A small article that resulted in a full-fledged investigation. 
A couple of days ago I found a caterpillar in the entrance. I was in too much of a hurry to get into the soft bed, so I didn’t think about where she came from or what kind of view it was - I just escorted the stranger to the nearest window and continued to rise. And just last night I started thinking - how did she even appear in the house?
In general, stone buildings are not the best place for caterpillars. What should Khrushchev eat? Concrete? Therefore, the first ones in line that you can meet in the house are synanthropic species of moths. These insects are so dependent on humans that their larvae are almost impossible to find outside the home. But adult insects are a different matter. Moth butterflies are able to travel a considerable distance during the warm time of the day and visit from neighboring houses. 
Moths often hide in cocoons that they themselves produce. From your clothes.
But the “caterpillars” live not only in the entrance hall. Some of them live right in the apartment! For example, skin beetle larvae. Don't worry, the insect won't scalp you. Adult insects feed on pollen and nectar. But their babies, which look like furry caterpillars, depending on the species, feed on dead skin cells, feathers, fur and other organic matter. 
Skin beetles especially bother museum employees. These pests damage exhibits, stuffed animals and books by devouring them.
Also, thanks to the Internet, I learned that from time to time people encounter poplar moth caterpillars in their apartments. Attempts to uncover the mystery of their penetration into homes resulted in a detective investigation with an unexpectedly deep history. Watch your hands. In the USSR, city architects were very attentive to urban greening, but they solved the problem a little strangely. A huge number of settlements were planted with poplars. They have appeared even in places where they are not found in the wild. 
These gummy worms have finally come to life and are now coming to eat you.
Soon after the poplars came poplar moths. In the city they found a lot of food and an almost complete absence of predators, so they began to multiply at an accelerated pace. And, of course, actively fly from tree to tree. But here’s the problem: the poplar moth is a nocturnal insect, accustomed to being guided by the light of the moon. Artificial light sources disrupt their factory settings. Moths fly into entrances and onto apartment balconies and leave eggs there. 
Poplar fluff, heat, apchhi.
If the female has hidden the clutches well enough, then in early spring not very attractive, but completely safe insects will emerge from them. There is only one thing: sometimes the flight of poplar moths, like fluff, becomes uncontrollable. And then thousands, or even tens of thousands of insects fill everything: entrances, windows, balconies. The most disgusting thing is that these insects are very tiny - only a couple of millimeters. Even the smallest mosquito net will not save you from them. 
This was the picture in one of the houses in Chelyabinsk in the summer of 2020. Back then, even baiting didn’t help against poplar moths!
What caterpillars have you seen in your entrance? Write in the comments!
0 comments
