Pests & Agrotis Ipsilon (Black Cutworm)

wayhey

I'm hoping the green-fingered here can help me out

I'm a repeat 6th Year student doing an Agricultural Science project. Anyway I have to cover pests and harmful organisms to plants. I figured this'd be a great forum to help my project go the extra mile! Any that harm food crops are especially helpful but any at all are great. Anyone have any that are destroying their plants? Or do you know of any good sites for them?

I've found a pest called Agrotis Ipsilon, a moth with a black caterpillar that's harmful to plants. Wikipedia says its found all over the world but Google searching hasn't found it in anything mentioned with Ireland. It's hardly found here is it? It ties in nicely with Nematodes for my project so it'd be great if someone can tell me if it's actually a pest here!

Thanks very much, any help/pointers to pests is greatly appreciated!

Mothman

The common english name (vernacular name) for A. ipsilon is Dark Sword-grass.
It does not over winter in Ireland but is a common migrant recorded every year sometimes in high numbers.
http://www.mothsireland.com/species/2091.htm

The caterpillars are dark rather than black
It is very likely that there is breeding in Ireland during most years but I don't believe this has been documented. It is not a pest species in Ireland but I speculate that in favoured years with high immigration that there may be localised damage from larvae along southern coastal regions. These coastal ragions are the landing point for most migrant moth species.

There are other migrnat moth species that can be pests in certain years. Diamond-back moth on brassicas, Silver Y...seem to eat anything, Turnip moth are larvae known as "cutworms" and can be a pest on root plants though i've never heard of this being a big problem in ireland and Turnip moth is not recorded in large numbers.

Other pests that may be considered are Leatherjackets...larvae of Crane Fly (Daddy Longlegs) wireworms, larvae of Click Beetle, Wood Pidgeon love brassicas as well as grain. There are plenty of others....did I mention Slugs?...

wayhey

Thank you So if it doesn't "overwinter" here have I taken you up right that it flies over here but the larvae are never actually here? Thanks for the link, it'll be really helpful too.

Don't suppose you know of any other pests off the top of your head? Sure there probably aren't that many in Ireland... difficult to get ones others haven't got.

dardevle

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how about...http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1744-7348.1959.tb07280.x/abstract



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Mothman

wayhey wrote: »

Thank you So if it doesn't "overwinter" here have I taken you up right that it flies over here but the larvae are never actually here?

Not quite, like many migrant species of moths, they have time to complete a life cycle during the summer. Having said that this is speculation with regard to Dark Sword-grass because I haven't heard of caterpillars being recorded here.
There are many pest moth species of stored produce such as White-shouldered House Moth, Brown House Moth.

wayhey

Lads, ye've been a great help. Thanks a lot

maringo

vine weevil is an awful pest and eats the roots of plants, lots of photos on the web