Hornet Moth
Hornet Clearwing ( Sesia apiformis )
The Hornet Clearwing or Bee Clearwing ( Sesia apiformis ) is a butterfly of the family of the Clearwing ( Sesiidae ).
- 3.1 Flight times and caterpillars
- 3.2 food of the caterpillars
- 3.3 Development
- 4.1 Notes and references
- 4.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 30 to 45 millimeters. They have mostly transparent wings, only the wing veins and the edge are scaly brownish. Your abdomen is yellow and black ringed, with the last three segments and another on the front of the body are yellow, the widest segment in the middle of the abdomen is, as well as the joints between the segments black. Only between the first and second segment, this seam is yellow. The distinguishing feature to the very similar Great willow Clearwing ( Sesia bembeciformis ) are two yellow-colored spots on the chest in front of the wing root, the rest of the thorax is black.
The Hornet Clearwing recalls his warning coloration and behavior potential predators at Hornets, who shun him for it.
The caterpillars are about 50 mm long. They are whitish or yellowish and have a dark brown head and a not quite as dark brown neck shield. They carry very few, very short white hair.
Similar Species
- Large willow Clearwing ( Sesia bembeciformis )
Synonyms
- Aegeria apiformis
- Sphinx crabroniformis
- Trochilium apiformis
- Sesia crabroniformis
Occurrence
The animals are frequently in central Europe, particularly close to waters. They live in open, slightly damp terrain, such as on water banks, stocks with their food plants.
Way of life
Flight times and caterpillars
The moths fly from late May to late July, the caterpillars are found from August to May, where they hibernate in between twice.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on the wood of quaking aspen (Populus tremula ) and black poplar (Populus nigra) and other poplar species in their trunks and roots they live. Sometimes they are also found in pastures such as in sallow (Salix caprea ).
Development
The females lay their eggs on the bark of forage crops. The resulting hatching caterpillars bore into the bark and live initially only just below this. Only later did they eat their way deeper into the lower trunk and roots, where is eaten again towards the end of development, after three to four years, the burrow to bark out. At the end of this tunnel the dolls chamber is hollowed out, then in the cocoon of wood chips and spun yarns is built. The chamber sits just below the cortical surface, it is only closed by a membranous layer of bark on the outside. The animals spend the winter in their cocoons and pupate in the spring of. Before hatching pushes the doll that is very mobile, with the help of thorn wreaths both from the cocoon as well as from the pupal chamber into the open so that the butterfly can emerge. The then on the trunk sitting for some time moths are easy to recognize. What remains is a about an inch in diameter measuring hole in the trunk, that's even a long time later recognized as the exit hole of the wing moth.