''Cydia nigricana'', the pea moth, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Tortricidae The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genus ...

. It is found in Europe.

Description

It is a small (15 mm wingspan), grey-brown moth whose larvae (caterpillars) feed in the pods of

garden pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

s. They have a long antennae (compared to the body size), and brownish grey wings with white and yellow spots in herringbone pattern on the edge. The

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

is dark brown and about 7.8 mm long with rows of spines. Host plants include peas,

vetch ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

, and

lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest p ...

s. They have small yellow white, or creamy white caterpillars, up to 14 mm long, during late June to August. They feed inside pea pods but the damage to the peas can sometimes only be found when the pods are harvested. 1 or 2 of the caterpillars may be found in a single pod and within each pod, only 1 or 2 individual peas may be partially eaten and the attacked pods may develop a yellow appearance and can ripen early.

Life-cycle

The adult moths emerge from cocoons buried in the soil just below the surface, from early June onwards and after feeding on the (pea) plant flowers, the females then lays her 1-3, eggs on the pea plant. On the undersides of the leaves, petioles (stalks of the leaves), stems and also on flowers. The eggs are less than 1 mm (in size) and flat on one side. After about 7–10 days, or 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the temperature, the caterpillars hatch from the eggs and then emerging larvae go through a very short wandering stage (1 day), before burrowing into the pods to feed on the developing peas, for periods of up to a month. The caterpillars grow by a series of moults and then when mature, the caterpillars eat their way out of the pods, usually in August. Larval development lasts 18 to 30 days, and then larvae migrate to the ground to overwinter in the soil, spinning a cocoon containing particles of soil and hibernating inside.

Pest monitoring and control

In the UK, insect netting is used as a preventative, or pheromone traps are used to monitor pea moth problems. It is advised to wait up to 10 to 15 days from the beginning of sustained moth catches until application of

insecticide Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed t ...

, to allow egg laying and hatching to take place. The RHS recommends not using pesticides as the damage to other beneficial pollinating insects is increased. Other control methods include using quick-maturing cultivars (disrupting the moth life cycle) or growing mange-tout types of pea, in which the pods are eaten before the pea is grown.

References

External links

Lepidoptera of Belgium

Pea moth at UKmoths
Pea moth caterpillar

{{Taxonbar, from=Q848100 Grapholitini Moths described in 1794 Moths of Japan Insects of Turkey