What does cabbage loopers look like?
About Cabbage Looper Pests The larvae mature to thick green caterpillars with a white stripe running along either side. They have five pairs of prologs and a cigar shaped body, which is thinner at the head end. By the time the larvae reaches maturity, it may be as much as 2 inches (5 cm.) long.
What does a looper caterpillar look like?
The adult cabbage looper is a gray, mottled moth with a characteristic white or silver “Y” mark on each forewing. The larva is a smooth, greenish caterpillar with thin white lines on its back and sides. It crawls in a looping motion.
What kind of butterfly does a cabbage looper turn into?
The cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) is a medium-sized moth in the family Noctuidae, a family commonly referred to as owlet moths….
| Cabbage looper | |
|---|---|
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
What does the cabbage looper caterpillar turn into?
An adult cabbage looper moth lays multiple pale yellow, round eggs on each plant, both on the tops and bottoms of the leaves chosen. They then form a pupa or cocoon, and somewhere between 4-12 days later they will emerge as full-grown adult, semi-nocturnal moths.
Do cabbage loopers bite?
Although green like the cabbageworm, the looper is slightly larger—about 1½ to 2 inches long—with white stripes down its back. Moving relatively quickly, the looper feeds on the underside of brassica leaves, taking large bites as it goes.
How long do cabbage loopers pupate?
The pupal stage lasts for two weeks. With warm temperatures, development of all cabbage looper stages – from egg to adult – takes about 18 to 25 days. Looper activity (egg laying and larval feeding) will decrease as cool weather (50 F) becomes common.
What do looper worms eat?
Host Plants (Back to Top) The cabbage looper feeds on a wide variety of cultivated plants and weeds. As the common name implies, it feeds readily on crucifers, and has been reported damaging broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, kale, mustard, radish, rutabaga, turnip, and watercress.
How long do looper moths last?
How long will the outbreak last? Outbreaks can last three to four years and we are currently in year two. While outbreaks are not uncommon and populations build every 11 – 15 years in our region, the moth populations could diminish next year or we may see another year of defoliation next summer.
What plants do cabbage loopers eat?
The cabbage looper feeds on a wide variety of cultivated plants and weeds. As the common name implies, it feeds readily on crucifers, and has been reported damaging broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, kale, mustard, radish, rutabaga, turnip, and watercress.
How big do cabbage loopers get?
1 1/2 inches
Description: Cabbage looper moths have a wingspan of 1 1/2 inches. The forewings are grayish brown with a silvery spot resembling a “V” or figure 8 near the center. The hindwings are pale but become darker near the outer margin. Eggs are round, greenish white, and slightly smaller than a pinhead.
What does the larva of a cabbage looper look like?
Early instar larva of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner). Photograph by John L. Capinera, University of Florida. Pupa: At pupation, a white, thin, fragile cocoon in formed on the underside of foliage, in plant debris, or among clods of soil.
What are the white spots on cabbage looper moths?
The forewing bears silvery white spots centrally: a U-shaped mark and a circle or dot that are often connected. The forewing spots, although slightly variable, serve to distinguish cabbage looper from most other crop-feeding noctuid moths.
How many eggs do cabbage looper moths lay?
Adult cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner). Photograph by Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida. During the adult stage, which averages 10 to 12 days, 300 to 600 eggs are produced by females (Shorey 1963). Moths are considered to be seminocturnal because feeding and oviposition sometimes occurs about dusk.
Why does the cabbage looper die at high altitude?
This is likely due to the residual effects of a nuclear polyhedrosis virus, which is quite lethal to this insect. The cabbage looper is highly dispersive, and adults have sometimes been found at high altitudes and far from shore.