spine bearing 8 hooked spines.

Identification characteristics

Leaf roller moths often occur in spring and summer, damaging wax begonias and the small leaves of rhizomatous begonias. The larvae of leaf roller moths bite and feed on new buds, tender leaves and flower buds, leaving only the epidermis in a net-like pattern, and causing leaves to roll lengthwise; they hide inside the leaves and continuously damage the plant, seriously affecting plant growth and flowering.

Control methods

1. Adult leaf roller moths have a strong tendency toward sugar and vinegar. During the day, the adults hide on the underside of leaves or in grass, and they are active at night. When only a small number occur, the rolled leaves can be removed by hand and the insects crushed to death.

2. During the larval stage of leaf roller moths, 75% phoxim 1000-fold solution can be sprayed to kill the larvae (best used at night), or 90% trichlorfon technical material 1000-fold solution can be sprayed to kill them.

3. During the adult stage of leaf roller moths, sugar-vinegar liquid can be used for trapping and killing. Prepare it with 5 parts sugar, 5 parts alcohol and 80 parts water, then put the sugar-vinegar liquid into a bottle and hang it around potted begonias.

4. Practical experience in leaf roller moth control has shown that dichlorvos cannot be used, because it causes phytotoxicity to cherry trees.