Do moths bite? Insect bites (photos), who bites us on the street. What do moths eat?

The millions of species of insects that live on earth today play a vital role in our planet's ecosystem. Although most of them are safe, some can cause a lot of trouble for a person, and some can be poisonous and even deadly. From common ants and flies to more exotic beetles, here's a list of the 25 most dangerous insects in the world.

1. Termites

Termites do not pose a direct danger to humans; they play an important role for environment Moreover, in some cultures they are even eaten. But at the same time, baby termites can cause enormous damage to infrastructure, sometimes making houses completely uninhabitable.

2. Lice

3. Black-legged tick

Each year, the black-legged tick infects thousands of people with Lyme disease, which begins with a rash around the bite that resembles a bull's eye. Early symptoms of this disease include headache and fever. WITH further development illness, the victim begins to suffer from problems with the cardiovascular system. Few people die from these bites, but the effects can last for years after an unpleasant tick encounter.

4. Nomadic ants

The first creature on our list that is dangerous in the literal sense of the word is stray ants, known for their predatory aggression. Unlike other ant species, roving ants do not build their own permanent anthills. Instead, they create colonies that migrate from one place to another. These predators constantly move throughout the day, hunting insects and small vertebrates. In fact, the entire combined colony can kill more than half a million insects and small animals in one day.

5. Wasp

Most wasps pose little direct danger, but certain varieties, such as the German wasp North America, reach large sizes and can be incredibly aggressive. If they sense danger or notice an invasion of their territory, they can sting repeatedly and very painfully. They will mark their aggressors and in some cases chase them.

6. Black Widow

Although the sting of a female black widow spider can be very dangerous to humans due to the neurotoxins released during the bite, if necessary medical attention is provided promptly, the consequences of the bite will be limited to only some pain. Unfortunately, isolated cases of death from a black widow bite still occurred.

7. Hairy Caterpillar Coquette Moth

Megalopyge opercularis moth caterpillars look cute and furry, but don't be fooled by their cartoonish appearance: they are extremely poisonous.

Usually people believe that it is the hairs themselves that sting, but in reality the poison is released through the spines hidden in this “fur”. The spines are extremely brittle and remain in the skin after touching. The poison causes a burning sensation around the affected area, headache, dizziness, vomiting, sharp abdominal pain, damage to the lymph nodes and sometimes respiratory arrest.

8. Cockroaches

The cockroach is known as a carrier of many diseases dangerous to humans. Main danger life together with cockroaches is that they get into toilets, garbage cans and other places where bacteria accumulate, and as a result, they are their carriers. Cockroaches can cause many diseases: from worms and dysentery to tuberculosis and typhoid. Cockroaches can carry fungi, single-celled organisms, bacteria and viruses. And here's a fun fact - they can live for months without food or water.

10. Bed bugs

A person does not directly feel the bite itself, since the bedbug’s saliva contains an anesthetic substance. If the bug is unable to get to the blood capillary the first time, it can bite a person several times. Severe itching begins at the site of the bug bite, and a blister may also appear. Occasionally, people experience a severe allergic reaction to a bug bite. Fortunately, 70 percent of people experience little to no effects from them.

Bedbugs are household insects and do not belong to the group of vectors infectious diseases, however, in their body they can retain pathogens that transmit infections through the blood for a long time, for example viral hepatitis B, causative agents of plague, tularemia, and Q-fever can also persist. They cause the greatest harm to people with their bites, depriving a person of normal rest and sleep, which can subsequently negatively affect moral health and performance.

11. Human gadfly

12. Centipede

The centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is an insect also called the flycatcher, which supposedly appeared in the Mediterranean. Although other sources talk about Mexico. The centipede has become very common throughout the world. Although these insects are unattractive to look at, they generally do a useful job as they eat other pests and even spiders. True, with entomophobia (fear of insects) such an argument will not help. People usually kill them because of their unpleasant appearance, although in some southern countries centipedes are even protected.

The flycatcher is a predator; they inject poison into the prey and then kill it. Flycatchers often settle in apartments without causing damage to food or furniture. They love moisture; centipedes can often be found in basements, under bathtubs, and in toilets. Flycatchers live from 3 to 7 years; newborns have only 4 pairs of legs, increasing them by one with each new molt.

Typically, a bite from such an insect is not alarming to humans, although it may be comparable to a minor bee sting. For some it may even be painful, but usually it is limited to tears. Of course, centipedes are not the insects that are responsible for thousands of deaths, but many of us would be surprised to learn that someone dies from these bites every year. The point is that it is possible allergic reaction to insect venom, but this still happens extremely rarely.

13. Black Scorpion

Even though scorpions do not belong to insects, since they belong to the order of arthropods from the class of arachnids, we still included them in this list, especially since black scorpions are the most dangerous species Scorpios. Most of them live in South Africa, and are especially common in desert areas. Black scorpions are distinguished from other species by their thick tails and thin legs. Black scorpions sting by injecting their victim with venom, which can cause pain, paralysis and even death.

14. Predator

15. Bullet Ant

Paraponera clavata - a species of large tropical ants from the genus Paraponera Smith and the subfamily Paraponerinae (Formicidae), which have a strong sting. This ant is called a bullet because victims of its bite compare it to being shot from a pistol.

A person bitten by such an ant may feel throbbing and constant pain for 24 hours after the bite. Some local Indian tribes (Satere-Mawe, Maue, Brazil) use these ants in very painful rites of initiation of boys to adulthood (which leads to temporary paralysis and even blackening of the stung fingers). During the study chemical composition poison, a paralyzing neurotoxin (peptide) called poneratoxin was isolated from it.

16. Brazilian wandering spider

Also known as Phoneutria, Brazilian wandering spiders are venomous creatures that live in tropical South America and Central America. In the 2010 Guinness Book of Records, this type of spider was named the most poisonous spider in the world.

Spider venom of this kind contains a powerful neurotoxin known as PhTx3. In lethal concentrations, this neurotoxin causes loss of muscle control and breathing problems, leading to paralysis and eventual suffocation. The bite is of average pain, the venom causes immediate infection of the lymphatic system, entering the bloodstream in 85% of cases leads to heart failure. Patients feel wild rigor during life; in men, priapism sometimes occurs. There is an antidote that is used on par with antibiotics, but due to the severity of the damage to the body from the poison, the detoxification procedure is effectively equal to the victim's chance of survival.

17. Malaria mosquito

18. Rat fleas

19. African honey bee

African bees (also known as killer bees) are descendants of bees brought from Africa to Brazil in the 1950s in an attempt to improve that country's honey production. Some African queens have begun to interbreed with native European bees. The resulting hybrids moved north and are still found in Southern California.

African bees look the same and in most cases behave similarly to the European bees that currently live in the United States. They can only be detected by DNA analysis. Their stings are also no different from the sting of an ordinary bee. One very important difference between the two species is the defensive behavior of African bees, which is exhibited when defending their nest. In some attacks in South America, African bees have killed livestock and people. This behavior has earned AMPs the nickname “killer bees.”

Additionally, this type of bee is known for behaving like an invader. Swarms of them attack the hives of the common honey bee, invading them and installing their queen. They attack in large colonies and are ready to destroy anyone who encroaches on their queen.

20. Fleas

Although not generally perceived as dangerous, fleas transmit numerous diseases between animals and people. Throughout history, they have contributed to the spread of many diseases, such as the bubonic plague.

21. Fire ants

Fire ants are several related ants from the Solenopsis saevissima species-group of the genus Solenopsis, which have a strong sting and poison, the effect of which is similar to a burn from a flame (hence their name). More commonly, this name refers to the invasive red fire ant, which has spread throughout the world. There are known cases of a person being stung by one ant with serious consequences, anaphylactic shock, even death.

22. Brown recluse spider

The second spider on our list, the brown recluse, does not release neurotoxins like the black widow. Its bite destroys tissue and can cause damage that can take months to heal.

The bite very often goes unnoticed, but in most cases the sensations are similar to those of a needle prick. Then within 2-8 hours the pain makes itself felt. Further, the situation develops depending on the amount of poison that enters the blood. The venom of the brown recluse spider has a hemolytic effect, which means it causes necrosis and tissue destruction. The bite can be fatal for small children, elderly and sick people.

23. Siafu Ants

Siafu (Dorylus) - these nomadic ants mainly live in East and Central Africa, but are also found in tropical Asia. The insects live in colonies that can number up to 20 million individuals, all of them blind. They make their journeys with the help of pheromones. The colony does not have a permanent place of residence, wandering from place to place. During the movement to feed the larvae, insects attack all invertebrate animals.

Among such ants there is a special group - soldiers. They are the ones who can sting, for which they use their hook-shaped jaws, and the size of such individuals reaches 13 mm. Soldiers' jaws are so strong that in some places in Africa they are even used to secure stitches. The wound may remain closed for as long as 4 days. Usually, after a Siafu bite, the consequences are minimal; you don’t even need to call a doctor. True, it is believed that young and elderly people are especially sensitive to the bites of such ants, and deaths from complications after contact have been observed. As a result, every year, according to statistics, from 20 to 50 people die from these insects. This is facilitated by their aggressiveness, especially when defending their colony, which a person can accidentally attack.

24. Giant Asian bumblebee

Many of us have seen bumblebees - they seem quite small, and there is no particular reason to be afraid of them. Now imagine a bumblebee that grew up as if on steroids, or just look at the Asian giant. These hornets are the largest in the world - their length can reach 5 cm, and their wingspan is 7.5 centimeters. The sting length of such insects can be up to 6 mm, but neither a bee nor a wasp can compare with such a bite; bumblebees can also sting repeatedly. Such dangerous insects cannot be found in Europe or the USA, but when traveling through East Asia and the mountains of Japan, you can encounter them. To understand the consequences of a bite, it is enough to listen to eyewitnesses. They compare the sensation of a bumblebee sting to a hot nail driven into the leg.

The sting venom has 8 different compounds that cause discomfort by damaging soft tissues and creating an odor that can attract more bumblebees to the victim. People who are allergic to bees can die from a reaction, but there have been cases of death due to the mandorotoxin venom, which can be dangerous if it gets deep enough into the body. It is believed that about 70 people die from such bites every year. It is curious, but the sting is not the main hunting weapon of bumblebees - they crush their enemies with their large jaws.

25. Tsetse fly

The tsetse fly lives in tropical and subtropical Africa, having chosen the Kalahari and Sahara deserts. Flies are carriers of trypanosomiasis, which causes sleeping sickness in animals and humans. Tsetse are anatomically very similar to their common relatives - they can be distinguished by the proboscis on the front of the head and the special manner in which the wings are folded. It is the proboscis that allows them to obtain the main food - the blood of wild mammals in Africa. On this continent there are 21 species of such flies, which can reach from 9 to 14 mm in length.

You should not consider flies so harmless to humans, because they actually kill people, doing this quite often. It is believed that in Africa, up to 500 thousand people are infected with sleeping sickness, transmitted by this particular insect. The disease disrupts the activity of the endocrine and cardiac systems. Then gets amazed nervous system, causing confusion and sleep disturbance. Attacks of fatigue give way to hyperactivity.

The last major epidemic was recorded in Uganda in 2008; in general, the disease is on the WHO list of forgotten ones. However, in Uganda alone, 200 thousand people have died from sleeping sickness over the past 6 years. This disease is believed to be largely responsible for the worsening economic situation in Africa. It is curious that flies attack any warm object, even a car, but they do not attack a zebra, considering it just a flash of stripes. Tsetse flies also saved Africa from soil erosion and overgrazing caused by cattle.

Man came up with different methods to combat these insects. In the 1930s, all wild pigs were exterminated on the West Coast, but this only lasted for 20 years. Now they are fighting by shooting wild animals, cutting down bushes and treating male flies with radiation in order to deprive them of the opportunity to reproduce.

***
A woman was smoking near the glass window of a restaurant. The glass was polished until it was transparent, creating the illusion of its absence. It seemed that green bushes in tubs were standing right on the street... and people without fur coats were drinking coffee and eating something right there too... just winter - ending and some strange time beginning, in which there are no seasons and no weather .
Under the heels slid wet, settled and became a weapon compacted by the feet. mass destruction snow. The tiles of the territory related to the shining tavern began in a step, but from them the table she was interested in was not visible. A woman watched a man having lunch, immersed in his smartphone.
Finally, she got tired of this activity, and besides, the cigarette stick ran out, finally releasing the aroma of a melted filter into the air. She tossed the cigarette butt out of the trash can and quickly walked through the turning doors. She hated restaurants with picture windows unless they were tinted.
***
- Turn to the metro, stop there, then I’ll walk.
- And what’s it like here after the center?
- Fine. There is a normal supermarket here.
- Is the apartment at least decent?
- Well, it's hard to say. I don’t live here, I stay sometimes when visiting...
The man grinned and turned the steering wheel, parking. He did not have what distinguishes drivers from nature; he had been behind the wheel since childhood, but never found unity with the car; it always remained a means of transportation that had to be carefully controlled.
- Well... thanks for the coffee, for the company... happy holidays, future and past, I was glad to see you.
- Wait, flowers? Aren't you going to take them?
- No. Don't want.
- Will he get jealous?
- Who? Everything is simpler sometimes... or more complicated.
The woman looked at the barbarically magnificent scarlet bouquet lying behind her, without tasteless decorations, simply tied with a ribbon... A satin ribbon.
- Come back. Let's try somehow... It shouldn't have gone this way, this isn't how everything should have happened.
- Conversation between a blind person and a deaf person. Or two blind and deaf at the same time. If only you had gotten a little carried away earlier... with your “overheated” attitude... I can’t do it now. And I won’t be able to for a long time... Although, maybe in ten years? – she laughed.
- Will you still clearly explain what yours means - I can’t? Can't or don't want to? Or persuade me, I’m not like that, I’ll wait for the tram? I won't apologize forever.
- You have nothing to apologize for. He made the decision himself, explained everything himself, did it himself. Now you're backing away. Getting excited is when they slam the door and go away to cool off, not when they spend an hour explaining what’s wrong and why, and then things get put together.
- Take the flowers. You love it.
- I love. "Tavegil" and "Suprastin". I love it very much.
- What do pills have to do with it?
- I'm allergic to red roses. For a specific variety. The one at the back. Or have you decided that the spots on my face, watery eyes and nose in a napkin are a manifestation of my restless feelings?
- Damn... I forgot.
- I guessed.
***
The lock clicked quietly, closing her off from the gray and generally...hostile to everything good peace. The hot air of the apartment filled with heaters filled the nostrils, turning the icy house into an African savannah. She sneezed from the sudden warmth, especially noticeable after the cold entrance, wrinkled her nose, catching the smell of Givenchy, cigarette smoke and whiskey... her nose was already unaccustomed to whiskey, she sneezed again and began to take off her cold boots.
***
He stood at the window, looking at something through the glass and smoking, running his fingers along the rim of a glass of whiskey, stopping, tapping it, and circling it again. She glanced over the back, over the shoulders, hidden behind the gray wool of the jumper... something achingly hot spread in the spine, echoing with a spasm in the throat... so she wanted to press against her own back, hide her nose in the thin wool of the jumper that smelled of cigarettes and perfume... and stand there like that long, long, quiet, quiet. She quietly placed her purse with the computer on the table, tiptoed up to him and hugged him affectionately, sliding her fingers over his chest, pressing her cheek to the hot fabric that bit his skin a little, and playfully bit his back through his jumper.
He left the cigarette in the clogged ashtray, without extinguishing it, and covered her fingers with his hot palm. His heart could hardly be felt... it beat so quietly and slowly that she felt uncomfortable and she inquiringly rubbed her nose against it, sneezing quietly.
- I... imagined that I lost you. Again...as the pictures represent. What now again... I ruined everything, and why are you angry... what is your fault... I couldn’t imagine, I couldn’t understand. Am I too much for you? Strangled?
The cigarette burned down and the filter quietly slid down to a pile of the same ones, resting in the hills and mounds of ash, abandoned and forgotten, unnecessary and quietly decaying cigarettes. She sighed and pressed herself closer to him.
Once upon a time there would have been a lot... but how to say? What words to choose... Once upon a time, not now. Now...it just is. Can there be a lot of life? Or is it not enough? Air, water, light? It can’t...it can only seem like a lot. You want to catch your breath... but you find yourself in a vacuum and really suffocate... and you fly back to the air, light and warmth... to him.
- I probably need to tell you somehow... I don’t want to, that is, I want to... I don’t know how. My vocabulary...is insufficient. Especially now…
She still tried to say something, but was already drowned in a sharp and very tender, painfully long kiss, the kind after which her teeth hurt and her gums tighten... and her lips seek continuation, starting to bleed, but without feeling the pain itself... only her sweetness.
The phone on the table rang, simultaneously vibrating and crawled to the edge, hovered for a moment, continuing to ring, and fell onto the orange rug. She pulled away with difficulty breaking the lips that had merged with him and quietly slid onto the sofa, without raising her eyes. He shook himself, as if after a stupor, took a step towards the table, just as without looking at her, as she did at him, he raised the intrusive device and answered.
She smiled at the ashtray, pulled her purse towards her, took out her computer and tapped the keys... the letters formed poems, but not about him. There were no such letters and words about him...
***
He carefully lowered her onto her back, so touchingly caringly, as if in his trembling fingers there was not a woman made of meat and bones, but something ephemeral, airy... a cloud or light... that could disappear from a careless movement.
She straightened his tangled hair, wet with sweat, sticking to his face, without looking away from those familiar eyes sparkling with mischievous devils, in which all the vastness of the calm and warm ocean splashed...
- Tell me, my star... nothing will happen again? – he grabbed her wrist with his lips and, very affectionately touching her palm, quietly let go of her hand, although she was in no hurry to take it away.
-Are you...worried? – she smiled, - or... are you jealous?
- Worried. I don't want to be left without you. I don’t want to lose... neither for a while, nor for eternity... I never wanted to, but now... especially now.
He leaned towards her, looking carefully into the eyes that he liked so much, and traced with his fingers the contour of her face, the line of her bitten lips, her chin...
- How beautiful you are... aren’t you cold?
She smiled.
-Have you noticed that there is an African heat in the house? And with you...with you I never needed extra heaters...it’s cold without you. Why don't you smoke?
- You don’t need to breathe in smoke again... if you want to, then let’s go to the kitchen, there’s an extractor hood there.
She looked at him thoughtfully, collecting her thoughts... she wanted to ask, but the thought slipped away, running like a spark along the very edge of her consciousness...
- My sun, but... tell me... you, you always let go... just like that. I often want to understand... you don’t care, do you really... care that much about decisions that aren’t yours? Or what? Why?
He raised his eyebrows just like she always did.
- Suddenly... - he sighed and, without taking his eyes off, bent down and quickly touched the bridge of her nose with his lips, - don’t wrinkle your nose, my capricious, serious deity...
She smiled.
- I got promoted? Am I no longer a star?
- Why so categorical? What are these extremes? – his eyes laughed, and she hit him with a small pillow, defiantly portraying an offended grimace, “a capricious, serious and very warlike deity... why are you fighting?
She couldn’t stand it and laughed, looking at his gentle smile, which took everything around so far away... leaving only boundless happiness, which was the only important thing...
-You don’t want to answer, so I fight... this is... torture. Interrogation with predilection.
“You won’t like what I say,” he became serious for a moment, but then smiled again.
- You don’t need to think for me... you don’t know what I’ll like.
- Is it true? – his eyes laughed again.
- Oh no. Not true. Only now I’ll come up with an answer for myself... and then you’ll have to deal with my conclusions.
- My star, and this is blackmail.
- Sorry. What can you say? I often think about this... that you essentially don’t care. I can only be near you when I want. If you want, be it, if you want, don’t be... If a person decides to hang himself, you bring rope and soap, help secure the noose and knock out the chair. After all, a person wants it that way, so why bother?
He looked at her with a sparkle of laughter in the corners of his seemingly serious eyes.
- Not certainly in that way. I care, and now no more than ever... but I don't want a part. I’m not satisfied with part of you... I don’t even want to share you with the sofa... I need all of you, to be more precise... I want your freedom, inner freedom, which you not only love... it is your essence. And this...cannot be achieved by putting him on a leash. Just letting go. You know... I believe that someday it will be like this... someday you will not get bored in the fairy-tale world that I will give you. Let it be for a moment... let it be for eternity... but it will only be like this.
She looked thoughtfully into his eyes...
- Maybe it will be so... after all, my heart has been beating in your chest for a very long time, and not in mine... but then I won’t be interesting. And you will get bored...
- Pain... not even just pain that squeezes the throat from the inside... some kind of dull despair - a part that we have already lived through. Now...it’s not like that and we’re both not the same. Not interesting... isn’t illness sometimes interesting? You are my drug... my diagnosis, my adrenaline... even when you are not there... but especially when you are... so... how to express it more clearly - submissive, probably.
- Do you want to say that in any battle, after enjoying the process, the rapture of victory should come? Then...why do the triumphant people go to a new war?
- Maybe so... maybe intoxication. I don't think that far... I just believe it.
- Don’t forget... besides the pink world that you create for us... there is a real world, where you are not a draft, where you are needed... and somewhere there is another world in which I am needed... for now.
She laughed quietly.
- I wonder... how many more times will I get into something... and will you save me? I...you know, I’m often ashamed...of myself, for some petty nagging, biting, evil words...I don’t want to...but somehow it just rushes on its own...
He smiled and traced her lips with his fingers.
- My star... do you know that moths can bite? If you catch a night moth in your palm in front of a lamp, it begins to flutter hysterically, and then sits down and bites into the skin, just like a mosquito... but much more painful. The one who catches it reflexively opens his palms and the moth flies away. And a blister remains on the hand for a long time, like after a horsefly bite... it hurts very much, itches... it doesn’t let you get distracted for a second, it’s worse than a toothache... These are the moths.
She looked at him carefully, stretched and sat up.
- It's no use trying to save moths, right?
- No. They don’t break on the lamp and don’t burn...they don’t even burn their paws or wings...if you catch them in time. Do you want to go home?
- Yes. Only... I didn’t know... how to say it... so as not to bite.
He smiled.
- Bite, I'm used to it.
She laughed and hit him with a pillow.
***
A large black car rushed along the lights of a huge cold city, hurrying to dive into the darkness of a snow-covered dark road and slide along a thin layer of ice covering the asphalt, almost flying above it... carrying somewhere forward, into the blue winter night, a small sea of snow-white flowers.

How are moths different from butterflies? If you don’t go into entomological details, nocturnal lifestyle, habits, some structural features... And signs that are written about both. Let's try to put together the main beliefs about night beauties.

Fortune telling by color

Superstitious people are biased towards moths. As, indeed, with many creatures leading night image life. We often hear a categorical opinion: they say, you need to try by hook or by crook to prevent an insect from appearing in the house, and if it breaks through into an unattended crevice, prepare for the worst. The least that a winged guest can bring upon the minds of the careless inhabitants of the apartment is a serious illness, or even death. One legend even claims that three night moths together are capable of carrying away a person’s soul.

However, most omens are not so merciless. In order not to torment yourself with empty fears, listen to the advice of “experienced” lovers of mysticism and try to examine the wings of the insect that visited you. What color predominates on them?

Black is indeed a bad sign, foreshadowing danger. And the larger the size of the “goth” butterfly, the more serious the problems it predicts.
Gray and brown are also not the best the best option. Nothing bad will happen to the owners of the house, but minor health problems are possible.
Another matter White color. It is associated exclusively with positive predictions. For lonely people, a white-winged moth portends a meeting with love. For those who have already found their soulmate, but did not have time to formalize the relationship, a walk to the registry office. For married women, a white moth promises pregnancy.
Pink and red shades are a sign of a whirlwind romance.
Orange and yellow colors speak of money.

The most common signs about moths

Or maybe the insect was attracted to you not by the finger of fate, but simply by a burning light bulb?

Not all signs are based on the color of thin wings. Others advise watching how the night guest will behave. Will it circle over a person? Will it sit on your arm or shoulder? Would he prefer to rest somewhere on the furniture?

If a night guest flew into the apartment

Great news! Nowadays, a moth circling the ceiling scares few people. Many are inclined to consider his appearance a promise of quick family happiness. The color of the wings in this case signifies the character of the future spouse. Black predicts a calm and slightly melancholic person as a life partner, white - kind and positive, and red and yellow - cheerful but jealous.

Signs of a later period claim that a butterfly or moth in the office of a company predicts a wide streak of luck and an improvement in financial situation. If your visitor dances in your office or above your workplace - for example, at the computer - you can count on success in business. Why not?

Sat on the wall or furniture

Have you seen a moth perched on a wall, bed or chair? Urgently put things in order in the house so that guests don’t take you by surprise. It is believed that moths more often predict the appearance of relatives, albeit distant ones. But this is not the main thing, as long as the meeting brings you pleasant emotions. And this is exactly what the winged soothsayer predicts.

The nature of the prediction may vary depending on how the insect entered the house. If through the door - to the guests, through the window - to the wedding.

How to get rid of an uninvited visitor?

Some individuals can scare you with their size!

In folk tradition, butterflies, and especially night moths, were considered the embodiment of human souls. Sometimes restless, forced to rush randomly from house to house. Sometimes - bright and loving ones who came to visit relatives. It was strictly forbidden to treat night guests rudely, much less kill them! The moth had to be carefully caught and released with honor, or the window should be opened wider and the light in the room should be turned off so that the burning light bulb would not attract insects. If you have some secret, but very strong desire, carefully cover the moth with your palm and whisper your dream to it before releasing the handsome man into the night sky. Our ancestors believed that what the night moth wished for would definitely come true.

What does a moth warn about when it lands on a person?

If an insect persistently circles above you, does not fly away, but does not land, it wants to tell you about the news.
A moth resting on the right shoulder promises pleasant communication, a meeting with an interesting person or a visit from friends.
A moth on the left shoulder warns of a collision with an enemy. Be fully prepared.

If a butterfly flutters overhead married woman, you should run to the pharmacy for a test. Whatever color the guest’s wings are, this is a sign of pregnancy.

Other signs

In Ireland and Scotland, a moth hovering over a dying person is considered a sign that a place in heaven has already been prepared for him.
If an insect circles over a candle or light bulb in an aerial dance, it no longer predicts a wedding, but has practically begun to celebrate it! All that remains is to wait for the marriage proposal.
Some people tend to panic when they notice a moth perched on an icon. Don't worry: there are no signs about this. And if the worm of doubt still gnaws at your soul, remember that butterflies were often depicted on icons as a symbol of rebirth. Maybe it’s time for you to stop being tormented by doubts and put in order some part of your life that has recently fallen into disrepair?

Over time, beliefs change. Those that frightened our ancestors evoke delight and joyful expectations among our contemporaries. Why don’t you learn to interpret for the better every incomprehensible sign? Life will become more fun, and good events will begin to happen more often.

A moth is an insect belonging to a species characterized by a wealth of species diversity. They differ in that they lead active life mainly at night or at dusk. These insects differ from daytime insects in structure, having a longer body, and coloring - which is not as bright and colorful as those of sunlight lovers.

Appearance and structure of butterflies

Moths are called moths with different antennae, which is associated with the anatomical structure of the antennae, which look like feathers or threads.

What does it look like moth? Its body, like that of other species of this order of insects, has three sections, abdomen, sternum and head. The latter of butterflies does not differ in size; it is decorated with eyes and large antennae. There are 2 pairs of wings on the insect's chest, and its body is covered with tiny scales and hairs.

The oral apparatus has some features:

the proboscis, with the help of which the insect takes food, is presented in the form of a flat spiral that folds and unfolds and opens directly into the larynx;
when the proboscis is not required, it is twisted and hidden under the scales covering the butterfly's head;
when expanded, the proboscis is ideally suited for absorbing liquids;
adult individuals have jaws (similar ones can be seen in caterpillars and other types of insects), allowing them to chew through the necessary objects.

As for the wings, they practically do not differ from those found on daytime individuals. Night beauties have 2 pairs of wings, which are quite densely dotted with tiny hairs, as well as scales that form clusters of hairs.

The structure of the wings may differ among different subspecies:

a butterfly may not have wings at all (this is passed on by insects from generation to generation and is an evolutionary manifestation);
have a wide wing surface;
have very narrow wings, almost linear.

The flight that a butterfly can demonstrate depends on the structure of its wings. For example, male mothfish are excellent flyers who dive superbly in the night sky. And their females can be either with or without wings.

On the other side, there are known species of moths that have wings of a standard size and shape that do not allow the insect to fly (for example, the silkworm). The best thing aircraft developed in a night butterfly - a subspecies of hawk moth, whose narrow wings have a high frequency of flapping, allowing them to fly quickly and hover in the air for a while, as hummingbirds do.

Some subspecies of moths (the same hawk moth, glass moth) have no scales or hairs at all on the surface of their wings. However, this fact does not in any way affect their ability to fly; the narrowness of the wings allows them to stay stably in the air.

Small individuals have rather narrow wings, which keep them in the air only due to the thick scales located on the sides.

The main difference between diurnal and nocturnal butterfly species is the mechanism for attaching the rear and front pairs of wings:

Bridle: in this case, a small process extends from the hind wings, which is inserted into a segment of the front wing. In males it is located on the lower part of the forewing, in females it is at the base of the medial vein; it is a cluster of villi.
Yugum: On the front wing there is a small blade, which is fixed at its base. It is she who fastens both wings to each other.

The sense organs of butterflies are presented as follows:

Olfactory organs: in a moth they are outgrowths shaped like a cone or a wedge. Around them there are a number of sensory cells that lie in the deep layers of the skin and connect to the nerves responsible for sensory functions. Butterflies' sense of smell is quite acute, and it is thanks to it that they find males, females or food.
Hearing organs: some individuals are distinguished by the presence of tympanic organs, which are absent in diurnal moths. Receptors of this type are located on the abdomen or back of the sternum, in special lateral recesses, which are covered with a cuticular membrane (underneath there is a trachea). Sound waves that travel through the air cause the membrane to vibrate, causing cells to be excited and information to be transmitted through sensors.
Organs of vision: Moths have two compound-shaped eyes that occupy the main surface of the head. These organs of vision have the same structure as those of other insects: they consist of many small elements, including the lens, retina and innervation. As a rule, moths see much better up close than at a distance. The organs of vision of moths are designed, first of all, to detect oncoming movement and move in space themselves.

The eyes of butterflies are designed in such a way that they perceive all information separately. Therefore, the insect receives a mosaic image as output, which enlarges the real image of the object several times.

Features of color

Having seen the flourishing of these insects, many wonder whether moths are dangerous. In fact, they are no more dangerous than the daytime varieties, but the pigmentation of the moths deserves attention.

The color of butterfly wings has a dual nature: structural and pigment. . This means that the scales that are located on the surface of the insects’ body contain pigment. It is he who absorbs Sun rays or simply daylight, reflects them, due to which the solar spectrum of shades visible to the human eye appears. As for the structural part of the color, it appears as a result of the refraction of the sun's rays, which does not require the presence of pigment.

Important! Moths have predominantly pigmented coloration.

Ways to protect yourself from enemies

The moths of Russia, and all others, are created by nature in such a way as to have protection from ill-wishers.

A list of defense mechanisms of moths is presented below.

Building shelters: different subspecies of moths organize similar protective structures for themselves. For example, caseworms and bagworms. The caterpillars of these moths, some time after hatching, build houses around which they attach pieces of foliage and various debris.

These shelters are designed in a special way so that the larva protrudes from them just enough so that in case of danger it can quickly hide inside. The house grows with its owner, at least until she grows up and becomes a pupa (this size is approximately 4-5 cm). After the allotted time, the butterflies come out, but only if we are talking about males. The females stay in these houses longer, until they are fertilized by the male and lay eggs.

Protective structures of the body, which include hairs and glands, are also means of protecting moths. Do moths bite, having such a formidable weapon? The answer is obvious: only if necessary.

Many caterpillars have a series of bristles or hairs that can burn with poison hidden in the skin glands. During an attack, a dangerous mixture is sprayed from the tip of the bristles, which irritates the skin of the enemy.

In addition, insects use the following means of protection:

glands in the larvae, with the help of which they cover their own bodies with a liquid that repels approaching predators;
individual individuals begin to actively move when the enemy approaches, or pretend to be dead, or curl up into a tight ball;
the larvae, at the moment of approaching danger, can fall from the branches on which they live, hanging on thin silk threads (the individual returns back along the same thread, slowly moving along it with its legs located on the chest and oral appendages);
hawk moths have dorsal growths that look like horns, which they point towards approaching danger;
insects can defend themselves with the help of long, prickly hairs covering their body.

Moth pupae, so helpless in appearance, also have mechanisms to protect themselves from a sudden enemy attack:

pupae living in the soil are colored in colors that make them invisible;
moths weave silk cocoons (in the silkworm, such shelters can have up to three layers - loose, dense and filmy), in which they hide from attacks by predators.

Coloring to protect against predators

Protective pigmentation moths have two types of colors:

Patronizing (cryptic)– helps butterflies to blend into their surroundings. For example, a moth can completely blend in with the needles on a spruce tree or the leaves on a tree. Other subspecies may have the appearance of tree knots, freezing on a branch at the moment of danger, pretending to be the smallest branches (this is what moths and ribbon moths do).
Warning (discouraging)– in itself attracts the attention of predators, but draws their attention to the fact that the individual has protective means in its arsenal (unpleasant taste, caustic secretion of the glands, the presence of burning hairs on the surface).

The ability of moths to camouflage themselves when danger approaches is admirable. Some blend in with granite rocks, others take on the appearance of bird droppings, and others take on the appearance of bark, flowers or foliage.

Ribbon flies are distinguished by their color, which is visible during flight on their outstretched hind wings. However, this species is completely invisible at rest, if the butterfly folds its wings, the pattern on its back resembles foliage or tree bark.

The wings of night beauties are often decorated with a pattern in the form of wide open eyes. This helps keep predators at a distance.

Industrial melanism

Industrial melanism is the presence in the body of moths of a pigment that makes them darker than other individuals. This ability is inherited.

Currently, there is a tendency towards an increase in individuals of the melanized species, especially for populations living in Europe. If previously the light color of the night moth was the species norm, today dark moths are replacing them. Despite the fact that the survival rate in nature is higher in light-colored moths, dark ones are better adapted to life with a deficiency nutrients. However, constant clashes with predators leave melanists in the minority.

In areas with industrial production, where many objects flora covered with soot, melanistic butterflies survive better than their white counterparts, because their camouflage abilities are higher. In addition, they feed on food that is contaminated with industrial waste and this does not in any way affect their life activity, unlike light-colored moths.

Life cycle

How long do moths live? Life cycle these insects deserve close study; it can be divided into several successive stages:

Eggs are laid by these moths either in the form of heaps or individual specimens. Moreover, females are able to lay them directly during flight, place them on objects or in vegetation tissues.
After the allotted time, caterpillars emerge from the eggs, having a head, three pairs of legs with marigolds on the chest, and five pairs of legs on the body. After surviving periods of molting, the caterpillars are enclosed in a cocoon called a pupa. In it, the individual cannot move; the paws are tightly pressed to the body.
After a while, an adult moth emerges from the pupa.

What do butterflies eat?

Some time after the transformation from a pupa to a butterfly, it destroys all the protein in its reserves and goes in search of food.

All butterflies have a proboscis - long and mobile, which is formed from elongated and modified jaws; it is this that allows them to suck nectar from flowers or juice from crevices in trees and fruits. If the butterfly is ready to eat, its proboscis, which is always curled, unfolds, allowing it to feast on something or drink water.

Usually, The proboscis of moths differ in their length. The latter depends on the depth of the flowers on which one or another individual usually feeds. For example, in tropical hawkmoths, the size of the proboscis can reach a quarter of a meter.

A butterfly that flies from flower to flower in search of food also pollinates plants. This occurs by transferring pollen on stalks from one specimen to another.

What do moths eat:

fruit juice;
juices of various plants;
rotting fruits and vegetables;
sweet substance secreted by aphids;
bird excrement;
flower nectar.

Methods of food absorption may vary among different subspecies of night beauties.

Large swallowtails flutter their wings while drinking, hovering over the plant, and only slightly touch the petals with their limbs. Therefore, space is important for them, so that nothing interferes with the unfolded wings in movement.
Hawkmoths also hover in space, like hummingbirds; they never land on a flower or touch the corolla.
Other species traditionally sit on the flower and leisurely enjoy the sweet nectar. At the same time, their luxurious wings are folded.

Hawkmoth hovers over a flower while eating

Habitat

Moths are distributed almost everywhere; they cannot be found only in Antarctica. The ability of moths to fly is very developed, so they can be found both on the continent and on islands in the ocean.

Moths middle zone In Russia it is a fairly common phenomenon. They can be found even in the most abandoned places, traveling through the air on silk threads to which they are attached. In addition to this method of movement, caterpillars can move by attaching to broken branches of trees or whole logs that were moved from place to place after heavy rains or the flow of a river.

Some nocturnal moths live only in the habitats where they first appeared. For example, the yucca moth starts and lives only in yucca thickets.

The following moths are known in the Moscow region:

fine strands;
bagworms;
wood borers;
cocoon worms;
birch silkworms;
slugs;
peacock eyes;
corydalis;
moths;
nolides.

Video

Benefits and harms

One interesting sign is associated with moths: if a representative of this type of insect flies into a house, this promises its owners a lot of pleasant things, in the form of good luck and prosperity.

Moths, which have a mouthpart with a soft proboscis that cannot pierce tissues of plant and animal origin, do not cause any harm to humans. In addition, they bring a lot of benefits. They pollinate many plant crops, feeding on pollen.. For example, yucca can only be pollinated by yucca butterflies, whose ovules cannot be fertilized without an external pollinator. These butterflies fashion a ball of pollen, which is placed on the pistil of a plant.

The behavior of moths is quite complex, but it is precisely this that ensures reproduction individual species crops

However, these beautiful moths can not only bring benefits, but also some harm. The caterpillars of these individuals are quite voracious, due to which the following damage is caused:

damage to foliage, roots and stems;
eating food;
damage to fibers and materials.

Night moth larvae can cause a lot of damage agriculture. For example, keratophagous moths lay their eggs on the fur and hair of domestic animals. Occasionally they use these raw materials to build their own cocoons.

Known harm is caused by:

grain moth;
Indian meal moth;
barley moth;
mill fire.

These insects are capable of destroying grain stored in warehouses. These types of butterflies are distributed throughout the world, which forces farmers to constantly use insecticides to protect their farms from extermination.

The caterpillars, a type of leaf miner or miner, feed on plant elements found in the central part of the foliage. In order to get to them, the caterpillars gnaw through long passages and cavities located under the epidermis. Other larvae are capable of making real miniature tunnels inside the root system, branches and trunks of trees. In such a secluded place they live for quite a long time, reliably hidden both from predators who encroach on them and from the person trying to exterminate them.

The most noticeable damage caused by moth caterpillars is the destruction of leaf cover. Hungry larvae sometimes become a real disaster; they are capable of completely denuding fields, removing foliage from plants in vegetable gardens, and even completely changing the appearance of green spaces.

Why do butterflies strive for light?

The question of why moths fly towards the light interests many. Moreover, not only nocturnal varieties of moths, but also daytime ones can fly towards the beckoning rays, often by mistake. Although such a reaction is more often due to the fact that such individuals simply fell asleep near the light source, and when darkness fell and it turned on, they became frightened and rushed to escape.

Artificial light has a huge impact bad influence on nocturnal insects, this trend is especially pronounced in megacities, where there are a lot of light sources. Every year, carried away by the alluring electricity, millions of moths die.

According to latest research, moths are increasingly less likely to seek light. This is due to the formation of special behavioral mechanisms in them that help them avoid harmful effects. Researchers used ermine moth caterpillars. These insects were raised until the first molt, half in suburban areas with a minimum of artificial lighting, the other half in areas where street lighting was maximum. As the results of the study showed, those butterflies that emerged from caterpillars that grew in places with bright lighting were 30% less likely to rush into the light than those that grew in areas with a minimum of light.

Species of moths

Moths are traditionally divided into 2 subspecies:

Palaeolepidoptera are represented by miner caterpillars and small forms.
Neolepidoptera this includes most butterflies.

Representatives of these subspecies differ from each other in various characteristics relating to the structure of the larvae, mouthparts, wings and genitals.

Night butterflies include:

glass bees, slender, similar to bees with the thinnest scaleless wings;
moths, small individuals with triangular wings, most often pests;
fingerwings, distinguished by dissected wings with scaly fringe;
true moths, tiny specimens with scales along the edges of their wings;
notch-winged moth, which has a bright color and is a dangerous pest;
hawk moths, a large species of butterfly similar to hummingbirds;
bagworms, in the form of round dark females and males, devoid of wings;
peacock eye, which has wide wings with a pattern in the form of eyes and a dense body;
moths, very slender butterflies whose caterpillars crawl, bending in the form of a loop;
leaf rollers, whose folded wings are shaped like a bell, and the individuals themselves are pests that eat buds and apples;
cocoon moths, hairy beauties whose caterpillars cause a lot of damage to foliage;
she-bears with brightly colored wings;
scoop, inconspicuous butterflies whose wings are brown and antennae in the form of threads;
moths, the females of which do not have wings, and the males sport gray wings with antennae.

Photos with names

Peacock eye - large nocturnal peacock eye

There are more than 30,000 species of butterflies and moths in the world. They constitute the second largest group of insects on our planet. We offer a short trip to this beautiful world. Interesting Facts from the world of butterflies and moths on an interesting site.

A moth is a butterfly.

Yes, moths are nocturnal butterflies. Butterflies are conventionally distinguished by appearance and flight time - daytime butterflies and moths - active at night. Moths tend to be thicker and more “hairy”, while moths are slimmer and “less hairy”.

Why do moths fly towards the light?

To this day, scientists do not agree on what is the cause this phenomenon. Apparently, moths have an evolutionarily developed light-based navigation mechanism, which serves them as a beacon for ships.

What is pollen on butterfly wings?

Butterflies are lepidopteran insects and the patterns on their wings create scales that overlap each other like laid tiles. The scales cover all parts of the butterfly's body, and they are so thin that they give the impression of pollen. A butterfly is a very gentle creature, our touches, even the most gentle ones, damage its wings, after which it cannot fly freely. In their natural habitat, butterflies with damaged wings become easy prey for predators; it is more difficult for them to obtain food, so as a result the butterfly lives less.

Why do butterflies need two pairs of wings?

Scientists have proven that the upper pair of wings is responsible for lift, that is, for flight, and the lower one serves to change the direction of flight. Butterflies that fly long distances have long, narrow and sharply pointed wings. The butterfly, which can make quick turns and dodge, has wide and clearly rounded wings. The diurnal butterfly makes 300 beats per minute with its wings. The fastest butterflies can reach speeds of up to 55 km/h. Moths have a stocky body structure; to fly they must make much more movements with their wings. The record holder is the Russian Hummingbird, which makes 5,000 beats per minute!

Sense organs of butterflies.

The antennae of butterflies contain receptors responsible for capturing odors, as well as sensory organs responsible for taste and touch. The antennae also contain the “Johnston’s organ,” which is responsible for the balance of the butterfly and is an analogue of the human vestibular apparatus. It responds to air vibrations and sound waves. The butterfly has taste buds on its legs, moving along the leaf, it is able to understand whether it is edible and tasty.

How do butterflies see?

Butterflies have a complex eye structure, so they perceive the world in the form of a mosaic consisting of small pictures. Butterflies have eyes on both sides of their heads, so they can easily see movement, but only distinguish the brightest colors. Most likely they only see red, green and yellow colors, so they sit on flowers of certain colors. Butterflies see ultraviolet radiation that is invisible to humans, so they see colors differently than humans.

Do butterflies bite?

Butterflies don't bite because they don't have teeth or even a mouth. They collect food through a long tube, which is rolled up and hidden under the head when the butterfly is not eating.

What do butterflies eat?

The main diet of an adult butterfly is flower nectar. They also love fruit enzymes, sap flowing from damaged trees, and even liquid from excrement and carrion. Some butterflies drink water, so they are often found on river banks. In the western Amazon you can see butterflies drinking the tears of turtles. This way they replenish the sodium levels in the body.

Are there poisonous butterflies?

Butterflies cannot prick or bite. They do not have poisonous skin. However, poisonous butterflies still exist. Toxic substances make them inedible for birds and other enemies. The poison is produced in the caterpillar stage with the consumed poisonous plants and is stored in organisms throughout life.