What does the hawk moth eat? Oleander hawk moth: interesting facts, features of the species. Death's Head Sightings

The hawk moth butterfly also has a second name - the hummingbird butterfly. Some species of such amazing living creatures are listed in the Red Book. These unusual and colorful representatives of the Lepidoptera family evoke a lot of positive emotions. Few people know what to do if this insect is found in the garden or vegetable garden. Since this is a butterfly, there are also caterpillars of these insects, which are no less voracious than the caterpillars of other types of insects. But there are never enough of them to cause serious damage to the crop. In addition, these are rare species of butterflies and should not be fought against.

Butterfly hawk moth: description

The hawk moth is considered a rather interesting and amazing insect, resembling hummingbirds in appearance. Different species of these insects are active at different times of the day: some fly during the day, others in the evening, after sunset, and others even at night. At the same time, you can see insects with very original body colors, so many owners cannot determine what kind of species it is.

Nature of life:

• Adults grow up to 11 cm in length and have a proboscis up to 10 cm in length. The wingspan of the butterfly is 65-120 mm.
• The insect is capable of flying at speeds of up to 50 km/h.
• The hawkmoth butterfly flies over flowers, hovers over them and feeds on the nectar of flowers.
• The complete development cycle of such an amazing creature consists of 4 stages: a caterpillar (larva) appears from the egg, which after a certain time turns into a pupa, and an adult flies out of the pupa and lays eggs. This lasts from 30 to 45 days, so over the summer 2 generations of these amazing creatures are born.
• Adults emerge at the end of June and perfectly complement the greenery with their outfits. They begin to fly around flowering trees and shrubs, such as apple, pear, lilac, chestnut, pollinating them.
• The larvae of the hummingbird butterfly are quite large and can reach a length of about 12.5 cm. At the same time, they are distinguished by the original, bright pattern of their body. Some species have a fantastic range of colors: green with a lemon tint, white with black and yellow spots, brownish-gray with “painted” eyes on the front of the body. As a rule, they look like creatures, as if from another planet.
• A characteristic feature of the hawk moth caterpillar is the presence of a horn at the end of the body. The color of the horn depends on the type of butterfly and may have original colors.
• Before turning into a butterfly, becoming a pupa, the caterpillar changes its color. Before becoming a pupa, the caterpillar has already accumulated the required amount of nutrients and hides in the ground. After 18 days, a rather beautiful hawkmoth butterfly emerges from the pupa. As soon as the wings dry, the butterfly takes flight to find a sexual partner and lay eggs to prolong its kind.

Additional factors:

• If you take a hawk moth caterpillar, it does not cause disgust and behaves quite calmly or moves slowly. Many people are afraid of caterpillars, but this caterpillar does not bite and cannot harm humans.
• The caterpillars feed on young leaves. The wine hawk moth prefers to settle on the grapevine. The caterpillar is distinguished by its large size and very warlike coloring, with a spike at the end. The caterpillar has a rather unusual appearance, so many owners do not try to destroy it, constantly watching it. After some time, I manage to see a beautiful butterfly.
• The tongue hawk moth is similar in appearance to a small bird. It can often be seen in the garden, and children who have seen this creature say that they saw a small, unusual bird in the flower garden.
• The death's head hawk moth is distinguished by the fact that it has a pattern on its chest similar to a skull or a design that was found on pirate flags. This is one of the largest butterflies of the hawkmoth species. It feeds on both the sap of young trees and honey. This butterfly can easily climb right into the hive, making sounds like a young queen makes sounds. Therefore, she calmly steals honey from the bees. They do not touch her, as they mistake her for one of their relatives.
• Bedstraw hawk moth is more common in the middle zone. It has a long proboscis and a dense body. At the same time, the body color is a combination of brown and beige, and orange splashes are visible on the tips of the wings.

These insects are also called sphinxes. This is due to the fact that the disturbed caterpillar raises the front part of its body and freezes in a sphinx pose.

There are several types of hawk moths:

• Euphorbia.
• Wine.
• Pine.
• Dead Head.
• Ocellated.
• Oleander.
• Convolvulus.
• Lilac.
• Proboscis Hawkmoth and many others.

Interesting to know! Scientists know about more than 1000 species of these insects. There are species that constantly migrate, making long-distance flights, as well as flying from continent to continent.

What attracts beautiful butterflies

These unique creatures are attracted to beautiful flowers in the garden, the fragrant nectar of which is included in the diet of hawk moths. The more different flowers, ornamental shrubs and fruit crops there are on the site, the higher the likelihood of these insects appearing. The wine hawk moth settles where grapes are grown.

Hawkmoth caterpillars eat the leaves of many cultivated plants, but they do not cause significant damage to these plants.

Is it worth fighting the hawkmoth butterfly?

The hawkmoth butterfly rarely appears in the garden, as it is more attracted to flower beds and flower beds. These insects are also plant pollinators, so we can safely talk about the benefits of these insects. There is no serious harm from the caterpillars of these butterflies: although they eat young leaves, but not on a huge scale. The plants have time to recover.

It’s simply akin to a miracle: going out into your own yard to your own flowerbed, you see something above the flowers that is very reminiscent of the famous tropical hummingbird. Logic dictates that climatic conditions have not yet changed enough for tropical women to migrate to us, but here it is - businesslike, busy, sticking out its proboscis, drinking nectar from petunia gramophones, beautifully hovering over the flowers.

The charm of these insects lies precisely in the similarity with the habits of hummingbirds. And they are similar in size. Hawkmoth butterflies, and it is they who confuse nature lovers who are unaware of species diversity, are quite often found during the day in central Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other European countries. And although representatives of the hawkmoth species fly out in search of food at night, there are several subspecies that feed like birds - during the day.

Butterfly bird

For an insect, hawk moths are simply enormous in size: 29-32 mm, some individuals reach thirty-six. The wingspan of representatives of the hawk moth family is also quite large - from 50 to 70 millimeters.

Hawkmoth butterflies have a unique appearance. Each species has its own color and pattern on the back and wings. Thus, the wine hawk moth has a burgundy tint (like wine), and the butterfly with the terrifying name death's head wears an image on its back that is strikingly reminiscent of pirate symbols - a skull.

Entomologists select the names of butterflies in accordance with their inherent traits or style of behavior. The hawk moth family received its “surname” because of its habit of eating, flying from flower to flower, just as drunkards (and previously they were only called hawk moths) move from table to table, from tavern to tavern, until they have drunk enough.

Not a very euphonious name, but it is firmly attached to insects.

The best flyers

Despite their apparent clumsiness and increased shaggyness, hawkmoth butterflies have earned the title of the best flyers among insects. If you observe insects in a state of immobility (when they sit), one can hardly suspect that these creatures with a fairly thick body, noticeable antennae and completely fragile wings can tear themselves off the ground.

Nevertheless, the species of butterflies of this family are unique high-speed “planes” from the world of insects. They are capable of reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour and can visit completely different regions in one day. Thus, insects provide themselves with a varied diet: nectar from lilacs, hydrangeas, or any other flowers - each of them has its own taste. And the hawk moth flies to this wealth purposefully, and does not just bring it with the wind, like other, lighter insects.

Habitat

Hawkmoths are common in Asia, Europe and North America. Fluffy insects that feed on nectar during the day and are nocturnal can be found from the Western European Atlantic coast to Kamchatka. Even in the most seemingly unsuitable northern regions for insect habitation, hawk moths are not uncommon.

In Russia, hawkmoth butterflies are found in the Lipetsk region, in Yelets, and in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. They were photographed even near Ufa and Tyumen.

By the way, it is not so easy to capture this nimble insect, it moves so quickly from flower to flower. But in the images that were obtained, it is noticeable that the butterfly’s wings are in active motion and look transparent.

How is beauty born?

The caterpillars of hawkmoth butterflies deserve a separate discussion, since they are also among the wonders of nature. Beautiful in color and original in body structure, these forerunners of hawkmoths are able to remarkably camouflage themselves with their environment, taking on the appearance of a curled leaf.

But they also know how to stand out with their bright colors and the presence of a growth on their tail in the form of a small horn.

Butterfly caterpillars pupate from mid-August, nestling comfortably in a cocoon of fallen leaves or in a cushion of moss, or in the soil, burrowing to a depth of at least five centimeters.

The pupa spends the winter in a cocoon, and in the spring it appears to the world in all its glory.

Life is short

If we consider the species of butterflies in general, then among them there are no ones that would live longer than two or three weeks. Those that can last a month are already real long-lived insects.

Some of the representatives of hawk moths are lucky enough to enjoy life for only a few days. Now we are talking about those that have neither a proboscis nor a digestive system. Such butterflies live only on the substances that the caterpillar has accumulated at one time.

Hummingbird butterflies, capable of obtaining food from flowering plants, delight us with their presence a little longer - up to a month.

Sometimes two generations of hawk moths are born a year - in May and September.

And that's all of them

The names of hawkmoth butterflies are very unusual and eloquent - they always reveal the essence of the insect.

The most common bedstraw on our territory got its name because of its favorite food product. When they were caterpillars, they fed exclusively on bedstraw, and when they were butterflies they could fly even in the coldest latitudes, right up to the Arctic Circle.

The same can be said about milkweed and linden hawk moths.

The medium and small wine hawk moths differ from each other only in size, as their names indicate. With almost the same structure and almost the same color, these butterflies have long become a decoration of city flower beds and garden plots. People perceive their bright, cheerful color as a symbol of summer.

There are legends about the death's head hawk moth. They say that this is a dungeon dweller, marked and associated with evil spirits. But the poor insect was just unlucky with the pattern: the butterfly is decorated with an unflattering skull. The death's head has another unique feature - when touched, it makes a piercing squeaking sound. The wings of the butterfly have a span of up to 13 cm.

Hawkmoths, despite belonging to the same family, are very different insects: some are too bright, others have a neutral, calm color, some have a comfortable proboscis, others only have antennae.

In total, there are 1,200 species of butterflies of the hawk moth family in the world, of which 25 are found in the European part of Russia.

Forty degrees is the norm

Butterflies of the hawkmoth family have a massive spindle-like body, which is quite difficult to lift into the air (they always evoke associations with small cargo airplanes in everyone’s mind).

In order for the flight to go smoothly, insects need to warm up their muscles before it begins - flutter their wings while sitting still. This process is so effective that it warms up the butterfly’s body to forty degrees, and this temperature indicator remains the entire period of the butterfly’s flight.

Honey thieves

Hawkmoths do not live on nectar alone; they also have great respect for honey. Butterflies do not hesitate to climb into beehives for this delicacy. And what’s most amazing is to return from there not only alive and healthy, but also well-fed. How do bees tolerate such brazen attacks?

Entomological scientists have come to the conclusion that the quiet creaking sounds that hawk moths make have a hypnotic effect on the entire swarm, reminding the bees of the sound of the queen. This is how the butterfly distracts the attention of the bees and feasts on honey.

Hawkmoths should not be destroyed for this cute theft, they do not harm the apiary, and it would not hurt to protect honey thieves: almost all species of these butterflies are listed in the Red Book.

The world of insects is vast and amazing. A special place in it is occupied by lepidoptera, or butterflies, the diversity of which amazes everyone: the layman, the amateur, and even the researcher. Thus, among the well-known marigolds and cabbages, there are truly exotic representatives of the class. The hawk moth butterfly is similar. The family has such unofficial names as “sphinx” or “northern hummingbird”. The origin of the first is associated with the unusual way the moth eats food, the second - with the heroic size of usually fragile and graceful insects.

Entomologists have identified a huge number of species of hawk moth butterflies, each of which has a distinctive color and a distinctive wing pattern. You can verify this by looking at specific examples. Thus, the wine hawk moth has exquisite burgundy wings; The death's head hawk moth stands out among others due to the unique pattern on its wings and back, reminiscent of a symbolic image of a human skull.

What is the reason for such a wide range of color varieties of species of one family? Scientists attribute this fact to the dependence of color changes on the animal’s diet and habitat. However, despite such a wide palette, most hawkmoth butterflies are decorated with a pattern, the compositional elements of which are an oblique stripe and large “eye” spots.

What does an insect look like?

As noted earlier, representatives of this family are large-sized individuals. The insect's sufficient heaviness is ensured by its impressive body, which takes the shape of a cone. The butterfly's wings are partially retracted, their span varies from 3.5 centimeters to 17.5 centimeters. Interesting characteristics can be given to the antennae of an insect: quite long, pointed at the ends, and shaped like hooks. In the upper part of the hawk moth's body there are eyes, which are crowned with eyebrows formed from small scales. At a lower level in relation to the eyes is the proboscis, which, when deployed, can reach a length that easily exceeds the size of the moth's body. The spines on the insect’s legs also play the role of a “highlight”, since most butterflies make do with only an abundance of hair.

The lower part of the hawk moth's body is completely covered with scales. What is interesting is its elongation through this protective layer: towards the end of the abdomen the scales continue, thereby creating a tail. The large wings of the hawkmoth located in the front part are pointed at the top. The outer edge varies: in some individuals it is predominantly smooth, while others boast a carved design. The hidden hind wings are smaller than the front wings. They are characterized by bevels and notches at the ends.

Hawkmoth larvae often live in the crowns of trees such as birch or alder, linden or chestnut, pear or apple. There they appear at the end of the first summer month.

On the Internet you can find a huge number of photographs depicting hawk moth butterflies. But many users note that digital media cannot convey the amazing beauty and unusualness that nature has endowed this insect with.

Many different species of this family of Lepidoptera live in the natural environment. Their peculiarity is that each of them has its own period of greatest activity. Some species prefer to be active at night, others - during the day, a third - like larks, in the early morning, a fourth - like vampires, they love twilight. Such is the fate of some hawk moths that today they need protection. Therefore, many of them are listed in the Red Book.

The insect's flight speed is very high. While moving in the air, it emits a specific buzz, as the moth often flaps its wings. Just imagine, in one second he manages to make fifty-two swings. All this became the basis for comparing the hawkmoth butterfly with a small airplane.

In appearance, large individuals easily resemble birds. Among the species whose representatives can be confused with birds are, for example, the oleander hawk moth. He manages to fly very long distances during crossings both from one country to another and from one continent to another.

Types of hawk moth butterflies

1. Hawk hawk. The size of its front wing is between 32 and 42 millimeters, so its wingspan can reach 8 centimeters. The carved edge of the retracted wings is the main difference of the species. The color of the wings is not uniform. First of all, it is represented by the brown background color. In addition, the wings are decorated with patterns reminiscent of the natural “ornament” of marble. There is a brown stripe on the back of the insect's body. The small wings located behind the front wings are colored pinkish and red. They also have spots on them, often called “eyes” for their resemblance to real animal eyes. Being painted black they have a light blue ring inside. The butterfly's antennae resemble small saws in shape.
2. Tobacco hawk moth. Usually lives in the tropics of the South American continent and is sometimes found by entomologists in some places in the United States of America. The insect got its name due to its frequent presence on plantations where tobacco grows. Americans call it one of the main pests of this plant. This conclusion is not accidental, because tobacco forms the basis of the larvae’s diet. The caterpillars were also distinguished by a unique pattern located on the abdominal part. It resembles a geometric pattern of twelve squares of yellow and red flowers.
3. Linden hawk moth. It has medium-sized wings, providing a span of 8 centimeters. The wing edges are uneven, with pronounced teeth. The color of the wings is iridescent: from orange shades to olive color. Against such a heterogeneous background, spots of dark color appear. The hind wings of the butterfly are decorated with a contrasting stripe. The color of the larvae is usually green with red stripes. Due to its location, the pupa spends the winter period in the ground and is colored brown-black. Forests with deciduous trees are favorable for the habitat of the linden hawk moth. Therefore, populations of the species can often be found in Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus.

What does a butterfly eat?

The favorite delicacy of insects is flower nectar. While eating it, the hawk moth does not sit on the flower, but flutters over it, hovering in one place. This makes the butterfly look like the hummingbird known to many. A small number of insects possess the skill of such flight.

Some species of the family eat honey. This is the death's head hawk moth. At night, he organizes a “robbery” of the hives. First, the insect flies nearby and with its buzzing lulls the vigilance of the bees, who mistake it for one of their own. Then it penetrates the honey “treasury” and sucks out the contents of the honeycomb.

How do hawk moths reproduce?

The complete life cycle of a butterfly, including all four stages of transformation, is approximately one month. In moth form, individuals often live only a few days. Two new generations usually grow up in one calendar year.

The female's search for a partner occurs with the help of pheromones she secretes. The resulting pair mates. This process usually takes 30 minutes, and the individuals remain motionless throughout. After this, the butterfly lays eggs, from which caterpillars appear after 3 days. The activity of the larvae helps them prepare for the next stage. For this to happen, Nature gave the caterpillar a camouflage green color and the ability to scare away natural enemies with the help of an unpleasant odor and secreted poisons. The caterpillar takes the accumulated energy and strength with it into the soil, where it turns into a pupa. In this capacity, it lives for a little more than two weeks, after which it turns into a hawkmoth butterfly. The formed insect comes out of the cocoon and dries its wings for some time. As soon as an individual realizes that it can fly, it begins to search for a partner.

Video: Hawkmoth butterfly (Sphingidae)

: egg, larva, pupa and butterfly. Adult butterflies do not live long - only a few days, during which they need to have time to find a mate, mate and lay a clutch of eggs on a food plant. After 3-4 days, a larva emerges from the eggs - the hawk moth caterpillar. The task is to accumulate nutrients for further development and transition to the next stage.

Interesting!

The caterpillar stage is the most important and longest period in the insect's life cycle. During the day, the hawkmoth caterpillar freezes in one position, masquerading as a leaf. at night, moving around the plant. Over the course of several weeks, it actively feeds and increases in size. Some species reach 10 cm in length.

Variety of hawk moth larvae

The hawk moth insect has a wide variety of species, distributed in many regions of the mainland, including Russia. Some of them have protective properties: they emit an unpleasant odor, have a bright warning color, and a formation in the form of a pointed horn is formed at the end of the body. The most interesting and frequently encountered hawk moths are:

• bedstraw;
• medium and small wine;
• ocellated and others.

They are common in the central zone of the country, in Western Siberia, the southern regions of the Krasnodar Territory, in Crimea, and in the Far East. From the photo of a hawkmoth caterpillar, you can distinguish the features inherent in each type of insect.

The insects got their name from the plant on which the larvae live - bedstraw. They can also be found on fireweed and milkweed. Distributed throughout almost the entire central zone of Eurasia and North America.

The appearance of the bedstraw hawkmoth is quite bright. The caterpillars are covered with yellow spots with a black border. Throughout the summer they feed on leaves, and by autumn they descend into the upper layers of the soil, where they turn into a pupa. Until spring they remain in this phase, and with the onset of warmth, an adult butterfly emerges from the ground.

One of the most beautiful species of insects prefers the more southern regions of the mainland, feeding on fireweed, bedstraw and grape leaves. The name "wine" was given to the pest because of its food preference - grapes. The second reason is the bright pink color of the butterfly, reminiscent of the color of wine.

On a note!

The wine hawk moth caterpillar has an interesting shape and color. When in danger, she draws in her head and inflates her chest, on the upper part of which there are two spots similar to eyes. Externally, the larva resembles a small snake with a large head. Such an unusual appearance can confuse the natural enemies of the pest.

This representative of insect pests feeds on the foliage of poplar, aspen, bird cherry, and willow. It is common in the more northern regions of the mainland: Siberia, Western Europe. The color of the caterpillar is in harmony with the environment. The body has a greenish tint with oblique stripes imitating the veins of a leaf rolled into a tube.

Sometimes in the summer on meadow paths, or even in the city, you can meet large caterpillars slowly crawling. Someone will say “ugh, what a disgusting thing!”, and someone, on the contrary, will pick it up with interest. The caterpillar, of course, doesn’t like this, it begins to wriggle and curl up into a ring, because it has eaten itself for several weeks and is now looking for a secluded place to pupate. The caterpillar shown in the photo wine hawkmoth(lat. Deilephila elpenor) light brown, with a greenish tint; on the sides of the front part of the body, near the head, it has dark spots with a white border on top and a small horn on the tail. If the caterpillar is frightened, it retracts its head, inflates the segments with eye patterns, making them look like the head of a snake with eyes, which should scare off unwanted predators. This caterpillar feeds on fireweed, better known among us as fireweed, bedstraw and grape leaves (for which it received its name). After pupation, the following year it will hatch into a wine hawk moth, a rather large twilight moth, which is very similar to a hummingbird in its flight and feeding habits. Even in English it is called elephant hawk moth, which can be roughly translated as “elephant moth.”

Wine Hawkmoth(lat. Deilephila elpenor) - a butterfly from the family hawk moths (Sphingidae). Wingspan 50-70 mm. The coloring of the forewings and body is olive-pink with transverse oblique pink bands on the forewings. The hind wings are black at their base. Widely distributed in the Palearctic. Flight time is from mid-May to mid-August, one, sometimes two generations. The caterpillar stage is from mid-June to August. The color of the caterpillar varies from light green to brown and almost black; on the 4th and 5th rings there are “eyes” with a dark core and a white border. The horn is short, black-brown. The caterpillars' food plants are fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium and E. hirsutum) and fireweed (Chamerion); less often bedstraw, impatiens, grapes. Pupation on the soil; the pupa overwinters.

Below is a photo (not mine) of what an imago (adult moth) looks like:

Photo by jean pierre Hamon, Wikipedia

Wine hawk moth belongs to the genus Deilephila. These are large and medium-sized butterflies with a wingspan of 40-80 mm. Medium Wine Hawkmoth is an olive butterfly with a pink pattern. The base of the hind wings is black. Wingspan 50-70 mm. The head, chest and abdomen of the moth are olive green. The pinkish stripes on the back in the abdominal area merge into one longitudinal line. The antennae are thickened, grayish-pink. The eyes are large, complex, covered with scales. Insects have excellent vision; they see objects in low light. Insects are common in Europe, including the south of the Urals. Found in Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, India, Korea, Japan and China. It lives in gardens, at the edge of the forest, and on roadsides. Settles on honeysuckle bushes, petunias and iris flowers. Moths living in gardens and parks pollinate 5-10% of nearby trees and shrubs.

The wine hawk moth caterpillar can be green or dark brown, almost black in color. On the 4-5 body segment there are round black eyes with a white border. The tail horn is short, black at the base, and the tip is white. Due to their large size (70-80 mm), the caterpillars make a terrifying impression on people. They are actually not dangerous. The larvae do not even cause serious harm to plants.

In case of danger, the wine hawk moth caterpillar is capable of inflating a segment of the body that has eyes. She draws her head in and assumes a sphinx pose, lifting her front legs off the surface. At the same time, she becomes like a snake. Given the impressive size of the body, enemies such as birds prefer not to engage in combat.

The summer time of butterflies is from May to August. They are active in the evening until midnight. Moths feed on flowers and mate. Depending on the region where they live, they give from one to five generations. For plants that open their buds at close intervals, they are excellent pollinators. During the mating season, they often fly to light sources.

Hawkmoths are excellent flyers; during migration they cover thousands of kilometers. Butterflies are able to hover in one place, feeding on the nectar of flowers, and move vertically up and down.

The fertilized female lays individual or paired round eggs on the leaves and stems of food plants. Green masonry with a glossy surface. The embryo develops in 7-10 days. Young larvae are yellow or light green in color. As they mature, most become gray-brown with black streaks. This stage lasts about a month.

The wine hawk moth caterpillar can be both beneficial and harmful. It depends on her diet. The larva that settles on the weeds helps get rid of the grass without weeding. The insect does not harm agriculture. Hawkmoth food plants are flowers and ovaries of fireweed (willowherb), bedstraw, and impatiens. In rare cases, it feeds on grape leaves.

Having reached the fifth instar, the larva descends to the ground and prepares for pupation. She chooses a place at the foot of the plant on which she fed and forms a cocoon. The pupa is brown, length 40-45 mm. They overwinter in the litter or upper layers of soil.

Hawkmoths fly at speeds of up to 50 km/h. The wind interferes with their flight and while feeding on flowers. When the wind force is 3 m/s, insects do not fly out to feed.

Medium wine hawk moth is listed in the Red Book of Karelia and the Belgorod Region as a rare species.

The wine hawk moth received the Latin name Deilephila elpenor in honor of the hero of mythology: Elpenor is a friend of Odysseus, returning with him from Troy; died after falling from the roof of the palace of the sorceress Circe.

There is an assumption that these spots on the caterpillars of wine hawk moths imitate the “glasses” of a cobra. However, it is unlikely that birds would confuse a small caterpillar with a snake, especially since wine hawk moths are widespread in areas where cobras are not found. And simple experience has shown that birds very willingly eat ocellated caterpillars. There is no clear answer to the question about the reason for this coloring. The horn of the caterpillar of the average wine hawk moth is weakly expressed.

The hawk moth family (Sphingidae) is one of the fastest flyers not only among butterflies, but also among insects in general. Some reach speeds of up to 60 km/h! Narrow and long front wings and a streamlined, aerodynamic body make their flight swift and maneuverable. It was they, like some birds, that became the prototype for the creation of jet aircraft, thanks to observant designers. Hawkmoths make from 37 to 85 wing beats per second, while the swallowtail, for example, makes only 5-6 beats.

You can hatch the wine hawk moth at home from the pupa yourself, but to do this, after pupation, it must be stored in the refrigerator for some time, otherwise the adult insect will hatch somewhere around the New Year, when it will have nothing to eat. Detailed information about their breeding -