Sesamum hawk moth | Top 3 Management

Today in this article we will learn about the common scientific name, family, order of the sesamum hawk moth, along with this we will know about its nature of damage life cycle and management or control.

Sesamum hawk moth

Sesamum hawk fly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Its scientific name is Acherontia styx. It is also known as 20 overs. Their tongues are stout and very strong, due to which they suck the wax cells and suck the honey.

Nature of damage of Hawk fly

As a matter of nature of the damage is harmful to the insect caterpillar stage harvest. It also harms honey production.

• The damage is caused by the caterpillar but the month is also harmful as it sucks honey from the honey that comes in apiaries.
• The caterpillar feeds voraciously on leaves and the fall of the plants.
• During a heavy infestation, all the leaves of the plant are eaten up by the caterpillar and living only the stocks.

Life history of hawk moth

There are four development stages in its life cycle. Egg larva pupa and adult. If we want to control the Sesamum hawk moth, then we need to know about its life cycle, below we talk about its life cycle.

Egg stage of Sesamum hawk moth

Sesamum hawkmoths lay their eggs in clusters. And it lays its eggs in the leaf sheath and fleshy part of the leaf.

• The eggs are laid in a cluster of 2-15 in a leaf sheath and in the fleshy portion of the midrib of leaf they are covered with a dome-shaped egg plug secreted by the female.
• Only one tip Protrude from the plant surface the eggs are white transparent slender.
• Their color is at first greenish-white but later they turn yellow.
• The incubation period varies from 2-5 days.

Larva stage of Hawkmoth

Sesamum hawk moth hatches out of the larva. which harm the plant.

• The newly hatched Larva is pale yellowish; it begins to feed on leaves and develops broad green strips running obliquely along the dorsolateral per surface.
• It is a typical Sphingidae caterpillar with the characteristics of a head and capital caudal horn. When the larva is fully grown its color undergoes a rather drastic change to brown.
• The full-grown caterpillar is about 5 cm in length and 1 cm in width, often retracts some of its anterior body segment and looks like a sphinx.
• The horn-like projection on the hind end of the abdomen is conspicuous. The body of the caterpillar is plum and is decorated with a pleasant mixture of soft colors.
• The larval looks quite ferocious and venomous although it is quite harmless and safe to handle.
• The larval period of the Sesamum hawk moth ends in 2 months.

Pupa stage of  Hawkmoth

Sesamum is the third developmental stage of the hawk moth’s life cycle, in which the larva moves to a suitable location in the file to perform pupation.

• The full-grown Larva descends from the plant to the ground and finishes out a suitable place for entry into the soil where it pupates.
• Sesamum hawk moth pupal period ends in 2 to 3 weeks.

The adult stage of the Hawk fly

is the fourth developmental stage of the life cycle of the Sesamum hawk moth.

• An adult is a large reddish-brown moth with a wingspan of about 10 cm.
• The foe wings are decorated with a mixture of dark brown and gray patterns with dark or black wavy markings and a prominent yellow spot on each wing.
• The hand wings have an ochre background on which there are two broad dark brown wavy cross straps.
• There is a prominent death’s head mark on the thorax. They are Swift flyers and often make howk like darts to a light source soon after dusk.
• The life cycle is completed in 78 to 89 days and there are three generations in a year.
• The pest is active throughout the year to expect winter which is a past pupal stage in the soil.
• The change in colouration of the larvae and adults adds them in protective mimicry.

Management of Sesamum hawk moth

We have so far learned about the nature of the damage and the life cycle of Sesamum hawk moths. Now we will know how we can control it in the field.

• Hand-picking in small areas is quite effective for such large size insects.
• Dusting the crop with 0.07% endosulfan or 0.15% ka Carbary 750 litres per hectare.
• Spraying the crop with 0.07% endosulfan or 0.05% carbary 750 lit/ha.

Natural enemies

• Egg parasite- Aquiommotus acherontix four
• Larval parasite- Apenteles achromatic com