What are the control methods for the box tree moth (Glyphodes perspectalis)?

Lepidoptera, Pyralidae (snout moths). It is one of the leaf-eating pests on hedge plants such as Japanese boxwood (Buxus microphylla) and Chinese boxwood (Buxus sinica). It mainly damages the top shoots and leaves of hedge plants, causing bare branches and leaves, greatly reducing their greening and ornamental value. In recent years, the damage has been increasing year by year across the country.

Distribution and damage: distributed in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Shaanxi, Qinghai, and Xizang; it damages boxwood (Buxus), Chinese boxwood, box-leaf euonymus (Buxus bodinieri), holly (Ilex), and winged euonymus (Euonymus). The larvae spin silk to bind leaves together into nests and feed on leaves and tender shoots, showing a particular preference for damaging new shoots and tender leaves, affecting tree growth. In severe cases, the entire tree's leaves are almost completely eaten, leaving only silk webs, remnant leaves, and fragments on the crown. In addition, because boxwood grows slowly and has poor regenerative capacity, it often withers and dies.

Morphological characteristics

1. Adult: body length 14 mm to 19 mm, wingspan 33 mm to 45 mm; head dark brown, scale hairs between the antennae on the top of the head white, antennae brown; thorax and abdomen light brown, thorax with brown scales, end of abdomen dark brown; wings white and semi-transparent, with purple iridescence, front wing costal margin brown, with two white spots in the median cell, one small, the other curved into a crescent shape, both the outer margin and the posterior margin with a brown band, hind wing outer margin dark brown.

2. Egg: oval, 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm long, white to milky white when newly laid, light brown before hatching.

3. Larva: when mature, body length 42 mm to 60 mm, head width 3.7 mm to 4.5 mm; milky white when newly hatched, head dark brown before pupation, trunk yellow-green, surface with glossy verrucae and sparse setae, pronotum with relatively large black spots, triangular, two patches; dorsal line green, subdorsal line and spiracular upper line dark brown, spiracular line light yellow-green, basal line and ventral line light blue-gray; thoracic legs dark yellow, abdominal legs light yellow-green.

4. Pupa: spindle-shaped, brown, 24 mm to 26 mm long, 6 mm to 8 mm wide; posterior end of abdomen with 6 anal spines, silk used to bind leaves into a cocoon, cocoon 25 mm to 27 mm long.

Occurrence pattern: in the Shandong region, 3 generations occur per year, with young larvae of the 3rd generation overwintering in cocoons inside leaf bracts. Damage begins in mid-April of the following year, then pupation and eclosion begin, and adults are first seen in early May. Adults mostly emerge in the evening, mate the next day, and lay eggs on the 2nd day after mating. Eggs are mostly laid on the underside of leaves or on branches, mostly in masses, a few singly, with 3 to 13 eggs per egg mass, and each female adult lays 123 to 219 eggs. Adults hide by day and come out at night, usually resting in shaded places during the day, quickly flying away when disturbed, and coming out at night to mate and lay eggs; they are phototactic. After hatching, the larvae disperse to seek tender leaves to feed on; newly hatched larvae feed on the leaf mesophyll on the underside of leaves. Larvae of the 2nd to 3rd instars spin silk to bind leaves and tender twigs into nests, feeding on leaves inside, causing notched damage. After the 3rd instar, the feeding range expands, food intake increases, and damage worsens; severely affected plants retain only silk webs, insect skins, and frass, with a small amount of remaining leaf edges and margins. After the 4th instar, they move to cause damage elsewhere, and when disturbed immediately hide in the nest; after maturity, they spin silk to bind leaves together to make a cocoon and pupate.

Control measures

1. In winter, remove dead branches and curled leaves, and collect overwintering cocoons for centralized destruction, which can effectively reduce the pest source for the following year.

2. Taking advantage of its nesting habit, promptly remove insect nests during the young larval stage of the 1st generation, and remove pupal cocoons during the pupation period, then destroy them centrally, which can reduce the damage in that year.

3. Use the phototaxis of adults for trapping and killing. During the adult occurrence period, set up black light lamps or frequency-vibration insect-killing lamps for trapping and killing.

4. Chemical control: the key periods for control are the emergence period of overwintering larvae and the young larval stage of the 1st generation. It can be controlled with 20% Mieshaoli emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, 2.5% Kungfu emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, 2.5% Decis emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, etc. Some low-toxicity, pollution-free pesticides and biological pesticides can also be used, such as avermectin, B.T. emulsion, etc.

5. Protect and utilize natural enemies: protect and utilize natural enemies such as the parasitic Eriborus wasp, encyrtid wasps, Beauveria bassiana, and parasitic flies, or rear them artificially and release them in concentrated occurrence areas, which can effectively control their occurrence and damage.